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CASC

State-Owned (SASAC)Founded 1999🇨🇳Beijing, China
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CEO

Chen Mingbo (Chairman)

Data verified as of Aug 30, 2026

Summary

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is the state-owned prime contractor for China's space program and the world's most prolific launch organization by missions flown. Wholly owned by the central government through SASAC and led by chairman Chen Mingbo, it develops and operates the Long March (Changzheng) rocket family - which flew its 661st cumulative mission on August 4, 2026, delivering a 23rd batch of GuoWang broadband satellites - along with the Shenzhou crewed spacecraft, Tianzhou cargo vehicles, the Tiangong space station, BeiDou navigation and GuoWang broadband satellites, the Chang'e lunar and Tianwen planetary probes, and China's strategic missiles. After a national-record 73 launches in 2025, CASC is targeting over 100 launches in 2026 amid an industry-wide national push toward ~140, debuted the partially reusable Long March 12B in June 2026, and saw its Tianwen-2 probe reach the quasi-moon asteroid Kamo'oalewa on July 6, 2026. On July 10, 2026 it made China the second nation ever to recover an orbital rocket first stage, when the new single-stick, partially reusable Long March 10B flew its maiden mission from Hainan and captured its booster in a sea-based net - a landmark step toward closing the reusability gap with SpaceX, with a reflight of the recovered booster still targeted before the end of 2026. That momentum was interrupted on August 10, 2026, when a Long March 7A broke apart shortly after liftoff and lost its satellite payload - only the vehicle's second failure ever - triggering an engine investigation that put a question mark over the timing of Chang'e 7; CASC kept other Long March variants flying through the investigation, with a Long March 5B launching an eighth GuoWang satellite batch on August 13, 2026, and on August 19, 2026 rolled the Chang'e-7 probe and its Long March 5 (Y14) rocket out to the Wenchang pad ahead of a planned August 24, 2026 launch, but the mission was then postponed by Typhoon Narra and, per an August 23 China Manned Space Agency statement, cannot fly within the 2026 window at all - multiple outlets report a possible slip into 2027 - with no root cause or formal fleet clearance yet announced for the 7A investigation either. CASC is also advancing the triple-core Long March 10 toward a crewed Moon landing before 2030: the Long March 10A's own orbital debut is separately reported to carry a lunar navigation satellite ahead of the uncrewed Mengzhou 1 capsule test, still targeted around September 2026 but flagged in one report as at risk of slipping into early 2027.

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Main Products

Long March 2F

Long March 2F

Active

Human-rated medium-lift rocket and the only Chinese launch vehicle cleared to carry astronauts, flying Shenzhou crews to the Tiangong station.

Operational from Jiuquan; has flown every Chinese crewed mission since 2003 with a perfect human-spaceflight record, including the Shenzhou 23 crew launch on May 24, 2026.

Payload to LEO8,400 kg
Height62 m (203 ft)
PropellantUDMH / N2O4 (hypergolic)
Crewed Missions Flown15+ (since Shenzhou 5, 2003)
Long March 5 / 5B

Long March 5 / 5B

Active

China's most powerful operational rocket; the heavy-lift workhorse that launches Tiangong station modules (5B), Chang'e and Tianwen deep-space missions, and large GEO satellites.

Operational since its 2016 maiden flight from Wenchang; selected to launch the Chang'e-7 lunar south-pole mission on the Y14 vehicle, which arrived at Wenchang on July 13, 2026 for assembly and testing ahead of a targeted August 24-31, 2026 launch window. That window carries added risk: an August 10, 2026 Long March 7A failure during its first-stage/booster joint burn triggered a mandatory investigation into the shared YF-100 kerolox engine that also powers the Long March 5's boosters, and CASC has not yet said whether the Long March 5 will be formally cleared to fly before the investigation concludes. A sibling Long March 5B variant flew successfully on August 13, 2026 (an eighth GuoWang satellite batch), a modest reassuring sign for the family even without a formal clearance announcement.

Payload to LEO25,000 kg
Payload to GTO14,000 kg
Diameter5.0 m (16 ft)
PropellantLOX/kerosene + LOX/LH2
First FlightNovember 2016
Long March 7

Long March 7

Active

Kerolox medium-lift rocket designed as a next-generation workhorse; launches Tianzhou cargo freighters to the Tiangong space station.

