16 and 17 January 2026 China made two orbital launches last year, which ended in rocket accidents and loss of payload.
The first launch took place 16 January from the Sichan Cosmodrome. The Changzheng-3B missile was involved in it, which failed to reach orbit due to a malfunction in the third stage operating area. "Changzhen-3B" is a heavy class carrier, which is mostly used for launching communications satellites into geosynchronous orbits, meteorological and navigation devices. It has a three-stage design with the addition of solid fuel accelerators. The accident was the first completely unsuccessful launch of "Changzhen-3B" from 2020 year and led to the loss of the Shijian-32 satellite. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation did not provide any information about the purpose of the device. Previous satellites of the series were used for conducting experiments and testing new technologies.
17 On January 1, from the Jiuquan Cosmodrome, the Galactic Energy company, after several months of preparation and repeated postponements, launched a new, more powerful solid-fuel rocket Ceres-2. However, this launch also ended in failure. The company reported the anomaly, which led to the early termination of the mission. Several devices were on board the rocket, in particular, the experimental ultra-flat disk satellite Lilac-3. According to its characteristics, Ceres-2 can lead 1600 kg of cargo into low Earth orbit, which is much higher 400 Kg, which can be deduced by Ceres-1. Her loss will be a serious blow to Galactic Energy, which plans to significantly expand its activities. The company is also preparing for the maiden flight of its first liquid-fueled launch vehicle, the Pallas-1, which is able to lead to 8 tons of cargo, and has already submitted the first documents for the initial public offering of shares.
Source: https://universemagazine.com