China Launches Spy Satellite Again... "Ranked No.1 in Space Rocket Launches Last Year" [Reading Science]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Which country launched the most space launch vehicles last year? While it is easy to assume it was the United States, it was actually China. This year, China plans to launch over 50 rockets to place satellites and space telescopes into orbit and even build its own space station. In particular, it is accelerating the launch of reconnaissance satellites for monitoring hostile countries and early missile warning.

According to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) on the 23rd, China successfully launched the Yaogan 34-2 satellite using the Long March 4C launch vehicle from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center located in the Gobi Desert on the 17th. This satellite forms a network with the Yaogan 34 satellite launched a year earlier on April 34 of last year to jointly carry out missions. The mission orbit is approximately 1100 km. China officially states that this satellite is for "Earth observation," used for national geographic information, urban planning, agricultural production measurement, and disaster prevention.

However, Western countries view the Yaogan 34 satellites as military, used for reconnaissance and surveillance. The orbits of these satellites coincide with those of three Yaogan 31 reconnaissance satellites recently launched by China, suggesting they perform missions similar to the Naval Ocean Surveillance System (NOSS) satellites launched by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Since launching Yaogan 1 in April 2006, China has steadily launched similar satellites. Notably, the Long March 4C rocket that carried the Yaogan 34-2 satellite this time is reported to have successfully verified new technology applied to its upper stage, drawing attention.

Including this Long March 4C launch, China has succeeded in six space launch vehicle launches so far this year. CASC plans to carry at least 140 satellites, space telescopes, and six modules of its independently constructed space station through more than 50 launches throughout the year. With Russia being "excluded" from the space launch vehicle market due to the Russia-Ukraine war, there is a high possibility of additional commercial launches substituting for other countries' satellite launches. Last year, China launched 55 space launch vehicles, surpassing the United States to become the country with the most annual space rocket launches worldwide.