Another rocket debut coming up: the Vega C-class Ceres-2 solid rocket from Chinese startup Galactic Energy is set for launch from Jiuquan at ~0400 UTC Dec. 27.

The state of this reentry and descent of the Long March 12A is something to behold. But despite this failed attempt, the key point is that Chinese reusable launchers are coming.

Long March 12A reaches orbit in first reusable launch attempt, but landing fails A first launch of the Long March 12A Chinese state-owned reusable rocket reached orbit late Monday, but attempted recovery of the first stage downrange failed.

Launch success confirmed.

Meanwhile, first fight of Hanbit-Nano from South Korean company Innospace came to a fiery end shortly after launch. youtu.be/1bwxWcym32I?...

Another launch video of CZ-12A. Awaiting official reports, but reportedly reached orbit, first stage landing failed.

Liftoff m.weibo.cn/detail/52469...

Launch window open. No live stream, being a CASC attempt. We'll have to wait for unofficial and official news.

Long March 12A set for debut launch and landing attempt early tomorrow. ~2 hour launch window opens 0154 UTC Dec. 23 (8:54 pm EST Dec. 22) according to airspace closure notice.

1/n 2 NEW epic images of Phobos over Mars just released by @esa.int Mars Express This view is especially striking, with Phobos between the Tharsis volcanoes and Noctis Labyrinthus–Valles Marineris Full resolution 300MP(!) & info on: flic.kr/p/2rMW4so Credit: ESA/DLR/FUBerlin/AndreaLuck CC BY 🧪🔭

A Long March 5 lifted off at 1230 UTC today, successfully sending the TJS-23 experimental communications satellite into orbit. mp.weixin.qq.com/s/R8F0Pz-bCQ...

Live views of a Long March 5 set to launch from Wenchang weibo.com/l/wblive/m/s...

It's Friday, it's almost the holidays, but you remember there's still a load of Chinese launches still to come...

Rumour is that the second Zhuque-3 is scheduled for April 2026. Below: grid fins retrieved grim the wreckage of the Zhuque-3 Y1 landing attempt.

Turns out there were two male mice launched on the DEAR-5 cargo spacecraft for neuroscience research. Spacecraft is planned to operate in orbit for one year and is not rated for reentry, so it's game over at some point for the rodents. Video is prelaunch. news.sciencenet.cn/htmlnews/202...

Hainan commercial spaceport aims to host 20-30 launches in 2026. A quick count shows 8 so far this year. news.cctv.com/2025/12/17/A...

Long March 12A first flight delayed. New date TBA.

And another: Beijing Linghang Xingjian Technology Co., Ltd., planning xingzhou-1 (starship-1/star vessel-1) fully reusable "AI-assisted" launcher with "intelligent net/grid recovery". Very early stage, only conceptual claims, very ambitiously aiming for 2027 debut fight. Wild.

Two weeks on from Zhuque-3, we'll get China's 2nd orbital launch and landing attempt, this time by the Long March 12A from state-owned CASC. Airspace closure notices indicate a launch window of 0154 - 0414 UTC, Dec. 17.

Long March 12 launch at 2300 UTC Dec. 11 was successful. mp.weixin.qq.com/s/kK6OdoTh2s...

China's 84th orbital launch attempt of 2025 coming up in just over an hour at ~2300 UTC from Hainan. This time, a Long March 12, likely carrying the 16th group of Guowang satellites. Possible stream: live.bilibili.com/23118988?liv...

Relentless. China's 83rd launch of the year is scheduled for ~0400 UTC Wednesday, this time a Kinetica-1 solid rocket from CAS Space. A nano satellite developed by Nepali students to be among the payloads.

- No images of the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft published. Future EVA may include patching the damaged section of viewport window. - China also now has a gap in emergency launch capacity, due to the emergency launch of Shenzhou-22. Shenzhou-23 not expected at Jiuquan until January.

A Long March 3B lifted off at 1508 UTC , successfully carrying the comms tech experiment satellite TJS-22 into a preset orbit, according to CASC. That's 3 launches inside 24 hours, which I think is a first for China. Sun Wukong/Monkey King on the patch. mp.weixin.qq.com/s/SvVlVYo2F0...

