Chinese spacecraft begin rendezvous and proximity operations in geostationary orbit

by Andrew JonesJune 30, 2025July 1, 2025

Shijian-21 lifting off atop a Long March 3B on Oct. 24, 2021. The Shijian-21 spacecraft later successfully docked with a defunct Chinese satellite to alter its orbit. Credit: CASC

China’s Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 are conducting proximity operations for a second time high above the Earth as a precursor to an expected on-orbit refueling test.

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Andrew Jones

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... More by Andrew Jones