Operational from Wenchang since 2016, providing routine Tianzhou cargo resupply for China's crewed program; a Long March 7A variant delivered the Tianlian III-01 relay satellite on July 29, 2026, Wenchang's 50th launch. On August 10, 2026 a Long March 7A broke apart about 85 seconds after liftoff carrying the Zhongxing-4B satellite - the variant's second failure ever, after its March 2020 debut - triggering a mandatory investigation into the shared YF-100 kerolox engine that also powers the Long March 5, 6, 8, 10, and 12 families. CASC has not announced a root cause or a return-to-flight timeline for the 7A as of August 30, 2026, though other Long March variants have continued flying successfully throughout the investigation - a Long March 5B (Aug 13), Long March 12 (Aug 16), and Long March 6C (Aug 25, the 665th cumulative Long March mission) - which analysts read as evidence the fault is isolated to the 7A itself rather than the broader engine family.

Payload to LEO13,500 kg
PropellantLOX / kerosene
Primary RoleTianzhou cargo to Tiangong
First Flight2016
Long March 8 / 8A

Long March 8 / 8A

Active

Lower-cost commercial medium-lift rocket optimized for sun-synchronous and constellation deployment, central to China's GuoWang and other satellite-internet build-out.

The base Long March 8 debuted in December 2020; the upgraded 8A first flew in February 2025, flew the 600th Long March mission in October 2025 deploying GuoWang satellites, and flew the 661st cumulative Long March mission on August 4, 2026, delivering a 23rd GuoWang batch from Wenchang.

Payload to LEO8,100 kg
Payload to SSO (700 km)5,000 kg (8A: 7,000 kg)
PropellantLOX/kerosene + LOX/LH2
First FlightDec 2020 (8A: Feb 2025)
Long March 10

Long March 10

In Development

Partially reusable super-heavy-lift rocket for the crewed lunar program, designed to separately launch the Mengzhou spacecraft and Lanyue lander to trans-lunar injection.

Completed a successful low-altitude flight and Mengzhou abort test on February 11, 2026. The single-stick, partially reusable cargo/LEO variant (Long March 10B) flew its maiden mission on July 10, 2026 and recovered its first stage in a sea-based net - China's first orbital booster recovery - with a reflight of that same booster targeted before the end of 2026, not yet flown as of mid-August 2026. The single-stick Long March 10A's own orbital debut is separately reported (April 2026) to carry a Space-Time Reference Satellite to lunar transfer orbit via a CAS Space-built Kinastra upper stage, ahead of the uncrewed Mengzhou 1 capsule test that is a distinct, later Long March 10A mission still targeted around September 2026; a subsequent report cited incomplete ground infrastructure at the new Launch Complex 301 (crew access platform, launch-pad tower, and vehicle assembly buildings not yet fully outfitted) as a risk that could push Mengzhou 1 into early 2027. Neither the satellite mission nor Mengzhou 1 had flown as of August 16, 2026. The triple-core crewed variant is targeted for 2027, aiming at a crewed Moon landing before 2030.

Payload to LEO70,000 kg
Payload to TLI27,000 kg
Height92.5 m (303 ft)
Engines21 x YF-100K (triple-core)
ReusabilityFirst stage (partially reusable)
Target Crewed Lunar LandingBefore 2030
Long March 9

Long March 9

In Development

Fully reusable super-heavy launch vehicle in development - a Starship-class methalox design intended for mega-constellations, lunar and Mars cargo, and future crewed deep-space missions.

Design centers on a reusable methalox first stage with 30 YF-215 engines. Large-diameter stainless-steel propellant tanks for the reusable stages have cleared manufacturing breakthroughs, with full-scale ground tests of major subsystems expected between 2026 and 2028. First flight is currently targeted around 2033.

Payload to LEO150,000 kg (reusable)
Height114 m (374 ft)
Diameter10.6 m (35 ft)
PropellantMethalox (hydrolox upper stage)
Target First Flight~2033
Shenzhou

Shenzhou

Active

China's crewed spacecraft, ferrying three taikonauts at a time to the Tiangong station; built by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).

Operational crew vehicle since 2003; Shenzhou-23 launched May 24, 2026 with a three-taikonaut crew including China's first Hong Kong astronaut, and Shenzhou-24 is planned for around October 2026, expected to carry the first foreign (Pakistani) payload specialist to Tiangong.

Crew Capacity3
First Crewed Flight2003 (Shenzhou 5)
Launch VehicleLong March 2F
Primary RoleTiangong crew rotation

Long March 12B

Active

Partially reusable, kerosene/liquid-oxygen launch vehicle built by CASC Commercial Rocket Co., Ltd. for CASC's commercial constellation launch business, designed from the outset for propulsive first-stage recovery. A separate CASC reusable-rocket line, the methane/liquid-oxygen Long March 12A built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, reached orbit on its own December 2025 debut but has yet to land its booster successfully.

