China - NON-MILITARY space activities & Space Industry

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Combination of Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft, Long March-7 Y7 carrier rocket transferred to launching area in Hainan​

 

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https://english.news.cn/20230508/c36cce46d7574db08de8eaa081492c1e/c.html

China successfully lands reusable test spacecraft​

Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2023-05-08 10:51:15

JIUQUAN, May 8 (Xinhua) -- A reusable experimental spacecraft on Monday successfully returned to its scheduled landing site at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

The spacecraft returned after 276 days of in-orbit operation. The success of the experiment marks an important breakthrough in China's research on reusable spacecraft technologies, which will provide more convenient and affordable round-trip methods for the peaceful use of space in the future.

 

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https://english.news.cn/20230511/4409e9db3fac4e6fa553d27b339ad6c1/c.html

China Focus: China launches new cargo mission to space station​

Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2023-05-11 00:11:00

WENCHANG, Hainan, May 10 (Xinhua) -- China launched a new cargo mission on Wednesday night to transport supplies to its orbiting Tiangong space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Carrying the Tianzhou-6 cargo craft, a Long March-7 Y7 rocket lifted off at 9:22 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, the agency said.

After around 10 minutes, Tianzhou-6 separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. Its solar panels soon unfolded and began working. The agency declared the launch a complete success.

The cargo vessel will later conduct an automated rendezvous and docking with the station combination in orbit.

The newly launched Tianzhou-6 has improved features compared to the previous Tianzhou craft, with a greater loading volume and a larger carrying capacity.

Wang Ran, chief designer of the Tianzhou series who works with the China Academy of Space Technology, said the effective loading volume increased from 18.1 cubic meters to 22.5 cubic meters, equivalent to a 20 percent expansion. The loading capacity has been improved to 7.4 tonnes, making Tianzhou-6 the world's largest cargo spacecraft in service.

In this mission, Tianzhou-6 is loaded with more than 200 pieces of goods, including daily supplies for taikonauts as well as clothes, food, fruit and water, with a total weight of around 5.8 tonnes.

The cargo craft has also upgraded to reduce the launch demand for cargo craft from twice a year to three times every two years, which will substantially reduce transportation costs.

The Tianzhou-6 mission is the first after China's crewed space station program entered the stage of application and development. The cargo craft is also tasked with sending multiple scientific experiment payloads to the space lab.

Liu Wei, designer of the cargo craft's application system at the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said Tianzhou-6 will deliver a total of 98 experiment-related items with a weight of 714 kg, including research samples and supporting equipment. Taikonauts will transport these goods to the station modules after the cargo craft docks at the space station.

As scheduled, 29 scientific experiments and application tests will be carried out in four fields: space life science and biotechnology, fluid physics and combustion science in microgravity, material science in space, and new technology tests for space applications.

Liu said that the Wentian lab module will host studies like the microgravity environment's influence on the differentiation of stem cell lineage, the 3D growth and tissue construction of stem cells, and the molecular evolution of protein and nucleic acid's same origin.

Several tests outside the Wentian and Mengtian lab modules will be conducted for the first time, Liu added.

Tianzhou-6 is also tasked with an experiment satellite project by Dalian University of Technology.

 

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https://english.news.cn/20230517/4f3abcfb1cb0470890ccdc382898803c/c.html

China launches new BeiDou navigation satellite​

Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2023-05-17 16:03:30

XICHANG, May 17 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday sent a new BeiDou navigation satellite into space from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The satellite was launched at 10:49 a.m. (Beijing Time) by a Long March-3B carrier rocket. It will be connected to the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) after it enters orbit and completes in-orbit tests.

The satellite, designed to enter geostationary earth orbit, is the 56th of the BeiDou family and also the first backup satellite for the country's BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3).

The satellite will expand the communication capacity of the system's regional short-messaging function, enhance positioning accuracy and promote the network's availability and stability.

The satellite was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, while the carrier rocket was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, both of which are subsidiaries of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

The mission marked the 473rd flight of the Long March carrier rockets.

