China Outer Space Science, Technology and Explorations: News & Updates

[JSCh]

To boldly go where no startup has gone before
By Jing Shuiyu | China Daily | Updated: 2017-08-24 07:33

A Long-March IV rocket blasts off at Jiuquan Space Launch Center in Northwest China's Gansu province. A key problem for commercial space companies is the lack of launch sites. [Photo/Xinhua]

Space is the final frontier for private firms as they muscle into an area dominated by State-owned companies

A satellite the size of a teakettle will be launched into space by the end of this year.

Once the cubesat starts circling the earth at tens of thousands of kilometers an hour, it will be used to teach astronomy to Chinese high school students.

Backed by space startup Commsat Technology Development Co Ltd, this project is just one of a wide range of private sector ventures.

"Many investors are optimistic about the industry," said Huang He, a partner of Northern Light Venture Capital, which has already injected funds into another startup Spacety Co Ltd.

In the past few years, the commercial space sector has come alive in China as private companies jostle for launch dates.

Before, the final frontier was the preserve of government-backed programs from State-owned companies.

But now a slew of startups have appeared and along with established tech outfits are rolling out new business models for the space sector at competitive costs.

"Private firms can make swift decisions to meet consumer demand," said Peng Yuanyuan, co-founder and chief operating officer at Commsat. "Plus, our trial and error costs are relatively low."

In 2015, the global space economy rocketed to $323 billion. Commercial operations accounted for up to 76 percent, or $246 billion, according to The Space Report 2016, which was released by The Space Foundation.

By 2020, China's commercial space market is expected to expand to 800 billion yuan ($120 billion), the China Securities Journal reported.

Already the country's new boys are moving in with Spacety launching the microsatellite, Xiaoxiang No 1, or Ty-1, for the scientific community last November.

Other startups such as Commsat Technology, Zhejiang Lizhui Electronic Technology Co and Guangdong Kechuang Spaceflight Co are just behind them, waiting for the right window.

Even though private companies have come late to this business, they believe they can push the boundaries of space by using more market-oriented models.

Yang Feng, founder and CEO of Spacety, pointed out that the next five satellites being rolled out by his company are all "fully booked" although he did not reveal detailed financial numbers.

He did make it clear, though, that the satellites will be launched in the second half of this year.

Commsat is in a similar position and has almost recouped the cost of its planned educational satellite, Peng stressed.

"We are able to increase the capabilities of the spacecraft without adding greatly to the costs," she said.

Peng is expecting Commsat to turn over revenue of 30 million yuan this year although she declined to disclose detailed financial figures.

But she did reveal the company has reached agreements with more than 70 public schools in Beijing, Guangzhou, Anhui and Shanghai to beam in astronomy courses.

Just like with earth-bound businesses, finding the right recipe for success is crucial for these new pioneers of space.

They need to put clear sky between themselves and State-owned companies, which dominate telecommunications, remote sensing and navigation or GPS.

"The best opportunities for private firms lie in exploring undiscovered fields and creating new demand," Peng at Commsat said.

It is a view that appeals to Yang, of Spacety, who believes startups will end up "supplementing rather than substituting" existing businesses.

By April, a total of 14 commercial space companies were registered in the country, including 10 which were privately owned, according to CASI Cloud.com, a website affiliated to China Aerospace Science & Industry Corp.

They all tend to specialize in satellites involved in internet communication, remote sensing or scientific research.

In addition to the new kids on the block, technology giants are jumping on the bandwagon.

Later this year, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd plans to launch the world's first e-commerce satellite to provide consumers with customized products.

By analyzing agricultural cultivation and harvesting data provided by satellite images, the company aims to buy and then sell the "world's best vegetables", it promised.

Many might think this is a publicity stunt, but the internet group is deadly serious about taking its first step in space.

As for rival Tencent Holdings Ltd, it invested in the startup Moon Express, which was founded by a group of Silicon Valley space entrepreneurs, in 2013.

The company, which is based in the United States, has an ambitious program, including using drones to mine asteroids.

Indeed, this spirit of galactic adventure is reflected in the desire by Chinese companies to capture a slice of the space pie.

Fuelling the trend has been the government's challenging plans to develop the sector.

Back in 2015, China's top economic planning body, the National Development and Reform Commission, unveiled a 10-year blueprint for the commercial space sector along with the Ministry of Finance, and the Commission on Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.

Since then, this fledgling sector has attracted renowned investors such as Matrix Partners China, Northern Light Venture Capital and Cash Capital.

Yet the complexity of spacecraft, satellites and the shortage of skilled talent have provided challenges for the industry.

"Most of the key people working in space startups used to be employed by SOEs," said Huang at Northern Light Venture Capital.

"The companies are still looking at viable solutions to tackle the growing shortage of talent and help them build a sustainable career," he added.