Debuted on June 1, 2026 from Jiuquan, delivering two Qianfan broadband satellites to orbit without attempting a first-stage landing on the maiden flight. No recovery attempt had been made as of mid-August 2026; CASC's near-term reusability focus has centered on reflying the Long March 10B booster recovered on July 10, 2026.

Payload to LEO (expendable)20,000 kg
Payload to LEO (reusable mode)12,000 kg
Height72 m (236 ft)
Diameter4.37 m (14.3 ft)
Engines9 x YF-102R (first stage)
First FlightJune 1, 2026

Tianzhou

Active

China's automated cargo spacecraft, delivering pressurized and unpressurized supplies, propellant, and experiment payloads to the Tiangong space station; built by CAST and rated the world's most capable active cargo spacecraft by transport capacity.

Operational since Tianzhou 1's April 2017 debut, launched on the Long March 7 from Wenchang on a roughly six-month resupply cadence. Tianzhou 10 delivered about 7 tonnes of supplies, experiments, and equipment to Tiangong on May 11, 2026, docking the same day.

Payload Capacity~7,400 kg (improved variant)
Length10.6 m (35 ft)
Diameter3.35 m (11 ft)
Launch VehicleLong March 7
First FlightApril 2017 (Tianzhou 1)

What's Next

Reflight the recovered Long March 10B booster

Having achieved China's first orbital first-stage recovery on the Long March 10B's July 10, 2026 maiden flight (sea-based net capture), refurbish and reflight the recovered booster before the end of 2026 - the step that turns a one-off recovery demonstration into genuine operational reusability and the clearest proof CASC has matched the core SpaceX capability. As of late August 2026 the reflight has still not occurred; CASC has reiterated the before-year-end target but has not announced a specific date. Scale toward routine reuse across the reusable Long March fleet (10B and 12B).

By end of 2026 (first reflight)

Long March 10A orbital debut and Mengzhou 1 toward a crewed Moon landing

Fly the single-stick Long March 10A's own orbital debut - reported in April 2026 as carrying a Space-Time Reference Satellite to lunar transfer orbit via a CAS Space-built Kinastra upper stage - and separately fly the uncrewed Mengzhou 1 capsule test, a distinct later Long March 10A mission still targeted around September 2026 (moved up from a prior November-December guidance). A subsequent report flagged a risk that Mengzhou 1 could instead slip into early 2027, citing incomplete ground infrastructure at the new Launch Complex 301 (crew access platform, launch-pad tower, and vehicle assembly buildings not yet fully outfitted). Neither mission had flown as of August 16, 2026. After Mengzhou 1, fly the full triple-core crewed vehicle in 2027, and conduct the two launches needed to land Chinese astronauts on the Moon before 2030.

Mid-to-late 2026 (Long March 10A satellite debut); ~September 2026 target for Mengzhou 1, with reported risk of slipping to early 2027; 2030 (crewed landing)

Chang'e-7 and Tianwen sample-return missions

Launch Chang'e-7 to the lunar south pole on a Long March 5 from Wenchang - the probe arrived at the launch site in April 2026, its Long March 5 (Y14) rocket arrived on July 13, 2026, and the assembled probe-rocket stack was rolled out to the launch pad on August 19, 2026 for final checks, a joint test, and propellant loading. China postponed the planned August 24, 2026 (00:05 UTC) launch attempt after Typhoon Narra disrupted preparations at Wenchang; officials initially said around August 23 that the delay was likely about a month, but the China Manned Space Agency then said the spacecraft does not meet launch conditions and cannot fly within the 2026 window at all, with several outlets reporting the mission may now slip into 2027 given the lunar transfer geometry a south-pole landing requires and no new date confirmed. Tianwen-2 arrived at the asteroid Kamo'oalewa on July 6, 2026 and is now surveying it; sample collection (roughly 200-1,000 g via touch-and-go and anchor-and-attach) is to occur no later than the end of April 2027, with the return capsule separating on November 29, 2027 to land near Jiuquan in the Gobi Desert - after which the spacecraft heads to main-belt comet 311P/PanSTARRS. Both feed toward the Tianwen-3 Mars sample return later in the decade.

