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SpaceNews.com • Andrew Jones

China names near‑Earth asteroid target for December 2027 kinetic‑impactor test

China has identified a near‑Earth asteroid as the target for its first planetary‑defense kinetic‑impactor mission, set to launch in December 2027. The test will attempt a high‑speed impact to validate kinetic deflection as a means to alter an asteroid's trajectory and inform future planning.

2026-03-18T05:52:22.600459-07:00

SpaceNews.com

China launches Yaogan-50-02 into retrograde rapid‑revisit orbit; Kuaizhou‑11 Y7 rideshare delivers eight satellites

2026-03-16T04:18:13.936371-07:00

ch-aviation

China's Air Central to expand widebody fleet for US routes

2026-03-15T20:00:23.732932-07:00

Associated Press

AutoFlight's Matrix: 10-seat eVTOL pushes AAM toward larger-capacity flying taxis

2026-03-13T21:39:52.860832-07:00

Hype Analysis

China's Aviation Industry in September 2024: Key Developments and Trends

October 3, 2024 - China's aviation industry in September 2024 expanded international routes, advanced the COMAC C919, and navigated competitive pressures. Read More.

News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

China names near‑Earth asteroid target for December 2027 kinetic‑impactor test China has identified a near‑Earth asteroid as the target for its first planetary‑defense kinetic‑impactor mission, set to launch in December 2027. The test will attempt a high‑speed impact to validate kinetic deflection as a means to alter an asteroid's trajectory and inform future planning.

2026-03-18T05:52:22.600459-07:00

China names near‑Earth asteroid target for December 2027 kinetic‑impactor test

FlightGlobal

China boosts fighter production to 300–400 jets annually after major factory expansion Commercial satellite imagery shows China's state-owned aviation conglomerate has dramatically expanded facilities producing military combat aircraft — including the fifth-generation J‑20 — raising reported fighter production capacity toward roughly 300–400 airframes per year, according to recent imagery analysis, a sizable increase in PLA-AF industrial output.

2026-03-17T14:53:54.217969-07:00

China boosts fighter production to 300–400 jets annually after major factory expansion

SpaceNews.com

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China launches Yaogan-50-02 into retrograde rapid‑revisit orbit; Kuaizhou‑11 Y7 rideshare delivers eight satellites China conducted two launches: Yaogan‑50‑02 lifted on a modified Long March‑6 from Taiyuan into a highly retrograde, rapid‑revisit orbit joining Yaogan‑50‑01, while ExPace’s Kuaizhou‑11 Y7 launched from Jiuquan as a multi‑customer rideshare deploying eight satellites—mostly Earth‑observation demos including an orbital refueling experiment and AI imaging payloads.

2026-03-16T04:18:13.936371-07:00

China launches Yaogan-50-02 into retrograde rapid‑revisit orbit; Kuaizhou‑11 Y7 rideshare delivers eight satellites

ch-aviation

China's Air Central to expand widebody fleet for US routes China's Air Central plans to grow its widebody fleet to support operations to the United States, signalling a strategic push into transpacific services. The move will alter long‑haul capacity allocations and has implications for fleet planning and competitive dynamics on China–US routes.

2026-03-15T20:00:23.732932-07:00

China's Air Central to expand widebody fleet for US routes

Reuters

China resumes large-scale PLA air operations around Taiwan after two-week pause After more than two weeks without major sorties, Taiwan reported on Sunday the return of large-scale Chinese military flights circling the island. The sudden resumption of PLA air activity raises regional surveillance and airspace-management pressures for civil and military operators across the Taiwan Strait.

2026-03-14T20:09:58.034117-07:00

China resumes large-scale PLA air operations around Taiwan after two-week pause

Associated Press

AutoFlight's Matrix: 10-seat eVTOL pushes AAM toward larger-capacity flying taxis AutoFlight, founded in 2017, developed the Matrix, an electric VTOL capable of carrying up to 10 passengers. The type marks a move toward larger-capacity flying taxis, extending potential use cases beyond current four-seat designs and forcing re-thinks of operations and manufacturing scale.

2026-03-13T21:39:52.860832-07:00

AutoFlight's Matrix: 10-seat eVTOL pushes AAM toward larger-capacity flying taxis

Payload

African states engage China on space cooperation while avoiding supplier lock‑in African states are engaging China on space cooperation while deliberately avoiding alignment with a single supplier, according to Mustapha Iderawumi of Space in Africa. That pragmatic stance leaves countries open to Chinese partnerships without excluding other international providers or vendors and preserves procurement flexibility.

2026-03-13T05:38:18.899539-07:00

African states engage China on space cooperation while avoiding supplier lock‑in

SpaceNews.com

China ends month‑long launch hiatus with GuoWang Group‑20 LEO batch and Shiyan‑30 test satellites China ended a month‑long launch hiatus with two missions from Hainan and Xichang, returning to a steady launch cadence. A Long March‑8A deployed nine satellites for the GuoWang Group‑20 LEO internet batch, while a Long March‑2D placed a second pair of Shiyan‑30 test/Earth‑observation satellites into orbit.

2026-03-13T04:01:18.954554-07:00

China ends month‑long launch hiatus with GuoWang Group‑20 LEO batch and Shiyan‑30 test satellites

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China News

China names near‑Earth asteroid target for December 2027 kinetic‑impactor test

China launches Yaogan-50-02 into retrograde rapid‑revisit orbit; Kuaizhou‑11 Y7 rideshare delivers eight satellites

China's Air Central to expand widebody fleet for US routes

AutoFlight's Matrix: 10-seat eVTOL pushes AAM toward larger-capacity flying taxis

Hype Analysis

China's Aviation Industry in September 2024: Key Developments and Trends

News Timeline