 

[JSCh]

China, Russia set to ink landmark deal for manned moon missions
2017-08-27 21:55 GMT+8

China and Russia are set to sign a milestone agreement on joint space exploration from 2018 to 2022.

The deal is expected to be signed this October and will bring significant benefits to both nations, particularly in manned and future missions to the moon.

The idea and possibility of once again having humans return to the moon have floated around for quite some time, but after this deal, that prospect is likely to turn into a reality.

The bilateral agreement will cover five areas including lunar and deep space exploration, developing special materials, collaboration in the area of satellite systems, Earth remote sensing, and space debris research.

This is not the first space agreement between China and Russia, but it is the first to cover a partnership spanning five years, a period that allows for more ambitious plans and goals to be achieved.

Russia's space industry has made great achievements over the course of its history, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union, its space program has suffered from a chronic shortage of funds.

In order to keep it afloat in the face of ever rising costs, Russia is looking for international partners and collaborators. In addition to the promising deal with China, Russia is also working with the US and Europe.

 

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Kuaizhou-11 to send six satellites into space

18:43, August 30, 2017

WUHAN, Aug. 30 -- China's Kuaizhou-11 solid-fuelled carrier rocket will send six satellites into space in its first mission, according to the rocket's developer and producer China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC).

The company announced the news Wednesday at the Third China (International) Commercial Aerospace Forum in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province.

The Kuaizhou-11 rocket will be launched via a mobile launch vehicle. With a lift-off mass of 78 tonnes, the rocket was designed to launch low-Earth and Sun- synchronous orbit satellites.

Kuaizhou, which is Chinese for fast ship, is a low-cost solid-fuelled carrier rocket with high reliability and a short preparation period.

Globally, the launch cost of small commercial carrier rockets usually ranges from 25,000 to 40,000 U.S. dollars per kilogram of payload, according to a CASIC spokesperson.

The spokesperson said Kuaizhou rockets are price competitive. The launch cost of the Kuaizhou-1A was less than 20,000 U.S. dollars per kg of payload, while Kuaizhou-11 rocket is less than 10,000 U.S. dollars.

In January, the Kuaizhou-1A rocket sent three satellites into space in its first commercial mission.

Spoiler

http://www.jungongedu.com/uploads/170627/1_142432_1.jpg
http://www.jungongedu.com/html/jishu/2017/0627/3746.html

▲ 近日，四院九部组织完成快舟十一运输发射系统空载垂直起竖试验，试验取得圆满成功。本次试验验证了快舟十一号发射系统的双四级长行程液压缸同步起竖方案的合理正确性，得到整个起竖过程中的大量关键数据，为后续更大吨位运载火箭的起竖方案以及验证仿真提供了一种切实可行的方案。

Spoiler

https://i2.kknews.cc/large/28940000312b9f8a3d43
https://kknews.cc/zh-hk/military/rz69zqv.html

▲ 快舟的展示

http://en.people.cn/n3/2017/0830/c90000-9262432.html

快舟十一号（KZ-11）固体运载火箭将于明年年初以“一箭六星”的方式实施首飞。

 

[TaiShang]

4 rockets in 1 week to be launched
China Daily, August 31, 2017

China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, a major space contractor, said on Wednesday that it will launch four Kuaizhou 1A rockets within one week in early 2018.

Each of the rockets will lift a remote-sensing satellite into orbit for a client, said Zha Xiongquan, a senior rocket designer at CASIC and vice-president of Expace Technology, a subsidiary of CASIC that provides commercial launch services.

He did not disclose the name of the client or the timetable for the missions, saying only that they will "definitely set a world record for launch frequency for a single model of carrier rocket".

No other rockets in the world have been used four times within one week, he said.

Zha made the remarks at the Third China International Commercial Aerospace Forum, which was sponsored by CASIC in Wuhan, Hubei province. Nearly 400 government officials, company representatives and industry experts from more than 20 nations, including the United States, Russia and Iran, attended the event and discussed technological developments and business opportunities in the space industry.

The Kuaizhou 1A, a solid-fuel carrier rocket developed by the CASIC Fourth Academy in Wuhan, has a liftoff weight of 30 metric tons and is capable of sending a 200-kilogram payload into a sun-synchronous orbit, or a 300-kg payload into a low-Earth orbit. Unlike most Chinese carrier rockets, it uses a transporter-erector-launch vehicle for liftoff rather than a fixed launchpad.

The first flight of the Kuaizhou 1A, carrying three small satellites, was in January. It was launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China.

The CASIC Fourth Academy began to develop Kuaizhou-series solid-fuel rockets in 2009 in hopes of presenting a low-cost, quick-response rocket family to the commercial launch market. It has launched three of the rockets.

