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

[JSCh]

The Next Generation Large Space Observatory eXTP Kicks off
Jul 04, 2018

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced that the Strategic Priority Space Science Program (Phase II) has officially kicked off on July 4 at National Space Science Center (NSSC).

The enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry mission (eXTP), which is the next-generation X-ray observatory of China for studying black holes and neutron stars in unprecedented details, is included as a high priority and large space science mission. The program will be fully funded through China’s 13th five-year plan and aimed for launch in around 2025.

Scientific goals

The enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) space mission is a flagship space astronomy mission developed by a Sino-European scientific consortium, led by the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Its fundamental physics goals include the study of: the equation of state of baryonic matter at extreme densities expected only in the cores of neutron stars; the properties of space-time under extreme gravity (in the vicinity of neutron stars and black holes); the behavior of light in ultra-strong magnetic fields, a billion of times stronger than those achievable in labs, as observed in magnetars.

Illustration of eXTP (Image by CAST) ​

eXTP will be also a powerful X-ray observatory and a key element of the multi-messenger approach to the Universe, detecting electro-magnetic counterparts of gravitational wave sources.

Payload and Satellite

Its unique state-of-the-art payload includes the Spectroscopic Focusing Array (SFA), the Large Area Detector (LAD), the Polarimetry Focusing Array (PFA), the Wide Field Monitor (WFM). This enables unprecedented simultaneous spectral-timing-polarimetry studies of cosmic sources in the energy range from 0.5-30 keV (and beyond). China is responsible for providing SFA and PFA, and Europe is expected to provide LAD and WFM.

The total weight of the satellite is about 4500 kg, to be launched by the Long-March 7 rocket from Wenchang into a circular orbit of about 550 km above the equator of the earth. Ground stations of China and other countries will be used to receive the large amount of data. The “short message” function of China’s Beidou system will also be used to distribute alerts found by eXTP’s very sensitive WFM. eXTP is expected to lead the field for more than 8-10 years.

eXTP specifications compared with other X-ray observatories: longer bars indicate higher performance. (Image by CAST) ​

eXTP Consortium

The eXTP international consortium includes major institutions of CAS and Chinese Universities, and from several European countries, among which Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Poland, the Netherlands and more. Other international partners participate in eXTP: overall, more than 200 scientists in more than 100 institutions from about 20 countries. In May 2018, CAS and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) have reached an agreement that ASI will play a leadership role in coordinating the European payload contribution to eXTP. ESA will also be invited to participate through a Mission of Opportunity after the ongoing extended Phase A study funded by CAS.

eXTP History and Plan

The XTP mission concept, initially proposed in 2007, was studied as one of the “background” missions in the CAS Strategic Priority Space Science Program between 2011 and 2016. The European participation significantly enhanced the science potential of XTP, which then evolved to eXTP. The eXTP mission is now approved as a high priority and flagship-class space science mission in China to be launched around 2025; full implementations will be carried out in the next several years following the established procedure and funding cycles in China. eXTP may also be included in the International Major Science Program, recently initiated by the Chinese Government.

eXTP Current Status:

eXTP has recently been selected for an extended Phase A study and fully funded for Phase B and part of Phase C through 2020 in China, with a total budget around 470 million RMB from CAS Strategic Priority Space Science Program in China’s 13th Five-Year Plan period. CAS has formally invited all ESA member states involved in eXTP to join the extended Phase A study. The remaining about 3/4 budget for eXTP in China will be allocated in China’s 14th Five-Year Plan period starting from 2021.

Schedule of eXTP

· Before the end of 2018: Completion of the China-Europe joint Phase A+ study of eXTP

· 2019.1-2019.12: Phase B development

· 2020.1-2020.12: Phase C1 development (end of 13th Five-Year Plan)

· 2021.1-2022.6: Phase C2 development (start of 14th Five-Year Plan)

· 2022.7-2024.12: Phase D development

· In the mid of 2025: launch and in-orbit operation

· 2025-2035: Scientific observation

For further information please contact:

