How many Long March 5B rockets does China plan to launch?

The spent rocket reentered the atmosphere and lit up the sky over the Philippines. The rocket won't be the last one.

On July 24, the Long March 5B rocket successfully launched a new module for China's Tiangong space station, but the huge first stage of the rocket made a high-profile, uncontrollable reentry six days later.

Most of the spent rocket stage burned up on reentering the atmosphere and most of what survived ended up in the seas. We don't know how many more launches the rocket will make.

25 tons of Chinese rocket debris crashes to Earth.

The third and final piece of Tiangong, called Wentian, will be launched in July. The launch of Mengtian is expected to take place on the coast of Hainan island.

China plans to launch a Hubble-class space telescope named Xuntian in order to be able to dock with the orbital outpost for maintenance and repairs. It is expected to fly on a Long March 5B in the late 20th century.

There could be more Long March 5B launches in the future.

According to officials with the China Manned Space Engineering Office, the country is considering launching new versions of Tianhe and the Wentian and Mengtian experiment modules, as well as three more Long March 5B launches.

The first launch of the Long March 5B sent a prototype crew craft into space. Rather than relying on the 5B, China is building a new launch vehicle that can be used again and again.

The Long March 5B is the most powerful Chinese lifter. China has not announced any plans to use the rocket for future large payloads, but it's possible that the rocket could be used for future large payloads.

News about China's space program.

We encourage you to follow us on social media: