Onboard view of descent and views of the capture.

CASC confirms orbit was successfully achieved (unnamed satellite) and plans to reuse the first stage by the end of the year. mp.weixin.qq.com/s/cNqvOWxkwm...

This is big: China just launched the Long March 10B and caught the first stage out at sea with a net recovery system. mp.weixin.qq.com/s/8VpyAMwNaV...

Tianwen-2 on HGA today and high data rate, likely more pictures and science data is coming...

And another new asteroid! Here's Torifune, captured during yesterday's flyby by Hayabusa2. www.jaxa.jp/press/2026/0...

That is not a normal rubble pile. Hmm...

relevant size comparison:

This is the image I've been waiting for! This is Earth's current quasi moon! There is a chance, this is a chunk of Moon that was cast off during an asteroid impact. YAY <insert muppet flail gif>

Tianwen-2 had arrived. Here's asteroid Kamo'oalewa seen from 20 km away www.xinhuanet.com/20260706/eb8...

Launch 47: A Long March 8A lifted off at 1343 UTC today from Hainan commercial launch centre, sending the Qianfan polar group 15 LEO comms satellites into orbit. mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Mp7Spec1o2...

Hayabusa2 is set to pass within 1 km of the centre of asteroid Torifune in ~80 minutes (0930 UTC, 0530 Eastern). Live stream: www.youtube.com/live/hVC3KP3...

This was China's 46th launch of 2026, following the Long March 4B launch of Haiyang-2E from Jiuquan on July 1.

On July 4, Tianwen-2 is expected to approach within 20 km of Kamoʻoalewa, marking the start of the mission's most critical phase after a 13-month journey from its May 2025 launch. Doppler measurements from our 20m Bochum antenna indicate no or only small orbit adjustments during the last few day.

JWST has taken a look at Kamo'oalewa, and we've got an interesting paper on this just in time. Fast rotator asteroid could be ~18m in diameter (ground-based estimates 40-100m), and hints that it's more like a rare E-type asteroid than a chunk of the Moon. arxiv.org/abs/2606.24017

Liaoning province wants to establish a commercial marine rocket launch base, following the example of Shandong's Haiyang sea launch setup. www.ln.gov.cn/web/zwgkx/zf... via mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ExPOjuvJ5J...

We're about to discover some new small worlds: Tianwen-2 arriving at Kamo'oalewa on July 4, Hayabusa2 blasting past asteroid Torifune on July 5. www.space.com/astronomy/as...

Tianwen-2 sample return mission is expected to arrive at the near Earth asteroid Kamo'oalewa tomorrow (July 4) at a distance of ~20 kilometres. Hopefully we'll also see the first images of the asteroid very soon. mp.weixin.qq.com/s/97RjX0XCVs...

iSpace completed sea training for its recovery barge using a mock Hyperbola-3 first stage in mid-late June in waters off Yangjiang, Guangdong province. mp.weixin.qq.com/s/R6yxSYx9Yj...

Second Zhuque-3 launch and first stage recovery attempt is in the post.

Qingzhou-1 cargo spacecraft to be launched in early 2027, docking with Tiangong space station. Results from experimental Qingzhou-1 launch released. www.cas.cn/cm/202606/t2...

Mengzhou crew spacecraft airdrop test out of a Y-20 transport aircraft. The first orbital flight for Mengzhou could come later this year on the Long March 10A.

Tiangong expansion: China to launch the Xuntian space telescope to co-orbit with Tiangong in 2027. Further plans to expand the space station from T-shape to X or "干" shape (from 3 to 6 modules), facilitated by launch of 20-tonne multi-function module. content-static.cctvnews.cctv.com/snow-book/in...

Tsinghua University students are building the $2.8M smallsat START mission to intercept asteroid Apophis at 7 km. START to launch in early 2028 as a rideshare payload on a Zhuque-3, then raising to 31,600 km orbit. Will make flyby during peak tidal-stress window at 8.74 km/s.

Tianwen-2 near #Asteroid Kamoʻoalewa is now over 40 million km away from Bochum and very active over the last couple of days, including orbit maneuvers to further reduce the distance to the asteroid. Thanks to Tammo Jan @radiotelescoop.bsky.social and @telkamp.eu for further Doppler analysis.

Two Chinese launches today, first with a successful Long March 12 launch from Hainan commercial launch site, sending Guowang satellites into orbit. There's been silence following a Kuaizhou-11 launch from Jiuquan ~0340 UTC, however, suggesting trouble...