Shenzhou-21 astronauts Zhang Lu and Wu Fei completed an ~8 hour spacewalk outside Tiangong space station at 1045 UTC today, according to CMSEO. Tasks included installing debris protection & photographing the Shenzhou-20 cracked window. www.cmse.gov.cn/xwzx/202512/...

Launch 82, a Long March 3B at Xichang spaceport in southwest China, is due just after 1500 UTC today.

Hours later, launch 81: A Long March 4B this time, launching from Jiuquan at 0311 UTC Dec. 9. Aboard was the classified Yaogan-47 satellite. mp.weixin.qq.com/s/0x_KhtNB2A...

Landing pad for the Long March 12A. Debut launch and landing attempt could come in the next week or so.

The Long March 6A lifting off from Taiyuan at 2211 UTC Dec. 8, carrying satellites for Guowang LEO megaconstellation. This was China's 80th orbital launch attempt of 2025.

We're about an hour away from a Long March 6A launch. Meanwhile, the CZ-12 (standard) has been rolled out at Wenchang. It's likely launching megaconstellation satellites (there will be no herd shot around the world...).

CMSEO held a ceremony for the appointment of quality supervision representatives for China's human spaceflight programme on Dec. 5 in Beijing. www.cmse.gov.cn/xwzx/202512/...

There's a barrage of Chinese launches in the coming days. Dec. 8: Long March 6A at Taiyuan Dec. 9: Long March 2D at Jiuquan Dec. 9: Long March 3B at Xichang Dec. 10: Kinetica-1 at Jiuquan Dec. 11: Long March 12 at Wenchang (Dec. ??: Long March 12A (Jiuquan)) & more to follow

After the spectacular attempt by Zhuque-3, China's next launch and recovery attempt appears imminent, following a static fire of the Long March 12A at Jiuquan.

A Long March 8A lifted off at 0753 UTC today from Wenchang, carrying the 14th group of Guowang LEO megaconstellation satellites into orbit. This was China's 79th orbital launch attempt of 2026 (80th coming on Monday). mp.weixin.qq.com/s/bucdgAYxX2...

Landspace has published a video from the Zhuque-3 reentry and descent, including some onboard camera footage. Great to see.

Now on @sciam.bsky.social: This week’s Zhuque-3 test was China’s 1st attempt to replicate U.S. rocket reusability. It ended in failure. But more attempts are imminent—and if successful carry big geopolitical implications. By @andrewjonesspace.bsky.social. www.scientificamerican.com/article/chin...

China faces temporary emergency launch gap after space station lifeboat crisis China could be without emergency launch capability to Tiangong space station for months, leaving no rapid-response option for any new crisis following the Shenzhou-20 incident.

More action from Jiuquan: a Kuaizhou-1A lifted off at 0900 UTC today, successfully sending the VDES A and B satellites into orbit. This was China's 78th launch of the year.

The Shenzhou-21 crew will be embarking on their first EVA in the coming days (quite possibly tomorrow), according to China's human spaceflight agency. Let's see if they go patch that crack in the Shenzhou-20 window. www.cmse.gov.cn/xwzx/202512/...

Here's the aftermath of the Zhuque-3 landing impact.

As for the Zhuque-3 second stage, that has now been catalogued by US Space Force in a 142 by 1,402-kilometre orbit inclined by 57 degrees. That wouldn't be a useful orbit, but that perigee means it's going to reenter the atmosphere in the near future and not be a menace in LEO.

Official launch video from Landspace.

Some great images from Landspace

Zhuque-3 reaches orbit on test flight, first stage lost during landing attempt China’s Landspace carried out the first launch of its reusable Zhuque-3 rocket late Tuesday, successfully achieving orbit, but failing with a first stage landing attempt.

This is a spectacular view of the fiery descent and failed landing attempt of the Zhuque-3 first stage. m.weibo.cn/detail/52397...

Next contender from China will be the Long March 12A from Jiuquan, possibly in the first half of December.

Liftoff of Landspace's first Zhuque-3 rocket. Successfully reached orbit but RUD during descent for the landing attempt.

Some cool images of the Golden Toad rover from the Chang'e-6 lunar far side sample return mission last year. Via SegerYu/CNSA.

Meanwhile, the pad for the Long March 12 series at Jiuquan's Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone has been completed (there's also a landing pad ~250 km downrange from Jiuquan). Orbital reusable flight test expected within December. mp.weixin.qq.com/s/EG_Gtb46d7...