Published on: 2026-04-18
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Beijing, April 18 /Xin Hua/ — In 2026, China will conduct intensive space missions, including the approach of “Tianwen-2” to a target asteroid and observation of it, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) reported on Friday.
China will also carry out piloted space missions, including “Shenzhou-23”, conduct flight tests of reusable rockets, and promote the high-quality development of the commercial space sector, said Liu Yunfeng, Deputy Director of the CNSA Department of System Engineering, at a press conference dedicated to the upcoming China Astronautics Day.
Looking back at the past year, it can be noted that China has made confident steps in space exploration. In 2025, the country carried out 92 space launches, which is 35 percent more than in 2024, said Liu Yunfen.
According to his report, the probe “Tianwen-2” was successfully launched and entered a transfer orbit to the asteroid 2016HO3, commencing China’s first mission to study an asteroid and return samples. Meanwhile, the “Tianwen-1” mission continued global and regional studies of Mars, and 3.5 terabytes of scientific data are already becoming publicly accessible to scientists worldwide.
In the piloted space sector, China has successfully completed four launches and two return missions, including the country’s first emergency launch. Preparation for the piloted lunar program continues steadily, said Liu Yunfeng.
China has also accelerated the large-scale implementation of the BeiDou satellite navigation system in key industries and the public consumption sector. The successful launch of the satellite “Ziyuan-3-04” has further strengthened China’s capabilities in stereoscopic Earth observation.
The development of the Chinese satellite internet system has accelerated in all directions, and large-scale production lines for deploying satellite constellations are rapidly advancing, he reported.
There have been 100 successful consecutive launches of “Long March-2D” carrier rockets, making this type of carrier rocket the second to reach the milestone of 100 launches. At the same time, the reusable carrier rockets “Zhuque-3” (“ZQ-3”) and “Long March-12A” successfully completed their first test flights.
Lü Yunfen also told about the events that will take place in the city of Chengdu, the administrative center of Sichuan Province / Southwest China / in honor of China’s Cosmonautics Day, celebrated annually on April 24. Planned are opening ceremonies of the event, exhibitions, cultural forums, and more.
This year, the Chinese Space Conference will be held from April 23 to 25 and will include the main forum and more than 20 academic sessions. From April 24 to May 5, a popular science exhibition will be held in Chengdu, showcasing achievements in the fields of space technology, space science, applications of space technology, and the commercial aerospace industry.
Since 2016, April 24 in China is celebrated as Cosmonautics Day, commemorating the launch of its first satellite “Dongfanghong-1” into space on April 24, 1970. -0-
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