Dr. LIU Hongwei (liuhw@ihep.ac.cn), eXTP coordinator for international cooperation, IHEP, CAS
Dr. Marco Feroci (marco.feroci@iaps.inaf.it), eXTP European coordinator
Prof. Andrea Santangelo (andrea.santangelo@uni-tuebingen.de), eXTP international coordinator
Prof. ZHANG Shuangnan (zhangsn@ihep.ac.cn), eXTP principal investigator
Mr. GUO Lijun (ljguo@ihep.ac.cn), manager, Directors' Office, IHEP​

The Next Generation Large Space Observatory eXTP Kicks off---Chinese Academy of Sciences

 

[JSCh]

Chinese startup One Space successfully tests first stage engine for orbital rocket
By Deyana Goh - July 5, 2018

Image courtesy of One Space​

On 4 July, One Space, a Chinese NewSpace startup developing low-cost launch vehicles, successfully tested the first stage rocket motor of its M-series family of rockets.

The success of this test means One Space is on track for the first test launch of OS-M1, the first of its M-series launch vehicles, scheduled for end-2018.

OS-M1, a four-stage solid propellant rocket, will be 19m long, with a liftoff mass of 20 tonnes. The launch vehicle will be able to carry a maximum payload of 205kg to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), and 143kg to the Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO).

Following OS-M1, One Space will test OS-M2, a slightly large version of the OS-M1 that will be able to carry up to 390kg to LEO and 292kg to SSO. With these M-series vehicles, One Space intends to provide rapid low-cost launches for small satellites, with an estimated launch preparation time of only 48 hours.

In May this year, One Space conducted the first commercial flight of its OS-X, a suborbital sounding rocket able to reach a speed of Mach 20. The flight in May saw the first vehicle from the OS-X series, OS-XO, conduct an experiment for a Chinese research institute from Shenyang. This also represented the first commercial rocket launch, by a commercial space company, in China.

One Space was formed in 2015, targeting the small satellite launch market. By 2016, the company had raised funding of more than 1 million CNY (approximately US$150 million), and managed to raise an additional US$200 million in January this year. In addition to launch services, the company also manufactures and sells rocket engines and components.



Chinese startup One Space successfully tests first stage engine for orbital rocket | SpaceTech Asia

 

[cirr]

China launches new space science program

2018-07-05 13:26:39 Xinhua Editor : Gu Liping

China Wednesday launched a new space science program focusing on the origin and evolution of the universe, black holes, gravitational waves and relationship between the solar system and human.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced to develop a group of four satellites in the program.

The program includes a satellite named "Einstein-Probe (EP)", which is tasked with discovering celestial bodies that emit X-rays during fierce changes as well as quiescent black holes with transient high-energy radiation.

The Advanced Space-borne Solar Observatory (ASO-S) will help scientists understand the causality among solar magnetic fields, flares and coronal mass ejections.

The Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer, or SMILE, which is a Sino-European joint mission, will focus on the interaction between the solar wind and the Earth magnetosphere.

The program also includes the Gravitational Wave Electromagnetic Counterpart All-sky Monitor (GECAM), which is aimed at searching for electromagnetic signals associated with gravitational waves.

The program is expected to attract the outstanding scientists and engineers in China to achieve scientific breakthroughs and technological innovation, said Wang Chi, director of the National Space Science Center under CAS.

Over the past few years, China has launched a series of space science satellites, including the Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE),the Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS) and the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT).

http://www.ecns.cn/news/sci-tech/2018-07-05/detail-ifyvvuhv1809393.shtml

 

[JSCh]

Homegrown rocket engine to halve launch costs
Source:Global Times Published: 2018/7/5 22:38:45

China recently successfully tested a solid-fuel engine for the new generation of a medium-sized carrier rocket that could provide sufficient propulsion for the development of launch vehicles using strap-on technology.

Installed with such engines, the new generation of the carrier rocket would operate at a low cost of $10,000 per kilogram, one-half to one-third the average cost of international agencies, the Xinhua News Agency reported citing Zhang Di, deputy head of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's (CASTC) fourth institute.

Developed by CASTC, the two-meter-diameter engine is the most powerful domestically-produced solid-fuel model, Science and Technology Daily reported on Wednesday.

