China has sent more satellites into space this year than US and Russia, report says

Name: China launches more Gaofen satellites to boost national security and technological development
Uploaded: 2020-11-03T12:44:20.000Z
Duration: 1 min 10 s
Description: China launches more Gaofen satellites to boost national security and technological development

It launched 29 probes in the first nine months, while American tally was 27 and Russia launched eight, according to Bryce Space and Technology

Beijing has been pushing ahead with ambitious space programme, but observers say there is still a wide gap between Chinese and US technologies

Reading Time:3 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

China has launched more satellites than any other country this year. Photo: Xinhua

Laura Zhou

Published: 8:44pm, 3 Nov 2020Updated: 10:43pm, 3 Nov 2020

China has launched more satellites into orbit this year than the United States and Russia, according to an American report, as Beijing steadily advances in aerospace amid growing rivalry with the US.

But observers say that although China has been increasing its efforts to catch up, the US remains far ahead in its aerospace programmes, activities and technologies.

In the first nine months, China sent 29 satellites into space – two more than the US, Virginia-based consulting firm Bryce Space and Technology said in a quarterly report.

Russia was ranked third, launching eight satellites in the period, ahead of France which launched six.

State-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation was the most active individual company, with 25 launches, ahead of Elon Musk’s Space X, which had 15 launches in the period, the report said.

01:10

China launches more Gaofen satellites to boost national security and technological development

Beijing has been pushing ahead with an ambitious space programme which includes plans to set up a space station by 2022 and a lunar station by 2045.