Cannot fly within the 2026 window; may slip into 2027 (Chang'e-7); by April 2027 sampling / Nov 2027 return (Tianwen-2)

Fly the first foreign astronaut to Tiangong

China's Manned Space Agency confirmed in February 2026 that a Pakistani payload specialist will fly a short-duration mission to the Tiangong station aboard Shenzhou-24, expected around October 2026, returning to Earth on the outgoing Shenzhou-23 - the first foreign national aboard China's independently built outpost, and a pointed act of orbital diplomacy while the US commercial-station field is still pre-launch. Candidates Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud have been training at the Astronaut Center of China since arriving in late April 2026; CMSA says training is progressing smoothly ahead of the final crew assignment.

Oct-Nov 2026

Expand Tiangong from three modules to six

As the ISS heads for retirement around 2030, China plans to grow Tiangong from its current three-module, roughly 90-tonne T-shape toward a six-module, roughly 180-tonne configuration, adding capacity and a co-orbiting survey telescope. The China Manned Space Agency confirmed the second-phase expansion plan on June 22, 2026: the first new 20-tonne-class multifunctional module will dock to form a cross configuration, adding docking ports for simultaneous multi-spacecraft dockings, an extra EVA hatch, and more storage/experiment capacity, while raising permanent crew capacity from three to six. The co-orbiting Xuntian Space Telescope is separately slated for launch in 2027 to dock with the station when maintenance is needed. No firm launch date has been announced for the first new module. The expansion positions the state-run station as the default long-term human platform in low Earth orbit against the still-unflown US commercial contenders.

Late 2020s

Mature the fully reusable Long March 9

Develop the super-heavy, fully reusable Long March 9 for mega-constellation deployment and crewed deep-space missions later in the decade. Large-diameter stainless-steel propellant tanks for the reusable stages have cleared manufacturing breakthroughs, with full-scale ground tests of major subsystems expected between 2026 and 2028 and first flight still targeted around 2033.

Late 2020s+

Resolve the Long March 7A investigation and clear the shared engine family

Determine the root cause of the August 10, 2026 Long March 7A failure that destroyed the Zhongxing-4B/ChinaSat-4B satellite - only the vehicle's second failure ever - and issue a formal finding on whether the shared YF-100-series kerolox engine family (used across the Long March 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 12 lines) needs design changes before those vehicles can be considered fully cleared. CASC has continued flying other YF-100-powered variants throughout the investigation - a Long March 5B (Aug 13), Long March 12 (Aug 16), and Long March 6C (Aug 25, the 665th cumulative Long March mission) all reached orbit successfully - which analysts read as evidence the fault traces to the 7A's own third stage or booster propellant feed line rather than a systemic YF-100 defect, but as of August 30, 2026 CASC/Chinese authorities have still not issued an official root-cause finding or a formal fleet-wide clearance statement, and a full investigation is typically expected to take several months.

H2 2026 (root-cause finding expected)

Advance the Tiangong Kaiwu space-resources program

Carry out feasibility studies and stand up an integrated, ground-supported experimental system for space resource development under the newly unveiled 'Tiangong Kaiwu' initiative, announced January 29, 2026 as a major project of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). The program targets small-celestial-body prospecting, intelligent autonomous mining, low-cost in-space transportation, and in-orbit processing, with a longer-term roadmap toward a lunar and near-Earth-asteroid resource system by 2035 and Mars/main-belt-asteroid development by 2050.

2026-2030 (feasibility and demonstration phase)

Track Record

0 of 2 announced dates hit · 2 slipped

Chang'e-7 launch within a ~one-month post-typhoon slip

Target Approximately late September 2026 (one month after the Aug 24 typhoon delay) · Resolved Aug 25, 2026

The delay proved larger than initially described: the China Manned Space Agency said on August 23 that Chang'e-7 does not meet launch conditions and cannot fly within the 2026 window at all. Multiple outlets report the mission may now slip into 2027, given the lunar transfer geometry a south-pole landing requires; no new launch date has been confirmed.

Slipped

Chang'e-7 launch on Long March 5 from Wenchang

Target Aug 24, 2026 (00:05 UTC) · Resolved Aug 23, 2026

China postponed the Chang'e-7 launch attempt after Typhoon Narra disrupted final preparations at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site. Officials said the delay is likely around one month; a new launch date has not been confirmed.