Separated in several segments, the engine is capable of carrying an ample amount of fuel to meet the demand of long launch duration and high thrust, the newspaper said, adding that the reliability of the engine has been greatly increased.

It was the first joint test between the engine and servo system. The success signaled that the engine has already met the principal requirements of the new generation of the medium-sized carrier rocket. Future testing will help further optimize some key technical parameters of the engine, according to the report.

The engine was reportedly developed for the launch of Kuaizhou-21 and Kuaizhou-31, the largest solid-fuelled carrier rockets in the world, Zhang said.

"Kuaizhou-21 could carry more than 200 satellites in one launch," Zhang said, adding that its carrying capacity could surpass SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

According to Zhang, Kuaizhou-41 is in its planning stage, and aims at space tourism. The price for a trip to space could be reduced to less than one million yuan ($150,645).

​

 

[JSCh]

 

[JSCh]

China to challenge SpaceX’s Falcon 9 with new commercial medium-sized rocket
By Li Sikun and Yin Han Source:Global Times Published: 2018/7/8 20:48:39

China is scheduled to launch its first commercial medium-sized rocket by 2020, which is capable of carrying up to a four-ton payload to low earth orbit (LEO).

The ZQ-2, powered by liquid methane-liquid oxygen fueled engines, was developed by LandSpace, a private rocket manufacturer based in Beijing.

At 48.8-meters tall and weighing 216 tons, the ZQ-2's four-ton payload capacity to low earth orbit would rank third in the world in terms of payload, the company said at a press conference on Thursday.

A future version of the rocket is expected to surpass the SpaceX Falcon 9's payload capacity, according to the company.

The company owns complete intellectual property rights of the ZQ-2.

The ZQ-2's liquid methane-liquid oxygen propellant, which at 5 yuan ($0.75) per kilogram, gives it a lower per-kilogram cost than the Falcon 9, Kang Yonglai, the company's CTO, told the Global Times.

The company plans to send the LandSpace-1 (LS-1), a three-stage rocket carrying a satellite, to LEO by September, a first by a private Chinese company.

The satellite will be used by China Central Television (CCTV).

According to Ge Minghe, the director of the company's power research and development, demand for space launches has not been met despite China's 30 rocket launches per year.

"This limits opportunities for the launch of smaller satellites," Ge said, adding commercial rockets can fill this role.

LandSpace is not the only commercial rocket producer in China.

OneSpace Technology in May successfully launched the country's first privately designed commercial rocket, Chongqing Liangjiang Star.

China has more than 60 private aerospace companies, the Xinhua News Agency reported in May.

 

[Galactic Penguin SST]

China's Metal Nitrogen Propellant Manned Rocket

China's N2 bomb to upgrade its energy beyond TNT.

2018-07-09

According to the "science and Technology Daily" reported in July 9th, the Hefei Institute of Physical Science.CAS of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was informed that the researchers of the Alexander Goncharov team of the Institute of solid physics of the Institute have successfully synthesized the super high energy materials, polymerized nitrogen and "metal nitrogen", the energy density of these two materials is TNT More than 10 times. The research reveals the critical conditions for the synthesis of metal nitrogen, such as extreme conditions, transformation mechanism and photoelectric characteristics. China's high-energy materials research is further advancing towards the "N2 bomb" and "metal hydrogen". The results were recently published in the journal Nature.

The explosive bomb that only produces N2 (nitrogen) after explosion is called N2 explosive bomb.

The new super high energy energetic material is an important symbol of the national core military capability and the commanding height of military technology. Nitrogen compounds have the advantages of high density, super high energy, and clean and pollution-free detonation products. They are typical representatives of the new generation of ultra-high energy energetic materials. At the beginning of 2017, the former South physics Hu Bingcheng team synthesized a total nitrogen anion salt of 3 times the energy density of TNT. The research direction of the team was pointing to the formation of polymeric nitrogen and "metal nitrogen" under extreme high temperature and high pressure conditions.

Alexander Goncharov, a Russian born researcher, born in Russia, was born in November 29, 1956, graduated from the physics major of the Institute of spectroscopy and science of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1983, and was selected by the Central Organization Department of the Communist Party of China in 2012 as "a thousand foreign experts plan". In 2015, he was awarded the "Friendship Award" of the Chinese government. Ma Kai, vice premier of the State Council, presented the award to Mr.

These two kinds of nitrogen materials are typical super high energy materials, which are more than ten times of the current TNT energy density.
If they can be used as fuel for manned rocket one or two stage propeller, it is expected to increase the take-off weight of rockets several times more than that of the current. However, "metal nitrogen" is not readily available, requiring extreme high pressure up to GPa and high temperature conditions of several thousand degrees.

The commonly used device for preparing ultrahigh pressure materials is diamond anvil, which can produce high pressure over the earth's center.

The science and Technology Daily reported that the researchers, using ordinary nitrogen as raw materials, introduced pulse laser heating and ultrafast spectral detection methods on the basis of the original diamond to top anvil device, and built an in situ comprehensive experimental system for the measurement of transitivity of high temperature and high pressure. Using the comprehensive experimental system, the researchers obtained the extreme conditions of high temperature and high pressure of up to 170GPa and 8000K. Under this condition, the optical absorption and reflection properties of nitrogen molecules in the process of insulator semiconductor metal transition were studied in situ. The phase boundary of nitrogen molecular dissociation and the extreme pressure of "metal nitrogen" synthesis were determined. In the range of temperature conditions, the in situ spectroscopic analysis has further confirmed that the semi metal properties of the polymerized nitrogen and the "metal nitrogen" with the perfect metal properties have been confirmed in the experiment.

A researcher with a postdoctoral researcher is working on a laser heating experiment under high pressure.

The results of the team of the gang not only provide guidance for the synthesis of other forms of high energy nitrogen materials, but also provide an important basis for the successful synthesis of "metal hydrogen" in the future. Because the extreme high temperature and high pressure conditions required for the synthesis of "metal hydrogen" are similar to that of synthetic "metal nitrogen".

"Metal hydrogen" is known as the Holy Grail of high energy physics because of its theoretical high energy density (50 times of TNT explosive) and high temperature superconductivity (possibly at -113.15 C or even 16.85 C), and the Institute of solid physics is close to the "Holy Grail".

In January 2017, the Harvard University research team once claimed to have successfully made the world's first "metal hydrogen" under the high pressure of the 495GPa under the high pressure of the diamond anvil device, but many people in the academia (including fell. gang chrov) questioned the fact that the anvil could not be so high as to rely solely on the diamond on the anvil. There is also insufficient evidence for the existence of so-called "metal hydrogen". However, in February of that year, the Harvard University team announced that the "metal hydrogen" sample disappeared because of the damage of the diamond container. The real existence of the first piece of metal hydrogen has become a mystery. "The Holy Grail of high-pressure physics" remains to be sought by later generations.

Spoiler: Links

https://defence.pk/pdf/attachments/...2/?temp_hash=0111b63b2bcec071e6049779bbee5aa5
http://i.guancha.cn/news/internet/2018/07/09/20180709112804485.png
http://www.guancha.cn/military-affairs/2018_07_09_463289.shtml

▲ 爆炸后只产生N2（氮气）的爆弹，简称N2爆弹

https://www.waonews.com/news/22750-..._expert_to_upgrade_its_energy_beyond_TNT.html

 

[JSCh]

Sky and Space Global looks to secure cornerstone Chinese launch partner
By George Tchetvertakov - July 10, 2018

Sky and Space Global has signed a memorandum of understanding with China Great Wall Industry Corporation to explore the provision of launch services for Sky and Space Global's nano-satellite infrastructure.

Sky and Space Global (ASX: SAS) is making further preparations for lift-off as part of its overarching plan to launch a network of over 200 nano-satellites into orbit.

The nano-satellite maker has been gradually progressing its mission plan to establish a communications network that can serve not only telcos and media providers worldwide, but also play a key role in other industries such as defence, farming and research.

Sky and Space Global’s core business is to operate a communications infrastructure based on nano-satellite technology and develop highly sophisticated software systems that can facilitate a global communication network.

The company successfully launched its first three nano-satellites, the ‘3 Diamonds’, into space in June 2017 and is preparing for the launch of a constellation of 200 more nano-satellites by 2020.