Zha said a new-generation－the Kuaizhou 11－is under development and will make its first flight next year to send six satellites into orbit. He added that the rocket is undergoing testing.

According to the academy, the Kuaizhou 11 will have a liftoff weight of 78 tons and will be capable of placing a 1-ton payload into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 km, or a 1.5-ton payload into a low-Earth orbit at an altitude of 400 km.

The academy is also building the Wuhan National Space Industry Base, which will have an area of 68.8 square kilometers, in Wuhan's Xinzhou district. CASIC will invest 1.7 billion yuan ($258 million) in the base to build production and assembly plants for Kuaizhou rockets. It said it plans to make about 20 rockets at the base each year.

The CASIC Second Academy will also invest 300 million yuan to construct a research, development and manufacturing complex at the Wuhan base for making small satellites.

The aerospace company has said it will launch 156 small communications satellites into low-Earth orbit, at an altitude of 160 to 2,000 km, from 2018 to 2025. They would form a network capable of global coverage

 

[JSCh]

China plans to launch 156 low Earth orbit satellites by 2025
(Global Times) 10:50, September 01, 2017

CGTN photo​

China plans to launch 156 small satellites by 2025 to provide Internet services in low signal areas and places with adverse natural environment, according to an announcement by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC).

Due to environmental conditions of deserts, mountains and seas, half of the world's population has no access to the Internet, and the information deficiency hampers local development, according to a press release CASIC sent to the Global Times Thursday.

It will be China's first broadband Internet access system with small satellites hovering in low orbit, which will also help meet the needs of commercial space development, it said.

The project, named Hongyun, plans to send the first satellite by 2018, and launch four more to gain preliminary experience by 2020. By the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), CASIC plans to have all of the 156 satellites in operation.

"The satellites will also facilitate Internet access and communication for airplanes and ocean-going ships," Wang Yanan, chief editor of the Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told reporters.

The Hongyun Project, which focuses on communication, remote sensing and navigation, can offer communication and Internet services for China and less-developed countries with reduced latency. Meanwhile, the project can also benefit emergency communication, sensor data collection and remote control of unmanned equipment, CASIC said.

Currently, international maritime satellites are widely used for communications in mountainous areas and airplanes, but those satellites, 36,000 kilometers above the Earth, have time and signal delay as well as high costs for providing services, said Yang Yuguang, a research fellow with the CASIC, according to the WeChat account of the company.

The small satellites sent by the Hongyun Project will hover in low orbits only hundreds of kilometers to 1,000 kilometers above the Earth, and thus could improve the Internet access, Yang said.

However, the low orbit satellites may face challenges in power supply, as they need more energy to reduce the influence of air-resistance compared to high orbit satellites. Experiments are needed to determine whether solar energy alone is enough, Wang said.

Hongyun Project was part of the space projects announced by CASIC at the Third China (International) Commercial Aerospace Forum in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, on Wednesday.

CASIC also announced at the forum that the rocket launch project called Kuaizhou 11, a solid-fuel carrier rocket. The rocket will mainly be responsible for sending mini satellites and sun-synchronous orbit small satellites.

The Kuaizhou 11 will have its maiden launch carrying six satellites in early 2018, reported China Central Television (CCTV).

 

[JSCh]

From factory floor to the stars
Zhang Ningning
10:30 UTC+8, 2017-09-01

Wang Shuqun was holding his breath as China’s Shenzhou-8 spacecraft approached the Tiangong-1 space laboratory orbiting above the Earth.

On November 3, 2011, China completed its first space docking. Wang, 47, was the chief fitter behind the docking system. He is the chief technician at the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology and special technician at the Shanghai Aerospace Equipments Manufacturer.

With the successful docking, China became the third country in the world to master space rendezvous and docking technology, after Russia and the United States.

It also marked China entering the second phase of the three-step China Manned Space Engineering Project, which was proposed in 1992. And the landmark also helped pave the way for the third step — to launch and establish a fully China-grown space station.

The docking in 2011 took only a few minutes, but Wang had been working on it for 16 years.

“It felt like seeing off your child to gaokao (the national college entrance examination),” says Wang. “The system to some extent is our child. After working hard for years and conducting various tests in the lab, he was taking the most important test in his life.”

Wang started to work as a fitter in a machinery factory in Shanghai's Minhang District when he was 19. The factory was later known as the Shanghai Aerospace Equipments Manufacturer, one of the most important space manufacturing bases in China.

“At that time, I was very young, without big ambitions like dreaming of space,” Wang says. “I chose the factory mainly because it was close to my home.”

Also because of the closeness, Wang would immediately ride on his bike to the factoy when there was anything wrong in the laboratory, even at midnight.

Three years after China unveiled the three-step strategy, the space docking project was launched in 1995.

“The most difficult thing is to start from nothing,” says Wang. “Because none of us had done this before, there was no standard or material to refer to. We had to explore everything ourselves.”

