China has conducted two spacewalks from its Tiangong space station in as many months and is advancing on its lunar exploration plans with a successful pad abort test of its crewed Mengzhou capsule. Meanwhile, an experimental spacecraft has made advances in in-space refueling.
Meanwhile, the next generation of reusable Chinese commercial rockets, many of which utilize methane and oxygen as propellants, are progressing on their path to maiden launches this year, with various successful static fires and a hop test.
China closed the first half of the year with 36 orbital launches, carrying over 150 payloads to orbit — a 20% increase in the number of payloads launched by this time last year.
Shenzhou 20 taikonauts prepare to install additional debris protection during a second EVA from Tiangong. (Credit: CMSA)
Shenzhou 20 taikonauts perform second spacewalk
Taikonauts Chen Dong and Chen Zhongrui conducted the second extra-vehicular activity (EVA) of the Shenzhou 20 mission on June 26, spending around six and a half hours outside the station. The pair exited the airlock on the Wentian module to install additional debris protection onto Tiangong’s exterior. They also performed routine inspections and installed foot restraint adaptors, which are expected to save time on future spacewalks. The two taikonauts once again used the station’s robotic arm, with support from crewmate Wang Jie within the Tianhe module.
The Shenzhou 20 crew has now spent two months aboard the station since arriving on April 24 and has the potential to equal the current record of four EVAs, which were conducted during the Shenzhou 15 rotation in 2023. To date, 21 spacewalks have been conducted from the station since the core Tianhe module launched four years ago in April 2021.
The Tianzhou 9 cargo resupply mission is due to launch no earlier than July 14, atop a Chang Zheng 7 from the Wenchang Space Launch Site. With a payload mass of around 7,400 kg, the craft is expected to dock at the aft port of the Tianhe core module and deliver food, water, and other cargo needed for the Shenzhou 20 crew.
Close-up of Mengzhou abort test https://t.co/u7T6gqryHS pic.twitter.com/9lqA20J5MK
— China 'N Asia Spaceflight 🚀𝕏 🛰️ (@CNSpaceflight) June 17, 2025
Mengzhou completes pad abort test
China achieved a crucial milestone in its crewed lunar exploration program last month. The successful pad escape test of its forthcoming Mengzhou crew capsule took place on June 17 at a static ground-pad setup within the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC).
The test craft lifted off the pad for around 20 seconds under the power of the launch escape tower’s five solid-rocket motors. Drogue and main parachutes deployed, following the detachment of the escape tower, and the craft touched down two minutes after ignition, with airbags cushioning the landing.
This was the third test for the Mengzhou program and verified that the capsule and crew could safely escape from the rocket in the event of an emergency on the launch pad. The most recent “zero-altitude escape flight test,” as they are referred to in China, occurred over 26 years ago for the Shenzhou spacecraft in October 1998. A second escape test is planned for later this year, which will verify the ability to abort during a powered ascent while at maximum aerodynamic pressure, or “max-Q.” SpaceX similarly conducted an in-flight abort test for Crew Dragon in early 2020.
Render of the Mengzhou crewed spacecraft (left) and Lanyue lander (right). (Credit: CMS/CCTV)
Mengzhou, which roughly translates to “dream vessel,” represents a major leap in design over Shenzhou and will carry up to seven taikonauts. The spacecraft is being developed in two variants. The first will replace the current Shenzhou crew capsule for missions to Tiangong in low-Earth Orbit (LEO) and will launch aboard a two-stage Chang Zheng 10A (CZ-10A) rocket.
The second variant will carry three taikonauts on missions to the Moon, where it will be used with the Lanyue, translating to “embracing the moon,” lunar lander. Both vehicles will be launched separately atop the forthcoming three-stage Chang Zheng 10 (CZ-10) heavy rocket, which will be supported by two side boosters.
Following June’s successful pad abort test, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) reported that it remains on track to put boots on the lunar surface by 2030. The maiden flight of the CZ-10A is currently expected next year, with the CZ-10 and a crew-rated Mengzhou following in 2027.
Shijian-25 design displayed at the 2021 Zhuhai Airshow. (Credit: Chinese Internet)
Shijian-25 approaches Shijian-21
Two Shijian spacecraft (which translates to “practice”) appear to have been rehearsing docking procedures in geostationary orbit (GEO) during June. The Shijian-25 interceptor craft, which launched in January from Xichang, is a refueling and life extension demonstrator. The spacecraft was seen to approach another in China’s technology demonstration family, Shijian-21, several times last month. Shijian-21 was launched over three and a half years ago to test and verify space debris mitigation technologies. In January 2022, it relocated the inactive BeiDou-2 G2 satellite from GEO at an altitude of 35,876 km into a higher “graveyard” orbit, 300 km above GEO.
The two Shijian satellites conducted the latest round of close-proximity operations on Monday, June 30. The pair had previously approached within a kilometer of each other for no longer than 90 minutes in mid-June, suggesting the encounter may have been rehearsals or even an aborted attempt. Shijian-25 has robotic arms that latch onto its target when the two are within meters of each other, at which point it automatically docks and attempts to refuel its target.
Satellite tracking companies in the space situational awareness (SSA) sector, such as s2a, noted that, during the June 30th tests, the two satellites were close enough to be indistinguishable from one another. The U.S. Military’s USA-270 and USA-271 SSA satellites had been flanking the pair in orbit, most likely to monitor these maneuvers.
Robotic arms, likely similar to those on the Shijian satellites, are tested on Northrop Grumman’s MRV. (Credit: US Navy / Sarah Peterson)
Shijian-21 is also suspected to have robotic arms, though its exact tools remain undisclosed. It’s also unclear if there will be an official statement or acknowledgment regarding these recent operations. Fluid transfer in microgravity is technically challenging, as is autonomous docking between two uncrewed vehicles. Northrop Grumman is planning to launch a similar satellite with two robotic arms to GEO next year, dubbed the Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV). MRV will use its arms to inspect, relocate, refuel, and potentially repair or assemble satellites in orbit.
Tianwen-2 travels into deep space, Tianwen-3 development continues
The Tianwen-2 mission, launched on May 28 from Xichang, is currently over 12 million km away from Earth as it continues its journey to rendezvous with asteroid Kamoʻoalewa next summer. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has shared images taken by the satellite’s Asteroid Narrow Angle Camera, showing Earth and the Moon from a distance of 590,000 km. An image was also shared in early June, showing one of the deployed solar panels. However, other images, or even renders, of the craft have been notably scarce.
Last September, the launch date for the Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission was moved earlier to 2028. Based on presentation slides shared on social media in 2023, the mission intends to include a helicopter-like drone, similar to NASA’s Ingenuity, and a six-legged robotic rover. Two launches aboard Chang Zheng 5 (CZ-5) rockets would be required to transport the lander and ascent craft, as well as the Mars orbiter and Earth-return vehicle, into orbit separately. If the project is successful and remains on track, around 500 g of samples could be returned to Earth in 2031.
Images taken by Tianwen-2 of its deployed solar array (left) and Earth (right). (Credit: CNSA)
The landing site has yet to be identified, although three strong contenders have been highlighted in a new article published in Nature by Chinese scientists closely associated with the project. In addition to the lander scooping samples from the Martian surface, the article also notes that a drill will extract subsurface material from up to two meters below the surface. The drone will gather loose rocks, with an operational range exceeding 100 m.
Space Epoch conducts hop test
Following a successful 2.5 km vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) test and splashdown of its stainless steel Yuanxingzhe-1 prototype off the coast of Haiyang on May 29, Space Epoch has since confirmed the vehicle is in good condition and will now be disassembled for further inspection.
The test article measured 4.2 m in diameter and almost 27 m in length. As intended, the vehicle completed its short hop test with a graceful landing on water, after which it pitched into a horizontal position. It was later towed to shore and recovered via cranes before being trucked to the company’s nearby facility in Haiyang. Space Epoch has since noted the vehicle sustained no major damage and could potentially fly again. Flight hardware is intended to be recovered this way in the future, which will include post-flight inspections and processing to remove seawater.
Space Epoch’s Yuanxingzhe-1 prototype is returned for inspection following a successful VTVL test on May 29 (Credit: Space Epoch)
To verify reusability, the prototype is expected to be reassembled and static fired, though there’s doubts this particular article will fly again. The company is reportedly moving directly to an orbital launch attempt later this year. The vehicle sported the logo of Taobao, one of China’s largest e-commerce sites, on its body. Taobao announced a partnership last year that would potentially utilize the Yuanxingzhe-1 for point-to-point cargo deliveries in the future, housed within a waterproofed section of the vehicle’s first stage. A non-fragile test payload, massing 20 kg, was flown on this VTVL test and safely retrieved during the recovery process.
Chinese reusable rockets continue to push to first launches
Other new reusable launch vehicles remain on track for a debut in the second half of this year. While additional pads are being constructed at the Hainan commercial spaceport in Wenchang, companies including LandSpace, Galactic Energy, Space Pioneer, and CAS Space are also building or expanding their own facilities at JSLC. The Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Area has become a hub for commercial launches, with pads to the south and east of the site’s primary Launch Area 4 complex, also known as the South Launch Site (SLS).
LandSpace successfully performed static fires of both the first and second stages of its stainless steel ZhuQue-3 (ZQ-3) rocket in June. The company has ambitions to fly the 4.5 m diameter rocket up to three times this year and 12 times in 2026, including its first reflown booster. The vehicle will stand 76.6 m high with a 5.2 m diameter fairing when fully assembled.
ZhueQue 3 first stage is lifted by crane onto the stand for its static fire test. (Credit: Landspace)
Initial flights will utilize the Tianque-12A engines, which will be capable of lifting 8,000 kg to LEO when landing the first stage, or 11,800 kg when expended. Later variants of the ZQ-3 will employ the more powerful Tianque-12B on the first stage, allowing the vehicle to loft 21,300 kg to LEO. Both engines burn liquid methane and liquid oxygen as propellants and are designed to be reused at least 20 times.