To help it achieve its end-goal of establishing a global nano-satellite network, Sky and Space Global signed a memorandum of understanding with China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, to explore the provision of launch services.

Under the terms of the deal, Sky and Space Global will assess whether CGWIC’s capabilities meet its own technical and operational launch requirements.

If the requirements are met, the two parties expect to enter formal contract negotiations for the provision of nano-satellite launch services. According to Sky and Space Global, entering into multiple deals with launch providers supports the underlying strategy of being adaptable and diversified in its reliance on any single third party.

CGWIC is a commercial launch services and satellite systems provider exclusively authorised by the Chinese Government to manage the Chinese space program and carry out space technology testing with other satellite operators.

With the support of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology and other prestigious Chinese satellite technology corporations, CGWIC has established 35 years of successful launch experience using its series of ‘Long March’ rockets.

Over this period, CGWIC has despatched 63 rockets and provided satellite launch services to numerous Chinese and international corporations.

“This is the first step in securing additional launch capabilities for our constellation of nano-satellites, which was always part of our business plan,” said Mr Meir Moalem, chief executive officer of Sky and Space Global.

“The first launch remains on schedule for 2019 and all subsequent launches will take place shortly thereafter. Given the complexity of the launch and constellation, we are working to de-risk this process and are excited to work with multiple prestigious launch services providers,” he added.

“This MoU is the product of a steadily growing relationship with Sky and Space Global which I anticipate will be mutually beneficial,” said Mr Fu Zhiheng, executive vice president of CGWIC.

“We believe that Sky and Space Global is a pioneer in the next-generation usage of nano-satellites and will be a major launcher of nano-satellites in years to come. We are very excited for the opportunity to support Sky and Space Global’s business plan and to assist [the company] in business collaboration in the Greater China region,” Mr Zhiheng said.


https://smallcaps.com.au/sky-and-space-global-chinese-launch-partner/

 

[JSCh]

New China space missions will watch for colliding black holes, solar blasts
By Dennis Normile
Jul. 11, 2018 , 12:45 PM

China's ambitious human space missions get most of the headlines, but its fledgling space science program is quietly gaining strength. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) last week confirmed plans to launch four new scientific satellites beginning in 2020. Coming on the heels of four successful missions, including one devoted to x-ray astronomy and another that demonstrated quantum entanglement over a record-setting 1200 kilometers, these "phase 2" projects will examine areas including solar physics and the hunt for electromagnetic signals associated with gravitational waves.

Given that China's space science program only started about 10 years ago, the lengthening track record "is impressive, but there are still not many missions given that it's a big country with a big science community," says Xin Wu, a China-born physicist at the University of Geneva in Switzerland who collaborates on China's astrophysics missions. "There is pent-up demand" among Chinese space scientists, he says.

CAS broke with tradition for one of the new missions, the Gravitational Wave High-energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All-sky Monitor (GECAM). It fast-tracked selection and development to take advantage of a new scientific opportunity, which Xiong Shaolin, an astrophysicist at CAS's Institute of High Energy Physics in Beijing, and his colleagues identified a month after the U.S. Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory announced its historic detection of gravitational waves in February 2016. They proposed putting two satellites into orbit on opposite sides of Earth that together could watch the entire sky for gamma rays emanating from the events that generate gravitational waves. Funding for technical studies arrived a few months later, and the mission has jumped to the front of the launch queue, with a date of 2020. "When you have this kind of opportunity you can't handle it like a normal mission, with selection and review taking 10 or 20 years," Xiong says.

So far, gamma rays and other electromagnetic signals have only been detected from one kind of gravitational-wave source, a neutron star merger, but they yielded a trove of detail about the enigmatic event. Astrophysicists are still debating whether black hole mergers, the other confirmed source of gravitational waves, also produce electromagnetic emissions. The GECAM team is betting that they do—and that much can be learned from the signals. "I think probably we will find something," Xiong says.