The BDS was initiated in 1994. The construction of BDS-1 and BDS-2 was completed in 2000 and 2012, respectively. When BDS-3 was completed and put into service on July 31, 2020, China became the third country to have an independent global navigation satellite system.

 

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China launches new space science satellites

China launches new space science satellites-

english.news.cn

China launches new space science satellites​

Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2023-05-21 17:14:30

JIUQUAN, May 21 (Xinhua) -- China on Sunday successfully sent new space science satellites into orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, including Macao's first space exploration satellite project Macao Science 1.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) said that the satellites were launched at 4:00 p.m. (Beijing Time) by a Long March-2C carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China and entered their preset orbits successfully.

According to the CNSA, Macao Science 1 is the first space science satellite program jointly developed by the Chinese mainland and Macao. The project is also the first scientific exploration satellite placed in a near-equatorial orbit to monitor the geomagnetic field and the space environment.

It was the 474th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series. A scientific experiment satellite named Luojia-2 was sent into space at the same time.

 

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China launches new space science satellites

China launches new space science satellites-

english.news.cn

China launches new space science satellites​

Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2023-05-21 17:14:30

JIUQUAN, May 21 (Xinhua) -- China on Sunday successfully sent new space science satellites into orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, including Macao's first space exploration satellite project Macao Science 1.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) said that the satellites were launched at 4:00 p.m. (Beijing Time) by a Long March-2C carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China and entered their preset orbits successfully.

According to the CNSA, Macao Science 1 is the first space science satellite program jointly developed by the Chinese mainland and Macao. The project is also the first scientific exploration satellite placed in a near-equatorial orbit to monitor the geomagnetic field and the space environment.

It was the 474th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series. A scientific experiment satellite named Luojia-2 was sent into space at the same time.

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https://english.news.cn/20230522/365a23f916d14d3bbca42090ba8011bd/c.html

China prepares to launch Shenzhou-16 crewed spaceship​

Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2023-05-22 19:18:30

JIUQUAN, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The combination of the Shenzhou-16 crewed spaceship and a Long March-2F carrier rocket was transferred to the launching area on Monday, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said.

The facilities and equipment at the launch site are in good condition, and various pre-launch function checks and joint tests will be carried out as planned, said the CMSA. The spaceship will be launched in the near future at an appropriate time.

 

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https://english.news.cn/20230530/93fe471e6c404808b77256eb0329c8de/c.html

China launches Shenzhou-16 manned spaceship for 5-month intensive tasks in space station​

Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2023-05-30 09:38:00

JIUQUAN, May 30 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday launched the Shenzhou-16 manned spaceship, sending three astronauts to its space station combination for a five-month mission.

The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

The Shenzhou-16 astronauts will conduct large-scale in-orbit tests and experiments in various fields as planned. They are expected to make high-level scientific achievements in the study of novel quantum phenomena, high-precision space time-frequency systems, the verification of general relativity, and the origin of life.

The crew, consisting of Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao, will witness the dockings of the Tianzhou-5 cargo craft and the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship, as well as the departures of the Shenzhou-15 manned spaceship and Tianzhou-5.

 

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China completes trial of new test stand for large-thrust rocket engine

China completes trial of new test stand for large-thrust rocket engine-

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China completes trial of new test stand for large-thrust rocket engine​

Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2023-06-01 17:11:33

BEIJING, June 1 (Xinhua) -- China has completed one more trial of a test stand for large-thrust liquid rocket engines that could power its future crewed lunar missions.

The test stand in Tongchuan, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, is now Asia's largest for testing liquid-propellant rocket engines. Designed to support a basic thrust of 700 tonnes, the site conducted a successful engine hot fire test on April 24, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the owner of the stand.

The latest trial marked a substantial improvement in rocket engine testing capabilities, offering support for launch vehicles that will be used in future crewed lunar landings, deep space explorations and space infrastructure construction, said Tan Yonghua, a senior official of the corporation.

China plans to realize crewed lunar landing by 2030, announced the country's manned space agency ahead of the launch of Shenzhou-16 spaceship earlier this week.