Wang and his team’s job was to assemble tens of thousands of components of the docking system in the right place, including 118 sensors, 291 gears, 759 bearing parts and more than 11,000 fasteners.

The docking had to be stable and precise to within a millimeter as the lab and the spacecraft moved at 7.9 kilometers per second, otherwise the contact pins might be damaged and signals between space and the ground could be lost.

“We thought it would take only two to three years, but in the end, it took nearly 16 years,” he says. “Many unexpected challenges got in the way.”

One of the biggest challenges was that the 12 connection locks could not separate as designed, which troubled the team for nearly two years.

To make two roughly 8-ton modules pair in space, the key lies in the 12 locks. They must lock and separate at the precisely the same time.

After rounds of review, the issue was located in assembly, but no one knew what caused it. After about a year of tests, Wang finally found the “troublemaker” — the malleability of the steel cable. The weakening tension of the cables resulted in the locks being unable to sync. Wang then suggested changing the rotation direction of the cables and adjusting the method used in the sync process.

As with other lessons learnt through the development process, the technique was written into the assembly standards for the docking system, which provided the basis for other technicians to work on in the future.

After the first successful docking, China completed another three dockings — in 2012, 2013 and 2016 — including the first manned space docking last year.

During the interview, the experienced technician outlined his lessons for young technicians.

Wang Shuqun (second from right) works with his colleagues.​

“Compared with many other aspects, human factors have a larger influence in space manufacturing,” says Wang. “Because our components are usually made in a small quantity or even a single one, we cannot use an assembly line to standardize the process.”

Wang says that, like many technicians, he was good at doing the work, but struggled with expressing the ideas behind it. However, after years of training younger technicians and writing related materials, he has mastered this field.

“I feel our values not only lie in getting things done, but more importantly in our experience. Both the technicians and our employer have paid a lot to learn these lessons from making mistakes, and it would be a waste to leave that within ourselves,” he notes.

Over the past few years, Wang has completed 15 essays, had five patents approved and written the textbooks and guides for rocket fitters. He has also launched a workshop to give young technicians on-the-job training with other experienced technicians in the factory, including how to apply for patents and write the application documentation.

“The society is paying increasing attention to innovation from front-line workers. I hope we are not only passing on skills to the young technicians, but also the ability to sum up their own innovation achievements and pass them on,” he says.

“We have about 1,400 workers, with about half of them technicians. If 100 of the technicians can be motivated, the factory’s innovation capacity in general will improve greatly.”

Wang says over the past some 10 years, China’s space industry has been developing at a rapid pace, and front-line technicians’ incomes have also increased greatly.

Now, Wang and his team are working on China’s space station project to achieve the final phase of the three-step national space strategy — a manned space station.

 

[Galactic Penguin SST]

CZ-5 Y2 monitoring mission successfully implemented

2017-08-30

First recovered debris from carrier rocket engines during the inaugural launch of CZ-5 Y1 on 3 November 2016.
Also retrieved in the falling area, debris from the CZ-5 Y2 strap-on boosters (two gas tanks).

两次长征五号火箭发射监测任务顺利实施

日前，长征五号型号办公室特向国家海洋局南海调查技术中心发来感谢信，感谢调查中心为长征五号运载火箭遥一、遥二飞行试验助推器分离后的落区观测、火箭残骸的搜寻及打捞工作提供的技术支持。

2017年8月8日，国家国防科技工业局副局长吴艳华、国家海洋局副局长孙书贤及局科技司副司长辛红梅等领导出席了长征五号火箭的会议。会上，吴艳华对调查中心完成的火箭残骸的落区观测，海面搜寻，尤其是成功打捞残骸的工作，给予了充分肯定和高度评价。

初试火箭助推器残骸海上监测

长征五号运载火箭是我国目前技术难度最复杂、运载能力最大的新一代运载火箭。2016年11月3日，长征五号在中国文昌航天发射场首飞成功，这被业内视为中国从航天大国迈向航天强国的重要标志，使中国火箭运载能力跃居世界前列。研究清楚残骸再入及解体规律，并回收可能的关键部件等对于后续改进火箭设计、改善航落区安全性等具有重要意义；另外某些关键部件如未能完全烧毁或沉入海底，且未能及时回收，将会对保密性和安全性造成影响。

2016年10月，南海分局接到了国家海洋局安排的长征五号火箭（遥一运载火箭）首发助推器残骸监测任务。分局领导高度重视，立即成立了以副局长于斌任组长、科技处处长王伟平（现任调查中心主任）任副组长的专项任务领导小组，立即全面开展相关工作，由南海调查中心、南海维权执法支队和中国海警3306、3402船编队具体承担监测助推器残骸坠落时的物理过程、现象、散落分布情况以及记录落区的气象数据的任务。本次任务受强冷空气影响，作业海域海况较差，风力6－8级，浪高4－5米，且火箭在夜间发射，因此环境对此次任务影响较大。

