China has set a new world record for space launch cadence by successfully deploying three Long March rockets within a span of 19 hours on Tuesday, according to officials from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). This achievement surpasses SpaceX’s previous benchmark of launching three Falcon rockets in 20 hours and 3 minutes during March 2024.
The CASC confirmed the mission as “a complete success,” marking a significant milestone for China’s space program. The week’s launches bring the nation’s total orbital flights to 83 this year, highlighting its accelerating ambitions in space infrastructure.
Among the missions was an internet satellite delivery to join the Guowang constellation, now comprising over 100 operational satellites. The other two launches carried classified payloads intended for military applications under China SatNet, a state-owned entity planning to scale the constellation to 13,000 satellites—comparable to SpaceX’s Starlink network of nearly 9,000.
China has also established its own space station, Tiangong, following its exclusion from the International Space Station due to U.S. national security concerns. Tiangong, which hosted its first crew in 2021 and currently carries three astronauts on board, recently deployed an uncrewed spacecraft as part of a rescue mission after damage to a previous vehicle stranded astronauts.
Meanwhile, SpaceX continues to lead in annual launch counts, having already exceeded its 2022 record of 134 launches and targeting 178 by the end of 2025.