 

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https://english.news.cn/20230604/f43b0872de3e4f00975631509907f94b/c.html

China's Shenzhou-15 astronauts return safely​

Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2023-06-04 11:03:30

JIUQUAN, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Three Chinese astronauts on board the Shenzhou-15 manned spaceship returned to Earth safely on Sunday, after completing their six-month space station mission.

Shenzhou-15's return capsule, carrying astronauts Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 6:33 a.m. (Beijing Time), according to the China Manned Space Agency.

The astronauts were in good shape, and the Shenzhou-15 manned mission was a success, the agency announced.

The astronauts were carried out by ground workers and placed on chairs in front of the capsule.

"We have completed all the scheduled tasks and felt good after returning to the motherland," said Fei, the mission commander, who had also participated in the country's second crewed space mission, Shenzhou-6, in October 2005.

Deng, who finally got the chance to fly to space after 25 years of preparation, said that he is grateful for the support and encouragement of the people of the whole country.

"I always believe in the power of dreams and persistence. No matter how old I am, I feel so happy to be needed by the nation," he added.

"I'm now very excited, and when I was on the space station, I often watched through the window, trying to find my motherland and hometown," said Zhang, one of China's second batch of astronauts.

"We will adjust our bodies as soon as possible, go back into training, and be ready for space missions in the future," Zhang added.

The return capsule separated from Shenzhou-15's orbiting capsule at 5:42 a.m. as per the flight procedure.

Soon after the return capsule landed, the ground search team arrived at the landing site. Medical personnel confirmed that the astronauts were in good health.

China launched the manned spaceship Shenzhou-15 on Nov. 29, 2022. The Shenzhou-15 crew, China's oldest mission crew in terms of average age, successfully completed four extravehicular activities (EVAs), becoming the crew to accomplish the most EVAs of all Chinese crews to date.

The crew witnessed the completion of the country's space station construction.

 

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https://english.news.cn/20230604/aa6cf6f203b1461db9db1679ace5c947/c.html

Sixth main rocket engine trial for China's crewed lunar missions sets record​

Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2023-06-04 11:18:30

BEIJING, June 4 (Xinhua) -- China has completed the 6th trial run for the main rocket engine of its future crewed lunar missions, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

The 130-tonne class liquid oxygen kerosene rocket engine brought its cumulative test run time to 3,300 seconds after this recent trial, setting a new record for the longest trial of a single 100-tonne class engine in China, said the corporation.

As the main engine for the country's future crewed lunar missions, it needs higher comprehensive performance and reliability.

The trial broke the previous record for the longest test run which was achieved less than six months before this latest trial. Meanwhile, the trial working time of the engine exceeds its required mission working time by more than 10 times, which verifies its reliability, the corporation said.

 

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https://english.news.cn/20230606/fe8b342d44d34ed79c2eade454dd6718/c.html

Tianzhou-5 cargo craft re-docks with China's space station​

Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2023-06-06 09:42:15

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-5 re-docked with the orbiting space station combination on Tuesday after a 33-day independent flight, said the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The cargo craft conducted the rendezvous and re-docking at 3:10 a.m. (Beijing Time). At present, the combination is in good condition, and follow-up work will be carried out as planned, said the CMSA.

The spacecraft, delivering supplies, propellant and experiment facilities to the space station, was launched in November last year. It separated from the space station combination on May 5 before switching to independent flight.

 

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https://english.news.cn/20230607/876247f3973c46c69f279df6ae66d913/c.html

China launches Lijian-1 Y2 carrier rocket​

Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2023-06-07 20:46:15

JIUQUAN, June 7 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday launched a Lijian-1 Y2 carrier rocket with 26 satellites onboard.

The rocket blasted off at 12:10 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, and sent a group of experiment satellites into the planned orbits.

The satellites will be mainly used for technology verification and commercial remote sensing information services.

The launch marked the second flight mission of the Lijian-1 carrier rocket series.

 

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Chinese Space Firm to Produce up to 30 Lijian-1 Carrier Rockets Annually: Designer​