本次任务在进行助推器空中状态监测时，采用了光电平台、摄像机和长焦照相机等设备进行观测和记录，但是只有摄像机拍到了有效的图像资料，通过本次任务，南海分局科研人员总结经验，认为照相机和光电平台对于捕捉此类动态、快速的小目标物存在较难快速跟踪到目标和对焦的问题，较难及时记录空中动态目标监测资料，因此一致认为应将摄像机作为主要的记录载体，为下一步工作打下了基础。

再赴监测现场

不久后，南海分局接到了第二次监测任务。由于分局领导分管职责的变动，专项任务领导小组调整为由分局党委书记雷波任组长、副局长陈怀北任副组长。为了改进监测效能，领导小组于2017年4月和6月先后组织分局维权支队和南海调查技术中心相关技术人员进行了两次调研，特聘了有丰富经验的武汉华之洋公司技术人员参与任务，并增派了南海预报中心的海洋环境气象科技人员，由中国海监第七、八支队保障用船开赴任务海区。南海分局作为外业调查作业的安全管理部门，在专项任务的安全管理中明确责任，制定了严格的人身、仪器、资料等安全保障措施，并为应对任务实施过程中各类突发事件的应急救援，制定了完备的应急预案，确保任务安全有序完成。

此次任务为长征五号遥二运载火箭助推器残骸监测任务，内容较上一次增加了“对漂浮于海面的残骸进行搜索监测”，并对记录残骸低空坠落轨迹和实际落点提出了更精确的要求。为此，作为两次监测任务的方法制定、方案编写、成果总结的承担单位——南海调查技术中心在2016年任务的监测方法和技术上做出了相应改进和扩展。

据南海调查中心地质与地球物理室主任、该专项任务首席科学家魏巍介绍，项目组针对监测方法、实施方案等进行了多次研讨、修改，最终根据实际情况制定了更全面的监测方案，分为漂移路径预测、现场气象观测和残骸落区现场状况监测三种方式进行。漂移路径预测主要尽可能获取接近实际的残骸漂移轨迹，帮助现场监测船队进行残骸追踪和搜索；现场气象观测主要记录残骸落区海域的实际气象数据；残骸落区现场状况监测为本次任务的主要监测内容，需要记录助推器残骸坠落时的物理过程、现象以及主要残骸溅落位置等信息。

在分局专项任务领导小组的坚强领导和正确指引下，根据遥一火箭发射监测任务的经验，航中各岗位人员恪尽职守、协调有序，探索形成了行之有效的火箭助推器残骸落区监测技术方法理论体系，应用该技术方法，保质保量、顺利超额地于2017年7月完成了现场监测任务，在预定区域，获取了长征五号遥二运载火箭发射升空、芯级分离整个过程的丰富影像数据。此次任务是国内首次在海上完整记录了长征五号遥二运载火箭助推器分离、空中解体、残骸坠落时的物理现象及过程，以及该过程中的海面及高空气象数据，并首次助推器残骸落区海域成功打捞2个高压气瓶残骸。

两次发射监测任务的顺利实施，体现了国家海洋局在海洋监测、海洋搜索等领域的综合实力，也展示了专项任务科研技术人才的风采，以实际行动践行了创新驱动发展战略和军民融合发展战略，为火箭发射圆满成功打下了坚实基础，为我国航天事业做出了贡献。

Spoiler

http://www.scsb.gov.cn/scsb/fjdt/20...4/images/a78ea54240b8416594e584fb171a56d3.jpg
http://www.scsb.gov.cn/scsb/fjdt/201708/871c7e9aec7547c287233daf17176f64.shtml

▲ 监测现场

Spoiler

http://www.scsb.gov.cn/scsb/fjdt/20...4/images/8481fff48b7a44d68a6ebfae128bec21.jpg
http://www.scsb.gov.cn/scsb/fjdt/201708/871c7e9aec7547c287233daf17176f64.shtml

▲ 此次任务是国内首次在海上完整记录了长征五号遥二运载火箭助推器分离、空中解体、残骸坠落时的物理现象及过程，以及该过程中的海面及高空气象数据，并首次助推器残骸落区海域成功打捞2个高压气瓶残骸。

Spoiler

http://www.scsb.gov.cn/scsb/fjdt/20...4/images/6b8db2521d7e4a818b7efd796a8a71e3.jpg
http://www.scsb.gov.cn/scsb/fjdt/201708/871c7e9aec7547c287233daf17176f64.shtml

▲ 此次任务是国内首次在海上完整记录了长征五号遥二运载火箭助推器分离、空中解体、残骸坠落时的物理现象及过程，以及该过程中的海面及高空气象数据，并首次助推器残骸落区海域成功打捞2个高压气瓶残骸。

http://www.scsb.gov.cn/scsb/fjdt/201708/871c7e9aec7547c287233daf17176f64.shtml

 

[JSCh]

Telescope to unlock secrets of universe
By Ma Si | China Daily | Updated: 2017-09-07 08:13

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The 500-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Many people have an inner desire to peer into space and seek for origins of the universe. But few are as talented and lucky as Li Di, who gets to fulfill that desire as deputy chief engineer of the world's largest 'ear' for listening to signals from the cosmos.

