Red Tide Rising: China’s Increasing Satellite Launch Cadence | Space Strategic Dialogue

Please join the CSIS Aerospace Security Project for a Space Strategic Dialogue studio event examining China’s rapidly expanding space launch activity and its implications for space domain awareness, security, and strategic competition.

In recent years, China has sharply accelerated its launch cadence, growing from roughly 35–40 launches annually between 2018 and 2020 to nearly 95 launches in 2025. This surge has been accompanied by a significant increase in the number of satellites deployed into orbit, as well as the rapid expansion of China’s launch infrastructure across both government-owned and commercial capabilities.

Together, General (ret.) John Raymond, first Chief of Space Operations of the U.S. Space Force and Distinguished Senior Adviser (Non-resident) with the CSIS Aerospace Security Project, and Clayton Swope, Deputy Director of the CSIS Aerospace Security Project, will examine what these trends reveal about China’s space ambitions. The discussion will explore how effectively the United States and its partners can identify and track Chinese launches and satellite deployments, whether current space situational awareness capabilities can keep pace with the growing scale and complexity of on-orbit activity, and the evolving role of commercial providers. It will also consider recent tracking challenges and the broader implications for U.S. policy, operations, and capability development across the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command.

This event is made possible by the generous support of LeoLabs.