China executed a pair of launches within hours, deploying a classified satellite and testing direct-to-device communication technology. The missions used the country's heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket and the commercial Zhuque-2E launcher, respectively.
The Long March 5 lifted off from Wenchang, carrying a classified satellite described only as a communications payload. No further details on the satellite's purpose or orbit were disclosed by Chinese authorities. The Zhuque-2E, developed by private firm LandSpace, launched from Jiuquan carrying multiple test satellites designed to evaluate direct-to-device connectivity, a technology that allows standard smartphones to link with satellites without modified hardware.
Both launches occurred on the same day, though exact timing windows were not specified. The Long March 5 flight marked its first mission of 2025, while the Zhuque-2E launch followed LandSpace's previous successful flight in late 2023. Development of the Zhuque-2E, an upgraded version of the methane-fueled Zhuque-2, has been ongoing amid China's push for reusable commercial rockets.
The classified satellite underscores China's expanding military and dual-use space capabilities, while the direct-to-device tests position LandSpace to compete with global players like SpaceX's Starlink and AST SpaceMobile in the emerging satellite-to-smartphone market. Both launches highlight China's parallel state and commercial space ambitions.
Details on launch costs were not disclosed, but the missions add momentum to China's broader space roadmap, which includes a crewed lunar landing by 2030 and a planned satellite internet constellation.