Li is working on China's gigantic 500-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope project, also known as FAST, which is the world's largest radio telescope.

Located in a valley deep in Southwest China's mountainous Guizhou province, FAST features a reflector as large as 30 soccer pitches. It is built to seek gravitational waves, detect radio emissions from stars and galaxies, and search for signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life.

"FAST is a once-in-a-life opportunity. I can't miss it," Li said in an interview with Science and Technology Daily. He decided to come back to China in 2012, despite his achievements in the United States, where he won the outstanding team award at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, for his contribution to the Herschel Space Observatory.

"The larger the telescope, the better it is. FAST is so huge but it also features high accuracy, which can help us see farther. The project is in line with my academic interests and technological background," Li said.

FAST is 500 meters in diameter and made up of 4,450 panels. It overtook Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory, which is 305 meters in diameter. It is 10 times more sensitive than the steerable 100-meter telescope near Bonn, Germany.

The project, with an investment of 1.2 billion yuan ($196 million), was completed in September 2016. It is under debug, a process that may take at least two to three years, in accordance with international practice.

To better listen for faint signals that other equipment can't pick up, including signature gravitational waves from magnetized stars that disturb radio signals, FAST is built in a karst cave far from cities to create a sound electromagnetic wave environment.

But the remote location has led to many troubles for Li and his peers. They spend about four months a year in mountains and have no choice but to live in a two-story prefabricated house, with no proper sanitation facilities.

Under such a harsh environment, the scientists, however, have managed to achieve an engineering breakthrough.

"How to ensure low loss when information is transmitted under dynamic conditions is a technology patented by the United States. We can't access it but rely on self-innovation," Li said.

Also, his team developed high-strength, anti-fatigue cables, far better than the normal industrial standards.

"All efforts are worthwhile. Once debugging is finished, FAST is expected to double the number of known pulsars (pulsating radio stars) in the world and tenfold the number of known galaxies in 10 to 20 years," Li said.

Even in the calibrating phase, tests have already pulled in data from a pulsar star 1,351 light-years away. "FAST will maintain the world leading position in 10 to 20 years in terms of the planned performance indicators," Li added.

Guizhou, where FAST is located, also plans to build an artificial intelligence-enabled computing center, to help process data from the radio telescope, said Liao Fei, head of Guizhou Provincial Science and Technology Department.

 

[JSCh]

China completes in-orbit test of its first carbon observatory satellite
By Sun Wenyu (People's Daily Online) 16:57, September 07, 2017

In-orbit test of China’s first orbiting carbon observatory satellite has been successfully completed, according to China Meteorological Administration. The satellite transmits signals to the National Satellite Meteorological Center (NSMC) every 1.5 hours from its preset orbit 700 kilometers above Earth.

The satellite, TanSat, was launched on December 22, 2016, and has been in space for more than eight months.

As China’s first mission to study carbon dioxide, the satellite examines carbon sources with extremely high precision, tracks the role of carbon dioxide in the carbon cycle, studies variability over time, and helps forecast long-term climate change caused by carbon dioxide emissions.

Different from traditional meteorological satellites, TanSat detects the concentration of carbon dioxide by molecule absorption in the visible and near infrared, said NSMC Deputy Director Zhang Peng.

Equipped with a modularized satellite platform, a hyperspectral carbon monoxide detector, and a multispectral cloud and aerosol detector, the satellite offers very accurate measurements.

It has five modes of observation and is capable of examining from different angles. The results of the in-orbit test proved that every function of the craft is in good operation and each index of the satellite platform has met requirements, Zhang noted.

Scientists will convert the magnetic signals received from the satellite into visible spectral signals, and then calculate the concentration of the carbon dioxide, Zhang said, adding that the data will be available for all researchers.

 

[JSCh]

Interview: UK space official sees China as natural partner in satellite applications
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-08 01:08:48|Editor: Mu Xuequan



by Zhang Jiawei, Jin Jing

EDINBURGH, Britain, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- With China's growing investment in space science and technology and its increasing market demand for satellite applications, countries like Britain are looking to work more closely with China in the area.