Dual vertical assembly buildings for the Long March 10 -- two separate launches of which will be used to send Chinese astronauts to the Moon. Construction to be completed before the end of the year. m.weibo.cn/detail/53108...

A Long March 3B lifted off at 0945 UTC today from Xichang satellite launch centre, successfully inserting the Shijian-31 spacecraft into orbit. The satellite is "mainly used for space environment exploration." mp.weixin.qq.com/s/t7F_am7KiM...

A quick, vague but authoritative update on Tianwen-2. As earlier thought, the spacecraft will arrive at Kamo'oalewa in July (expected July 4, according to prior info). No info on the burn we anticipated (and tracked by AMSAT-DL) on June 7.

Now on @sciam.bsky.social: China’s Tianwen-2 spacecraft is prepping for a close encounter on July 4 with near-Earth asteroid and “quasi-moon” Kamo‘oalewa. Tianwen-2 will seek to grab samples from the small, enigmatic space rock for return to Earth in 2027. www.scientificamerican.com/article/chin...

Tianwen-2 at #Asteroid (469219) Kamoʻoalewa now transmitting at High Data Rate!! Receiving with the 20m #Bochum antenna on X-Band.

A Long March 5 lifted off at 0730 UTC today from Wenchang spaceport, successfully inserting the classified experimental TJS-25 satellite into orbit. The next CZ-5 will be the launch of the Chang'e-7 lunar landing mission in August. m.spacechina.com/n2014789/n20...

Tianwen-2 at AOS after arriving at Asteroid AST469219. We are also live streaming on our Youtube channel.

Cosmoleap announces progress on its Qingyu-11 150-tonne-class methane-liquid oxyge engine, with torch ignition, cryogenic and fluid flow tests. Aiming for hot-fire tests in second half of the year. mp.weixin.qq.com/s/F15ALetEXb...

Long March 5 rolled out at Wenchang today. Launch on June 10.

Tianwen-2 launched just over a year ago and is expected to perform a burn tomorrow (June 7) Beijing time, setting up a rendezvous with the small, rapidly-spinning asteroid Kamo'oalewa.

Long March 12B development was absolutely rapid: "Engineers completed the entire process, from initial design studies to final product development, in just 21 months, setting a new record for the development cycle of a new Chinese launch vehicle." news.cgtn.com/news/2026-06...

Next Zhuque-2E is set to launch ~0820 UTC June 9, less than a month after launch testing a payload adapter for Qianfan satellites. Zhuque-3 Y2 is also at Jiuquan ahead of a second first stage recovery attempt.

On-orbit images keep improving, here a Chinese Long March 3B rocket body, imaged by Vantor WorldView Legion satellite from 88 km away. Source: Vantor (ex Maxar) on the other site

Well, this was wild. The first Long March 12B rocket lifted off at 0840 UTC today from Dongfeng test zone at Jiuquan. No warning, and carrying Qianfan constellation satellites straight off the bat. Successfully reached orbit, but no recovery test today. mp.weixin.qq.com/s/3OfILgO9Zu...

Looks like we've got ourselves a random, no-warning debut launch of the reusable Long March 12B rocket on our hands

SparkSpace, China's first electric pump-fed engine rocket startup, has secured nearly 100m yuan ($14.7m) in pre-A funding (total funding to date ~$30m). Aiming for 1st flight of Jinhua-1 rocket in 2027 (27.5m long, 1,500 kg to LEO). mp.weixin.qq.com/s/LSwO1fjEij...

Shenzhou-22 landing coverage starting here soon. Landing between likely between 1150-1210 UTC. www.youtube.com/live/cqhpktu...

Shenzhou-22 undocked from Tiangong space station at 0644 UTC today, with Shenzhou-21 astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang aboard. Airspace closure notices indicate landing at the Dongfeng landing zone ~1200 UTC. www.cmse.gov.cn/xwzx/202605/...

Shenzhou-23 and its Long March 2F rocket have been rolled out to the pad at Jiuquan. Crew to be revealed a day ahead of launch, possibly including an astronaut from Hong Kong

Huh. Sun Yat-sen university did a short hop test with the Yixian-3 reusable rocket.

The Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft lifted off on a Long March 7 rocket from Wenchang at 0013 UTC today and docked with the Tiangong space station at 0511 UTC, China's human spaceflight agency confirms. mp.weixin.qq.com/s/voy7Zny3tz...

Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft and its Long March 7 rocket rolled out to the pad at Wenchang today. Launch expected ~0014 UTC May 11. mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ltO1euc4TX...

Reentry occurred at 2349 UTC May 6, according to CMSEO. mp.weixin.qq.com/s/wVZT4XT3y0...