China’s Quest for Space Supremacy in 2026
China’s Long March 2F Y-15 rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-15 spacecraft with three taikonauts aboard, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Tuesday. Photo: Wang Jiangbo China opened its 2026 launch schedule on January 13 with two orbital missions. A Long March 6A rocket lifted off from Taiyuan carrying the Yaogan-50 (01) satellite into a highly retrograde orbit with a 142-degree