China Plans More Than 30 Launches In 2019 Written 1 February 2019

SPACE reports that China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the Chinese space program’s main contractor, plans more than “30 launches in 2019, with major missions including the crucial return-to-flight of the heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket in July.” CASC announced Tuesday “that it would aim to loft more than 50 spacecraft on 30-plus launches this year.” The Long March 5 mission will carry the Shinjan-20 communications satellite into orbit, and if successful, the rocket “would then be used to launch the Chang’e-5 lunar sample return toward the moon in late 2019.” A “nominal return-to-flight” would also “clear the way for the test launch of the Long March 5B, a variant of the Long March 5 designed specifically for lofting the 20-metric ton modules of the planned Chinese Space Station (CSS) into low Earth orbit.” CASC did not release a “full, detailed launch manifest,” but known missions include launches of 10 additional Beidou navigation satellites and the Gaofen-7 Earth observation satellite.
More Info (SPACE)