GECAM's observations will complement those of another phase 2 mission, the Einstein Probe (EP), which will survey the sky for the low energy x-rays associated with violent phenomena such as gamma ray bursts and black hole collisions. Combining GECAM, EP, and gravitational wave observations "will allow us to better understand gamma ray burst astrophysics," says Ik Siong Heng, an astrophysicist at the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom.

China's space scientists have long targeted another area: solar physics. Only the United States produces more papers in the field than China. "But [China's] papers used data from missions developed by Japan and the U.S. and elsewhere," says Gan Weiqun, a solar physicist at CAS's Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanjing. He says China's solar scientists have been pushing for their own mission for 40 years; they've finally gotten the nod for the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S). "It's very important for us to make original contributions in terms of hardware and data," Gan says. He explains that ASO-S will be the first space observatory to monitor the sun's magnetic field while watching for solar flares and the titanic blasts known as coronal mass ejections. The simultaneous observations could yield clues to how those eruptions are triggered.

The last mission included in the phase 2 list was identified as a priority years ago. The Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE), a joint CAS and European Space Agency mission, will pioneer a new technique for imaging Earth's magnetosphere. Previous satellites have made point measurements as they traveled through the magnetosphere. But scientists recently learned that collisions between particles of the solar wind and stray particles of Earth's atmosphere produce low energy x-rays that light up the magnetosphere. By watching these x-rays, SMILE will capture its dynamic behavior.

Last week's announcement bodes well for China's space science program beyond the next four missions. The 4 billion yuan ($605 million) phase 2 budget includes support for development on future missions, particularly the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry mission, an ambitious international project led by Chinese scientists to study black holes, neutron stars, and magnetars.

China's planetary exploration and astronaut programs will continue to make history; later this year or early next, for example, it plans to land the first probe on the far side of the moon. But the future of its space science efforts also seems assured.



New China space missions will watch for colliding black holes, solar blasts | Science | AAAS

 

[JSCh]

China's FAST telescope identifies 43 pulsars
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-12 19:44:16|Editor: Yurou


GUIYANG, July 12 (Xinhua) -- China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, has discovered 43 new pulsars so far since its trial operation began in September 2016, the research team announced on Thursday.

A pulsar is a highly magnetized, rotating neutron star, which emits two beams of electromagnetic radiation.

Located in a naturally deep and round karst depression in southwest China's Guizhou Province, FAST is believed to be the world's most sensitive radio telescope.

Pulsar observation is an important task for FAST, which can be used to confirm the existence of gravitational radiation and black holes and help solve many other major questions in physics.

FAST is also in charge of the exploration of interstellar molecules and interstellar communication signals.

 

[JSCh]

Private firms race to build carrier rockets
By Zhao Lei | China Daily | Updated: 2018-07-16 07:21

Hyperbola-1S, i-Space's carrier rocket, awaits its launch in April. [Photo/China Daily]
​

The research and development of carrier rockets is a major sign of a space-faring nation's capability and had been long dominated by government-backed giants around the world.

However, in the wake of emerging business opportunities, the United States and China have realized that it is necessary to introduce new players to stimulate innovation and competition and to fill in market gaps left by established contractors.

As an important part of his endeavor to strengthen China's space industry, President Xi Jinping has requested that the long insulated industry should open its doors to private enterprises and take advantage of their participation to boost sustainable growth.

Meanwhile, several government departments have published policies and guidelines that encourage private businesses to take part in space-related businesses.

As a result, nearly 10 private rocket firms have been launched in China over the past three years.

Among them, i-Space and OneSpace Technology, two startups based in Beijing, have taken leading positions, as each has launched a test rocket developed on their own to verify their designs and equipment.

The two have made it clear that they have no intention of grabbing government-funded missions from State-owned space giants, namely China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp and China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, but aspire to satiate the huge demand in launch service from newly founded satellite companies, most of which also are privately owned.

They are now focused on assembling new prototypes for further tests and striving to develop mass-production models that are expected to fulfill commercial contracts.

Xie Fang, a senior designer at i-Space, said the company plans to lift a Hyperbola-1Z experimental rocket in the coming months at a national space launch center, which he declined to name.

The mission is mainly tasked with demonstrating technologies for the Hyperbola-1, i-Space's first mass-production carrier rocket.

