A Long March 3B rocket launches ChinaSat-9C from Xichang Satellite Launch Center at night, with flames and smoke billowing from the base and the illuminated rocket lifting off against a dark sky.
A Long March 3B carrying the ChinaSat-9C satellite lifts off from Xichang spaceport, June 20, 2025.

China launched the ChinaSat-9C communications satellite Friday to replace an aging, foreign-built predecessor and boost domestic broadcasting capabilities.

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Andrew Jones covers China's space industry for SpaceNews. Andrew has previously lived in China and reported from major space conferences there. Based in Helsinki, Finland, he has written for National Geographic, New Scientist, Smithsonian Magazine, Sky...