"China is a huge country and satellites are perfect in providing the data unique for agriculture, for climate, for air quality," Chris Lee, head of International Space Partnerships at UK Space Agency, told Xinhua.

He made the remark on the sideline of the 12th UK-China Space Workshop on Space Science and Technology, which was held in Edinburgh this week.

"From China, we will then have an opportunity to take those capabilities out to the rest of the world. So if I were to pick a particular area. I think it would be the applications of satellites," said Lee. "And because the UK has some key strength in this area as well, I think we are natural partners in focusing on how you use satellite data rather than how you build satellites themselves."

The two sides have made efforts to promote satellite applications in some specific areas.

The STFC (Science and Technology Facilities Council) Newton Agri-Tech Fund was launched in 2015 under the auspices of the UK-China Space Science Joint Laboratory. This joint initiative looks to use the UK's expertise in remote sensing and modelling in the area of agricultural technology to work with and aid the Chinese farming community.

The 12-million-pound (15.68 million U.S. dollars) fund is spread over five years and will make use of the breakthroughs in satellite imaging, remote sensing and modelling to help provide facilities and technologies that will support research driven, decision making tools for farmers and policy makers.

It provides the chance for Chinese and UK researchers to work together to exchange ideas, and make closer ties across the cultural and social boundaries.

"I think......both the UK and China have a very strong belief that satellites can be used for governments around the world to improve the well being of their citizens," said Lee. "We both share a philosophy called space for smarter government, and I think we and China want to showcase how space is useful to support the UN's sustainable goals."

Satellite applications in agriculture is just one part of the two sides deepened cooperation in space science.

"Both China and the UK see space science and technology as one very important and interesting area, and have encouraged cooperation between the two sides' colleges and research institutions," said Lijun Xu, Dean of School of Instrument Science and Opto-electronic Engineering, Beijing-based Beihang University, in an interview with Xinhua. Xu also attended the Space Workshop.

One typical example is the SMILE (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) space mission, which aims to measure Earth's global system responses to solar wind and geomagnetic variations.

The project was formally selected by the ESA (European Space Agency) Science Program Committee in 2015. The objective of SMILE is to reach mission adoption in early 2018 and launch is expected to take place at the end of 2021. Working with their colleagues from Canada, several European countries and the U.S., scientists and engineers from China and the UK will dedicate their expertise to making SMILE a reality.

The SMILE project is going forward with ESA providing capabilities on the satellite and China and the UK providing capabilities on the instrument, said Lee.

"We are certainly very excited that this will be our key mission in the future that showcases UK and Chinese academics," he also said.

With UK leaving the European Union, or Brexit, researchers in the UK have voiced their concern over Brexit's impact on internationally collaborated science projects. But to Lee, this will not affect UK and China's cooperation in space science.

"The fact that Brexit is happening does not really reflect or change the relationship we already have (with China)," said Lee.

The one opportunity Brexit provides is a refocus, according to Lee.

"So I do hope that perhaps with the Brexit activities going forward we will look very carefully and closely at the Belt and Road Initiative that China has been developing for several years, and see exactly how space can contribute to that particular process," Lee added.

 

[JSCh]

Spacecraft passes docking test
By Zhao Lei | China Daily | Updated: 2017-09-14 07:31

China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou 1 completed an automated fast-docking operation with the Tiangong II space laboratory late on Tuesday night, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Tianzhou 1 began its approach to the space lab at 5:24 pm and spent six and a half hours for the docking, which was completed at 11:58 pm, the agency said in a news release.

It was the third docking sequence between the two spacecraft and the first that was done with the fast-docking technology. The previous two dockings took about two days each.

The mission was intended to verify the cargo spacecraft's fast-docking capability, which is important to the construction and operation of China's space station, the agency said, adding that Tianzhou 1 will conduct a third refueling with Tiangong II before falling back to Earth.

Yang Yuguang, a member of the International Astronautical Federation's Space Transportation Committee, said it is important for a cargo spacecraft to be able to dock quickly with a space station.

"In the future, a cargo ship will transport some time-sensitive payloads to the station, such as biological samples for scientific experiments," he said. "In addition, the fast-docking technology enables a spacecraft to reduce fuel consumption during a docking maneuver, thus prolonging its life span."

Tianzhou 1, China's first cargo spacecraft and the country's biggest spacecraft that has ever been built, was launched at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province on April 20. It is 10.6 meters long and has a diameter of 3.35 meters. Its maximum liftoff weight is 13.5 metric tons, enabling it to carry up to 6.5 tons of supplies, according to the China Academy of Space Technology, the spacecraft's developer.

Tiangong II has been in space since mid-September last year and housed two Chinese astronauts from mid-October to mid-November. It is now unmanned.

The two spacecraft completed their first and second docking on April 22 and June 19.