He said the Hyperbola-1Z will conduct a flight to an altitude of about 150 kilometers before placing a retrievable mini satellite into orbit.

The mission will mark the first time a privately developed rocket is launched from a national space facility, as opposed to previous launches that used non-space testing fields, he said.

Xie said Hyperbola-1 will have its debut flight in the first half of 2019.

It will have a diameter of 1.4 m, a length of 20 m and a liftoff weight of 31 metric tons.

The rocket will be able to transport a 300-kilogram satellite into a low-Earth orbit or a 100-kg satellite into a sun-synchronous orbit.

He noted that four launches of Hyperbola-1 rockets are scheduled in 2019 to lift clients' satellites.

His company has also begun to design the Hyperbola-3, a larger type rocket with nine 15-ton-thrust, liquid-propellant engines, and plans to launch it as early as 2020, Xie said.

In late June, i-Space announced it has received an investment of 600 million yuan ($90 million) from more than 10 domestic funds and venture capital.

OneSpace, headquartered near i-Space, is probably the most talked about firm in the media compared to its peers, thanks to its high-profile founder Shu Chang.

It has been preparing for the first mission of its OS-M1, a 19-m, solid-propellant rocket which OneSpace has pinned high hopes of attracting launch contracts for small satellites.

The company has garnered total investment of nearly 500 million yuan from domestic agencies and plans for an annual manufacturing capacity of around 50 rockets in 2020.

In addition to the two that have had launches, another heavyweight player, Land-Space, which is also a space industry startup in Beijing, has published a plan to build "the largest and most powerful carrier rocket designed and built by a Chinese private rocket company".

It expects to make its debut flight in 2020.

The company said in a statement sent to China Daily that the design of the ZQ 2, a 48.8-m, liquid-propellant rocket, was completed in June and construction of the rocket's key components has begun.

It said the rocket will go through a series of ground tests before the end of 2019 and if everything goes well in accordance with its schedule, ZQ 2 will conduct its maiden flight in 2020.

The ZQ 2 will have a diameter of 3.35 m, the same as most of China's Long March-series rockets, and a weight of 216 tons.

With a liftoff mass of 268 tons, it will be capable of placing a 2-ton payload into a sun-synchronous orbit 500 kilometers above the Earth or a 4-ton spacecraft to a low-Earth orbit with an altitude of 200 km.

Zhang Changwu, founder and CEO of LandSpace, said that upon its completion, the ZQ 2 will become the biggest and mightiest carrier rocket that has been developed by a Chinese private enterprise.

"The participation of private firms will substantially reduce the launch cost and help to boost the commercialization of the entire space industry," said Wu Zhijian, director-general of China Space Foundation.

He said private players with creativity and technology are crucial to achieving the nation's goal of building a strong space power.

 

[JSCh]

First of 300-satellite array in China's global communications network to be launched this year
By Yin Han Source:Global Times Published: 2018/7/15 22:58:39

Hongyan constellation to provide low-orbit communications worldwide

The first satellite in the 300-satellite array known as the Hongyan constellation, which will provide worldwide communication services, is set to be launched by the end of this year.

The announcement was made at the Hunan Commercial Aviation Space and Marine Equipment Forum held on Thursday in Changsha, Central China's Hunan Province, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The constellation will consist of more than 300 low-orbit satellites. The first satellite in the network is designed to test the operation of the system, according to the report.

Once completed, the satellite communication network will allow a mobile phone to be connected anywhere on the planet, including remote deserts or the middle of an ocean.

The constellation will be the first group of low-orbit communication satellites designed and launched by China, enabling the country to better guide disaster rescue efforts.

Low-orbit satellites have stronger signals and a shorter signal delay than synchronous orbit satellites, which are 36,000 kilometers above the equator.

In 2008, Iridium low-orbit satellite constellation, a US developed system of 66 satellites designed for worldwide communication, was used during rescue missions after the 8.0-magnitude Wenchuan earthquake in Southwest China's Sichuan Province destroyed ground communication systems in the province.

The incident prompted China to develop its own low-orbit satellite constellation, said Pang Zhihao, retired rocket and aerospace expert with the China Academy of Space Technology (CASC), which co-led the Hongyan program.

