A progress update on the Hainan spaceport for commercial launches. Launch tower at Launchpad No.1 will be capped later this month, earthworks for launchpad No. 2 is almost complete, and the entire spaceport will be finished by the end of this year.
How do the two countries compare in mass launched per year? I think that's a more accurate measure of total space capabilities.
Personally, I take neither mass nor number as better indication than one another, it would lead to over simplification of a complex matter.
A Long March 2D is set to launch 41 satellites into orbit, which will be a new Chinese record for the number of satellites launched in a single flight. The satellites span four different models, including eight Gaofen-03D and 30 Gaofen-06A satellites. The launch will bolster the Jilin-1 remote sensing network to 108 satellites.
The latest satellite image shows the Zhuque-2 rocket has been erected in preparation for launch (note the shadow showing the rocket's upright position).