Slipped

Operations & Revenue

StatusOperational

Fully operational as the prime contractor for China's space program, now led by chairman Chen Mingbo (appointed March 2024). After a national-record 73 launches in 2025, CASC is on track to exceed 100 launches in 2026 amid a national push toward ~140 launches industry-wide; the Long March series passed its 655th cumulative launch on July 4, 2026 and kept flying through late July, reaching its 660th cumulative mission on July 30 (Long March 6A, TJSW-27A/B from Taiyuan) and its 661st on August 4 (Long March 8A, a 23rd GuoWang satellite batch from Wenchang) after a Long March 3B delivered a relay satellite despite a lightning strike on July 23 and a Long March 7A delivered the Tianlian III-01 relay satellite on July 29 - Wenchang's 50th launch since 2016. That cadence hit a setback on August 10, 2026, when a Long March 7A broke apart about 85 seconds after liftoff from Wenchang during the joint burn of its first stage and four boosters, losing the Zhongxing-4B satellite - the vehicle's second failure ever, China's fourth orbital launch failure of 2026, and the 662nd cumulative Long March launch attempt - triggering a mandatory investigation into the shared YF-100 kerolox engine that also powers the Long March 5, 6, 8, 10, and 12 families, with observers flagging a direct risk to the Chang'e-7 launch window since Chang'e-7 flies on a YF-100-boosted Long March 5. CASC kept other Long March variants flying through the investigation: a Long March 5B launched an eighth GuoWang satellite batch from Wenchang on August 13, 2026 (CASC's first successful mission since the failure), then a Long March 12 delivered a ninth GuoWang batch from Hainan on August 16 followed about a day later by a Long March 2C carrying a satellite for the United Arab Emirates, two missions inside 24 hours. CASC kept up a strong cadence through the investigation, reaching its 665th cumulative Long March mission on August 25, 2026 (a Long March 6C from Taiyuan carrying seven satellites, including Thailand's GISTDA CubeSat-1). That launch itself succeeded, but the 6C's spent upper stage broke apart in orbit roughly two days later - detected by tracking firm LeoLabs on August 27, 2026 and estimated to have generated tens to hundreds of debris fragments in a low, decaying orbit - the latest in a recurring pattern of post-mission breakups affecting the Long March 6 family (most notably the Long March 6A), which CASC has not explained. As of August 30, 2026 CASC has still not publicly announced a root cause or a formal fleet clearance decision for the separate YF-100 engine investigation tied to the August 10 Long March 7A failure. The Chang'e-7 stack (probe plus Long March 5 Y14) was rolled out to the Wenchang launch pad on August 19, 2026 for final checks, joint testing, and propellant loading, but the planned August 24 launch was postponed by Typhoon Narra and the China Manned Space Agency then said the mission cannot fly within the 2026 window at all - multiple outlets report a likely slip into 2027, with no new date confirmed as of this update. The headline 2026 milestone otherwise remains July 10, when the maiden flight of the single-stick, partially reusable Long March 10B recovered its first stage in a sea-based net - China's first orbital booster recovery and the second such capability worldwide, with a reflight of the recovered stage still targeted before year-end. Other 2026 milestones include the debut of the partially reusable Long March 12B (June 1), Tianzhou 10 cargo resupply (May 11), Shenzhou 23 - the first crewed mission with a Hong Kong astronaut and a year-long in-orbit stay (May 24), and Tianwen-2's July 6 arrival at the quasi-moon asteroid Kamo'oalewa. Separately, the triple-core crewed Long March 10 program is advancing toward China's first Long March 10A orbital flight - reported in April 2026 as carrying a Space-Time Reference Satellite to lunar transfer orbit ahead of a distinct uncrewed Mengzhou 1 capsule test still targeted around September 2026 - though a later report flagged a risk that Mengzhou 1 itself could slip into early 2027 pending Launch Complex 301 ground-infrastructure readiness; as of mid-August 2026 neither mission has flown.

Revenue Streams

Long March Launch Services

Government, civil, and commercial orbital launches on the Long March family, including international commercial launches marketed through subsidiary China Great Wall Industry Corporation.

Satellite Manufacturing

Design and production of BeiDou navigation, GuoWang broadband, Gaofen/Yaogan Earth-observation, and communications satellites through academies such as CAST and SAST.

Human Spaceflight & Space Station

Shenzhou crewed spacecraft, Tianzhou cargo freighters, and the Tiangong space station systems and operations for China's crewed program.

Deep-Space & Lunar Programs

Chang'e lunar exploration, Tianwen planetary probes, and the crewed lunar-landing program built around the Long March 10, Mengzhou spacecraft, and Lanyue lander.

Strategic & Defense Systems

China's intercontinental strategic nuclear missiles and other defense and missile-system products developed across CASC's academies.