The coverage of a single low-orbit satellite is limited, requiring more satellites to cover wider areas, Pang said.

"The technology can be applied to multiple fields including civil and military use," Pang said.

However, a number of China's aerospace companies have decided not to invest in the development of satellite systems as they worry about high costs and remain uncertain of the commercial use of the technology.

"Mobile communications satellites are a trend of the future, but reducing costs remains an important issue to be solved," Pang said.

Zhao Junsuo, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Software, told the Global Times that China's current space-based infrastructure remains insufficient.

Improvement of the infrastructure could lessen the cost of satellite constellations and needs government support, Zhao said.

China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Limited, is also planning to launch an array of low-orbit satellites it calls the Xingyun project.

 

[JSCh]

China Focus: Rocket technologies adapted for China's cleaner coal use
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-16 11:55:57|Editor: mym
by Xinhua writer Yu Fei

BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Technologies gained from developing the "heart" of rockets are helping China, one of the world's major coal consumers, use coal more cleanly and efficiently.

"In China, a large proportion of the grain you eat every day is grown with chemical fertilizers made up of materials produced by coal gasification technology transformed from rocket technology," said Zhu Yuying, vice general manager of the Changzheng Engineering Co., Ltd. (CECO), a company affiliated to China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALVT).

"Many of your clothes and a lot of nonmetallic components on your car, as well as lots of your daily necessities are products of the coal chemical industry," Zhu said.

China lacks petroleum and natural gases, but has relatively abundant coal resources. Clean and high-efficient utilization of coal is important to ensure its energy security and sustainable development.

Currently, China has three methods of coal utilization: burning directly, coking and gasification. Gasification is the cleanest, but most complicated use of coal. It can be used to produce chemical raw materials and clean fuels. Only 7 percent of coal resources are currently processed this way.

Zhu explained that gasification means transforming the carbon and hydrogen components in coal into carbon monoxide and hydrogen gases, which are raw materials in many chemical products.

Gasification occurs under high pressure at a temperature of over 1,400 degrees centigrade. The carbon monoxide and hydrogen gases are inflammable and explosive. It needs high-tech special facilities to ensure the process is safe, continuous and stable.

At the beginning of the 21st Century, China lagged in gasification technologies, which restricted the development of coal chemical industry. Chinese firms mainly depended on imported technologies, greatly increasing production costs.

The most difficult part of the technology is the making of the gasifier.

Researchers at a liquid-propellant rocket engine base under the CALVT found the technologies and facilities to produce a rocket engine can be adapted to make the coal gasifier.

Overcoming investment and technology hurdles, they successfully developed a gasifier in 2009 after almost five years of efforts.

"Because of our special technologies, the gas, liquid and solid emissions of the coal gasification can be properly treated and recycled, making the gasification process clean and environment-friendly," Zhu said.

The sulfur content in coal can be a major air pollutant - an issue they tackled.

"Our technology can transform the sulfur components into hydrogen sulfide, which can be recovered. We can recover more than 99.5 percent of the sulfur pollutants. The dust emissions can also be controlled," Zhu said.

So far, the company has produced 87 gasifiers, occupying more than half of China's pulverized coal gasification market. It has also been granted with more than 20 patents in the United States, Europe and other countries and regions.

Recently, it developed the first gasifier for lignite, a kind of fragile "young" coal with high water content. China has large reserves of lignite in northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and southwestern Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, making up 13 percent of the national total coal resources.

Exploiting and utilizing lignite efficiently has been a challenge.

Zhu said the CECO aims to promote the lignite gasification technology to regions with abundant lignite reserves, as well as such regions in countries like Indonesia and Australia

 

[JSCh]

 

[Galactic Penguin SST]

What happened to ChinaSpaceflight.com?

The site is no longer updated, and the last tweet dated from May 17 even more scary:

美帝良心在互联网拉帮结伙搞黑社会。[中国赞]
9:54 PM - 17 May 2018
https://twitter.com/cnspaceflight/status/997339646530084864
​

Any clue? @JSCh

Same question for the excellent @hadukino (last updated 23 May 2017).