The first stage was tested on the same pad from which the vehicle will eventually launch. Although it may be used in the future, this test hardware will not be utilized for the maiden flight. The final stacked vehicle will, instead, be transported horizontally to the new launch pad via a transport erector, with the payload then integrated via crane from the launch tower.
June’s static fires follow a successful 10 km VTVL hop test of the ZhuQue-3 test article last September. This verified the avionics, reaction control system, and grid fins, as well as engine relight capabilities while in flight. The test allowed LandSpace to narrowly beat Deep Blue Aerospace, whose high-altitude test of the Xingyun-1 (Nebula-1) took place just weeks later. A harder-than-intended landing during that test subsequently delayed the maiden launch of the rocket; however, the company still intends to perform it later this year.
CAS Space tests the first stage of the Lijian-2 (Kinetica-2). (Credit: CAS Space)
CAS Space also performed static fire tests on the first and second stages of its forthcoming Lijian-2 (Kinetica-2). The separate tests fired both the sea-level and vacuum-optimized YF-102 engines, simulating full flight duration burns, at the company’s dedicated facility in Conghua. The maiden flight is planned for September, when it is expected to carry the inaugural Qingzhou-1 (“light ship”) cargo craft — a low-cost solution to resupply the Tiangong space station and the result of one of the first two commercial resupply contracts awarded by the CMSA.
The company has been developing launch infrastructure at JSLC for nearly a year, including transport erector testing, which was most recently conducted in April. Initial flights of the two-stage Lijian-2 will be flown in an expendable configuration, with a reusable variant anticipated by 2028.
When the third stage of a Lijian-1 lost attitude control last December, payloads, including AZSPACE’s DEAR-3 prototype recoverable science experimentation spacecraft, were subsequently lost. The more advanced DEAR-5, also based on AZSPACE’s B300 platform, is now expected to launch aboard an ExPace Kuaizhou-11 in August. The system is designed to carry payloads of up to 300 kg to orbit for up to a year.
Space Pioneer assembles a Tianlong-3 in late May 2025. (Credit: CCTV)
CAS Space also test-fired its in-house 3D-printed Liqing-1 (Kinecore-1) engine this past month, which burns liquid kerosene and liquid oxygen. Five of these new engines will eventually power the company’s upcoming reusable Lihong-2 suborbital vehicle. Similar to Blue Origin’s New Shepard, the Lihong-2 will briefly carry seven passengers past the Kármán line.
A year has now passed since Space Pioneer’s anomalous static fire of a Tianlong-3 first stage in late June 2024, in which the first stage broke free from the test stand and flew away before crashing into the mountains near Gongyi. A second stage for the next vehicle has conducted static fire tests aboard the HOS test platform in Haiyang, including full-duration burns and engine relight testing. Meanwhile, the assembly of the vehicle’s transport erector has now been completed at JSLC.
This initially expendable vehicle is expected to attempt powered landings after a few initial flights and is nearly identical in size to the Falcon 9, coming in at 71 m in height and 3.8 m in diameter. A maiden launch is currently anticipated in July or August.
Galactic Energy assembles the first Zhishenxing-1 (Pallas-1) in Anhui. (Credit: CCTV)
Galactic Energy expects to perform static fire tests and a debut launch of its two-stage Zhishenxing-1 (Pallas-1) launch vehicle in late 2025. Various verification tests have already been conducted, and the company is making good progress on the first flight hardware at its facility in Anhui. The partially reusable vehicle will launch from the Hainan Commercial Spaceport in Wenchang and is expected to lift 8,000 kg to LEO, with its first-stage boosters said to be capable of up to 25 flights.
Beijing-based iSpace also expects to fly the new Shuang Quxian‑3 (or Hyperbola-3) in December this year and to have reflown a booster by next summer. The vehicle’s tanks passed cryogenic testing in April, and iSpace is currently developing its engine testing facility to verify the restartable Focus-1 engines, which burn liquid methane and liquid oxygen propellants.
Two configurations of Orienspace’s Yinli-2 (Gravity-2). (Credit: Orienspace)
Orienspace is expected to begin production of its Yinli-2 (Gravity-2) rocket following the completion of wind tunnel tests on a scale model. The 4.2 m diameter, partially reusable vehicle will stand 70 m tall with a 5.2 m diameter fairing. Gravity-2 is expected to carry at least 16,000 kg to LEO. The first stage will be powered by nine Yuanli-85 engines burning liquid kerosene and oxygen in a gas-generator cycle.
It has been almost 16 months since the first and only launch of a Gravity-1 in January 2024. However, a second vehicle was assembled this May and is expected to launch later this summer.
(Lead image: A ZhueQue-3 first stage is prepared for a nine-engine static fire. Credit LandSpace)