Key Metrics

Employees

~170,000

Est. Annual Revenue

Not separately disclosed on a current basis; the widely cited figure of CN¥294B (~$46B) group revenue traces to a 2013 report per Wikipedia's infobox, with no more recent full financial disclosure identified. Secondary business-data aggregators (e.g. ZoomInfo, Craft.co) report divergent unaudited estimates in the roughly $9-10B range that could not be corroborated against a primary CASC or SASAC source.

2025 Orbital Launches

73 (national record)

Long March Cumulative Launches

665+ (665th on August 25, 2026 - a Long March 6C from Taiyuan carrying seven satellites, incl. Thailand's GISTDA CubeSat-1; the 662nd was the August 10 Long March 7A failure that lost the Zhongxing-4B/ChinaSat-4B satellite)

First Orbital Booster Recovery

July 10, 2026 (Long March 10B, sea-based net capture)

Spacecraft Delivered by Long March

~1,400+

Share of China's Launches

~86% of all national missions

Employees

~170,000

Ownership

Wholly state-owned (SASAC)

Timeline

2026Long March 10 low-altitude flight test

On February 11, 2026, CASC conducts a successful low-altitude flight test of the Long March 10 alongside a max-dynamic-pressure abort test of the Mengzhou crewed spacecraft at Wenchang - a pivotal step toward landing astronauts on the Moon before 2030.

2026Tianzhou 10 cargo resupply to Tiangong

On May 11, 2026, a Long March 7 Y11 rocket launches the Tianzhou 10 cargo spacecraft from Wenchang, delivering approximately 7 tonnes of supplies, experiments, and equipment to the Tiangong space station, where it docks at 13:11 Beijing Time.

2026Shenzhou 23 crew launched - first Hong Kong astronaut

On May 24, 2026, a Long March 2F lifts off from Jiuquan carrying commander Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan, and Li Jiaying - China's first astronaut from Hong Kong - on the 17th crewed Chinese spaceflight and the 11th flight to the Chinese Space Station. The mission is China's first where one crew member is assigned to a yearlong in-orbit stay.

2026Long March 12B reusable rocket maiden flight

On June 1, 2026, CASC's new partially reusable Long March 12B lifts off from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone at Jiuquan and successfully delivers two Qianfan broadband satellites to orbit on its maiden mission. The 72-meter, 4.37-meter-diameter vehicle uses nine YF-102R kerolox engines on its first stage and is rated for 20 tonnes to LEO; first-stage propulsive recovery is planned for a later test.

2026Long March 648th mission

On June 4, 2026, a Long March 6A Y25 lofts 18 Qianfan satellites from Taiyuan, marking the 648th flight mission of the Long March series carrier rockets.

2026650th Long March launch

On June 11, 2026, a Long March 5 (Y11) lifts off from Wenchang carrying the TJS-25 communications-technology-validation satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit, marking the 650th launch of the Long March series - reached just ~8 months after the 600th, underscoring the family's accelerating cadence.

2026Long March 7A returns to flight after January failure

On June 23, 2026, a Long March 7A lifts off from Wenchang at 02:10 UTC and places the classified TJSW-26A (Communication Technology Experimental Satellite-26A) into geostationary transfer orbit. It is the vehicle's 16th flight and its first since a January 2026 third-stage propulsion failure grounded both the Long March 7A and its sibling Long March 3B (which returned to flight June 16), confirming CASC has resolved the upper-stage fault. The mission is the 653rd launch of the Long March series.

2026Tianwen-2 reaches quasi-moon asteroid Kamo'oalewa

CASC/CNSA's Tianwen-2 spacecraft arrives at the near-Earth quasi-satellite asteroid (469219) Kamo'oalewa on July 6, 2026, completing a roughly 400-day, 1-billion-kilometer cruise, and begins a survey campaign that runs through about April 2027. First imagery, captured from about 20 km away on July 2, 2026, showed the asteroid to be barely 20 m across - about half the size ground telescopes had estimated - and complicated the leading theory that it is lunar-origin debris. The mission will attempt both anchor-and-attach and touch-and-go sampling - the first anchor-and-attach attempt at an asteroid - aiming to collect roughly 200-1,000 g of regolith no later than the end of April 2027, after which the sample capsule separates on November 29, 2027 and lands near Jiuquan in the Gobi Desert while the spacecraft continues on to main-belt comet 311P/PanSTARRS.