With the mission of Tianzhou 1 to the Tiangong II space laboratory, China has become the third country in the world to have in-orbit refueling technology, following Russia and the United States.

In coming years, the Tianzhou series will be tasked with transporting supplies of fuel and other necessities to China's manned space station, whose construction will start next year. It is expected to enter service by about 2022, the space agency said.

 

[JSCh]

China's cargo spacecraft completes third in-orbit refueling
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-16 20:43:51|Editor: Xiang Bo



BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft and Tiangong-2 space lab completed their third and last in-orbit refueling at 8:17 p.m. Saturday.

The third refueling, lasting about three days, confirmed the technical results from the second refueling.

Tianzhou-1, China's first cargo spacecraft, was launched on April 20 from south China's Hainan Province, and it completed automated docking with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab on April 22.

The two spacecraft completed their first in-orbit refueling on April 27 and second on June 15.

In the past five months, Tianzhou-1 has operated smoothly and completed various tasks.

 

[JSCh]

Top scientist behind world's largest telescope dies
By Gong Zhe
2017-09-16 23:19 GMT+8

Nan Rendong, the popular astronomer in China and researcher at Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has died from illness Friday night at the age of 72 in Beijing.

He was the leading engineer of China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST).

The obituary for Nan made to the front page of CAS website. /Screenshot from CAS

"Mr. Nan Rendong lived a simple life, with little desire for reputation," said an obituary published on CAS website.

"He made an extraordinary contribution to China's astronomy research," CAS added.

As mentioned in Nan's will, his funeral will be simple with no event held.

Some top comments and candles about Nan's death /Screenshot from Weibo

People on social media lit up virtual candles to show their grief.

"The FAST needs a name in Chinese. I suggest calling it after Nan," a person nicknamed "Sturman" commented, who got nearly a hundred comments.

Nan and the FAST

Nan is the founder and major contributor to FAST, the world's largest telescope located in southwestern China's Guizhou Province.

The telescope, launched about a year ago, is as large as 30 soccer fields and capable of detecting intelligent extraterrestrial life in remote galaxies.

The FAST /Xinhua Photo

As the leading engineer, he drafted the plan, monitored the building process and overcame many technical troubles for the telescope.

"He owns the giant machine," said his assistant Jiang Peng.

"Usually, one person can only master one thing. But Nan knows almost everything about the telescope," Jiang added.

"He even knows visual art. He designed the logo for FAST."

FAST is currently under calibration and expected to go into a trial run later this year.

 

[Jlaw]

Top scientist behind world's largest telescope dies
By Gong Zhe
2017-09-16 23:19 GMT+8

Nan Rendong, the popular astronomer in China and researcher at Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has died from illness Friday night at the age of 72 in Beijing.

He was the leading engineer of China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST).

The obituary for Nan made to the front page of CAS website. /Screenshot from CAS

"Mr. Nan Rendong lived a simple life, with little desire for reputation," said an obituary published on CAS website.

"He made an extraordinary contribution to China's astronomy research," CAS added.

As mentioned in Nan's will, his funeral will be simple with no event held.

Some top comments and candles about Nan's death /Screenshot from Weibo

People on social media lit up virtual candles to show their grief.

"The FAST needs a name in Chinese. I suggest calling it after Nan," a person nicknamed "Sturman" commented, who got nearly a hundred comments.

Nan and the FAST

Nan is the founder and major contributor to FAST, the world's largest telescope located in southwestern China's Guizhou Province.

The telescope, launched about a year ago, is as large as 30 soccer fields and capable of detecting intelligent extraterrestrial life in remote galaxies.

The FAST /Xinhua Photo

As the leading engineer, he drafted the plan, monitored the building process and overcame many technical troubles for the telescope.

"He owns the giant machine," said his assistant Jiang Peng.

"Usually, one person can only master one thing. But Nan knows almost everything about the telescope," Jiang added.

"He even knows visual art. He designed the logo for FAST."

FAST is currently under calibration and expected to go into a trial run later this year.

Nan telescope sounds good

 

[JSCh]

China's cargo spacecraft separates from Tiangong-2 space lab
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-17 18:39:46|Editor: Xiang Bo



BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- China's first cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou-1, separated from Tiangong-2 space lab at 4:15 p.m. on Sunday.

At 3:29 p.m. on Sunday, the cargo ship started to separate from the space lab under orders from the ground. After separation, it operated at an orbit of about 400 kilometers above the earth.

Tianzhou-1 will continue to carry out experiments before it leaves orbit, and will gain experience for building and operating a space station.

Tianzhou-1 was launched on April 20 from south China's Hainan Province, and it completed automated docking with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab on April 22.

The two spacecraft completed the first in-orbit refueling on April 27, a second refueling on June 15 and a final one on Saturday. In the past five months, Tianzhou-1 has operated smoothly and completed various tasks.