In what space analysts are calling a disappointing run of launch setbacks, key Asian nations that aim to challenge Western dominance in orbital access have experienced a string of rocket failures in late 2025 and early 2026. These setbacks come at a moment when national space ambitions are tightly woven with global geopolitical competition.
Japan’s relatively new H3 rocket, intended to replace older launchers and cement Tokyo’s status as a reliable space power, failed to deliver a navigation satellite into orbit in December 2025 due to an upper‑stage anomaly that cut its burn short.
India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), widely regarded as the reliable “workhorse” of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), failed again in January 2026 with its PSLV‑C62 mission. The third‑stage anomaly caused the rocket to miss orbit, leading to the loss of an Earth observation satellite and multiple smaller payloads.
Even China’s commercial space sector has faced hurdles. LandSpace’s Zhuque‑3, China’s ambitious reusable rocket designed to rival SpaceX’s Falcon 9, managed to insert a payload into orbit in December 2025 but failed in its landing/recovery attempt due to a combustion anomaly.