2026Long March 10B maiden flight - China's first orbital booster recovery

On July 10, 2026, CASC flew the maiden mission of the Long March 10B from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site, delivering an undisclosed satellite to orbit and - about 11 minutes after liftoff - recovering the vehicle's first stage on a sea-based platform via a net-capture system, using four 'landing hooks' to catch the net. It was China's first-ever controlled recovery of an orbital launch vehicle's first stage, making China the second country after the United States to master booster recovery and the first to do so with a net-capture technique. The 63-meter, 5-meter-diameter single-stick 10B (a partially reusable cargo/LEO variant of the crewed Long March 10) has seven YF-100K kerolox first-stage engines and lifts ~16 tonnes to LEO in reusable mode; CASC plans to reflight the recovered booster before the end of 2026.

2026Long March 3B delivers relay satellite after lightning strike

On July 23, 2026, a Long March 3B lifted off from Xichang carrying a communications relay satellite to geostationary transfer orbit and, despite being struck by lightning shortly after liftoff, delivered its payload successfully - underscoring the resilience and continued high cadence of the Long March fleet as CASC pushed past its 655th cumulative series launch (reached July 4) on the way to a targeted 100-plus launches in 2026.

2026Long March 5 rocket for Chang'e-7 arrives at Wenchang

The Long March 5 Y14 carrier rocket arrives at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on July 13, 2026, shipped from production and port facilities in Tianjin and Shanghai, and begins assembly and testing alongside the Chang'e-7 lunar south-pole probe (delivered to the site in April 2026) ahead of a launch targeted for late August 2026.

2026Long March 7A launches Tianlian III-01, Wenchang's 50th launch

On July 29, 2026 at 7:50 p.m. Beijing Time, a Long March 7A lifts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site carrying the Tianlian III-01 data-relay satellite - which will boost telemetry, tracking, and command throughput between Tiangong, crewed and cargo spacecraft, and Earth-based ground stations - into its preset orbit. The mission marks the 50th launch conducted from Wenchang since the site began operations in 2016.

2026660th Long March launch

On July 30, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. Beijing Time, a modified Long March 6 lifts off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center carrying the TJSW-27A and TJSW-27B communication-technology experimental satellites into their planned orbits - the 660th cumulative flight of the Long March carrier rocket series.

2026661st Long March launch - 23rd GuoWang batch

On August 4, 2026 at 4:52 p.m. Beijing Time, a Long March 8A lifts off from Commercial Launch Pad 1 at the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site carrying nine satellites - the 23rd batch for the state-backed GuoWang broadband constellation - into orbit. It is the 10th flight of the Long March 8A variant, the 17th of the Long March 8 series, and the 661st cumulative launch of the Long March family.

2026Long March 7A fails again, losing Zhongxing-4B

A Long March 7A breaks apart in a fireball about 85 seconds after liftoff from Wenchang on August 10, 2026, during the joint burn of its first stage and four boosters. Xinhua confirms the failure roughly three hours later, citing a flight anomaly under investigation; the payload, reported as the Zhongxing-4B communications satellite, is lost with the rocket over the South China Sea. It is only the Long March 7A's second failure ever - after its March 2020 maiden flight, itself traced to LOX cavitation in a booster feed line during the same joint-burn phase - and China's fourth orbital launch failure of 2026 (following a January 17 Long March 3B loss and an April Tianlong-3 failure from a different operator). Unlike the January Long March 3B failure, which was a third-stage cryogenic-engine fault, this one implicates the YF-100 kerolox engine shared across the first stage and boosters of the Long March 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 12 families; observers flagged a risk that the resulting investigation could push the Chang'e-7 launch (which flies on a YF-100-boosted Long March 5) past its planned window.

2026Long March 5B returns China to flight after the Long March 7A failure

On August 13, 2026, a Long March 5B lifts off from Wenchang carrying an eighth batch of ten GuoWang broadband satellites (with a Yuanzheng-2 upper stage) to orbit, CASC's first successful mission since the August 10 Long March 7A failure just three days earlier. The success does not itself confirm the YF-100 engine investigation is closed, but it shows CASC kept other Long March variants flying while that investigation continues, a modest positive signal for the Long March 5 that is due to carry Chang'e-7 later in the month.

2026Long March 12 lofts the 24th GuoWang batch from Wenchang

On August 16, 2026 at 12:10 p.m. Beijing Time, a Long March 12 lifts off from Commercial Launch Pad 2 at the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site carrying nine low-Earth-orbit internet satellites - the 24th group for the state-backed GuoWang broadband constellation - which enter their preset orbits successfully. It is the second Chinese orbital mission since the August 10 Long March 7A failure and brings GuoWang's deployed fleet to roughly 195 spacecraft.

2026Chang'e-7 stack rolled out to the launch pad

On August 19, 2026, the assembled Chang'e-7 probe and its Long March 5 (Y14) carrier rocket are transferred vertically to the launch area at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, with the China Manned Space Agency reporting all facilities in good condition ahead of final functional checks, a joint test, and propellant loading. The rollout keeps the mission on track for a launch as early as August 24, 2026, with no delay reported as of August 22 despite the ongoing investigation into the August 10 Long March 7A failure, whose shared YF-100 engine also powers the Long March 5's boosters.

2026665th Long March launch - Thai and educational CubeSats

On August 25, 2026 at 11:21 a.m. Beijing Time, a Long March 6C lifts off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center carrying seven satellites into their planned orbits, including the GISTDA CubeSat-1 (Lingzhi-09) for Thailand's Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency, tasked with remote-sensing data collection for agriculture and ecological monitoring. It is the 665th cumulative flight of the Long March series and the fifth-plus successful mission since the August 10 Long March 7A failure, extending the run of successful YF-100-powered flights (Long March 5B, 12, and now 6C) that has continued through the still-unresolved 7A investigation.

2026Long March 6C upper stage fragments in orbit

The Long March 6C's spent upper stage from the August 25, 2026 rideshare mission (the 665th cumulative Long March launch) breaks apart in orbit roughly two days after liftoff. Commercial tracking firm LeoLabs detects the breakup at 02:30 UTC on August 27, 2026, in a decaying low orbit of about 396 by 482 km, estimating tens to hundreds of trackable fragments were generated. CASC has not disclosed a cause. It is the latest in a recurring pattern of post-mission upper-stage breakups affecting the Long March 6 family, most notably the Long March 6A, which shares a single YF-115 kerosene/liquid-oxygen second-stage engine design with the 6C.

2025600th Long March launch

On October 16, 2025 a Long March 8A flies the 600th Long March mission, deploying a group of GuoWang internet satellites. By this milestone the family had delivered about 1,400 spacecraft and conducted roughly 86% of all China's space launches.

2025Record 73 orbital launches

CASC sets a national record with 73 orbital launches in 2025 (69 Long March plus four Jielong-3), deploying over 300 spacecraft - a 43% jump over its 51 launches in 2024.

2025Long March 12A reusable rocket reaches orbit on debut, booster landing falls short

On December 23, 2025, the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), a CASC academy, flies the maiden mission of the Long March 12A - a 70.4-meter, methane/liquid-oxygen reusable rocket rated for about 12,000 kg to LEO - from a dedicated pad at Jiuquan. The rocket successfully delivers two satellites to orbit, but the first-stage's vertical landing attempt at a pad roughly 250 km downrange fails during the entry burn; SAST says the flight still yielded critical engineering data for future recovery attempts. Long March 12A is a separate reusable-rocket line from the CASC Commercial Rocket Co. Long March 12B that debuted in June 2026.

2024Chang'e 6 returns far-side lunar samples

Chang'e 6 returns the first-ever samples from the far side of the Moon in June 2024, a world first for any space program.

2022Tiangong space station completed

The Wentian and Mengtian laboratory modules launch in 2022, completing the three-module Tiangong station and establishing a permanent Chinese crewed presence in orbit.

2021Tiangong station begins & Mars landing

A Long March 5B lofts the Tianhe core module to begin assembly of the Tiangong space station, and the Tianwen-1 mission lands the Zhurong rover on Mars - China's first.

2020Chang'e 5 lunar sample return & Long March 8 debut

Chang'e 5 returns the first Chinese lunar samples in December 2020, and the lower-cost commercial Long March 8 flies its maiden mission that same month.

2016Long March 5 heavy-lift maiden flight

The 25-tonne-class Long March 5 debuts in November 2016, giving China the heavy-lift capacity needed for its space station modules, lunar sample return, and interplanetary probes.

2003China's first human spaceflight

A CASC Shenzhou 5 capsule carries Yang Liwei to orbit atop a Long March 2F on October 15, 2003, making China the third nation to launch a human into space independently.

1999Founded

CASC is established on July 1, 1999 as a state-owned enterprise from the restructuring of the former China Aerospace Corporation, becoming the prime contractor for China's space program.

Funding

RoundDateAmountInvestorsSource
State ownership1999–presentWholly state-ownedGovernment of China via the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC)
Corporate restructuring2017Limited liability conversionRestructured into a limited liability company under SASAC in December 2017

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