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

[JSCh]

China completes 1st test on propulsion system for space experiment module
Source: Xinhua| 2018-08-17 21:30:43|Editor: Lu Hui


XI'AN, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have successfully completed the first test of the propulsion system for the experiment module of the country's planned space station.

The test consisted of eight procedures that covered all working conditions of an in-orbit experiment module. It also simulated possible errors the module may encounter in space, according to a research institute affiliated with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

The test proved that the design of the propulsion system was scientific and its parameters setting was correct, according to the institute.

Two experiment modules of China's planned space station will be sent into space in 2021 and 2022, according to Yang Liwei, director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office and the country's first astronaut.

China is accelerating its timetable for a space station, with the core capsule expected to be launched in 2020, said Yang.

 

[JSCh]

刚刚，蓝箭航天“朱雀一号”运载火箭总装完毕

今日，北京蓝箭空间科技有限公司（蓝箭航天）自主研发的“朱雀一号”（ZQ-1）运载火箭总装完毕，拟于第四季度发射。

Today, the "Zhuque-1" (ZQ-1) launch vehicle independently developed by Beijing Landspace Technology Co. Ltd. (Landspace Aerospace) is assembled and is scheduled to be launched in the fourth quarter.

 

[JSCh]

刚刚，蓝箭航天“朱雀一号”运载火箭总装完毕

Today, the "Zhuque-1" (ZQ-1) launch vehicle independently developed by Beijing Landspace Technology Co. Ltd. (Landspace Aerospace) is assembled and is scheduled to be launched in the fourth quarter.

China’s first privately-designed orbital rocket assembled
CGTN
Published on Aug 21, 2018

Landspace, a private Chinese launch company, said on Monday that its first Zhuque-1 rocket was ready for testing. Zhuque-1 is a 19m-tall, 1.35m-diameter rocket with a takeoff mass of 27 tonnes and thrust of 45 tonnes. It will be China’s first privately-designed orbital rocket when formally launched sometime in the final quarter of the year.

 

[cirr]

中科院成功研制4.03米世界最大口径单体碳化硅反射镜

2018-08-21 15:48:00来源：央广网

　　

　　4.03米世界最大口径碳化硅反射镜

　　央广网长春8月21日消息（记者刘源源 苑竞玮）国家重大科研装备研制项目“4m量级高精度碳化硅非球面反射镜集成制造系统”，今天在长春通过验收。中科院长春光机所研制的直径4.03米口径高精度碳化硅非球面反射镜，是目前世界上口径最大的单体碳化硅反射镜。它标志着我国光学系统先进制造能力达到了国际先进水平；同时为我国大口径光电装备跨越升级奠定了坚实基础。其核心制造设备以及制造工艺具有完全自主知识产权。

　　直径4.03米的碳化硅反射镜像一个巨大的圆盘，在灯光的照射下闪闪发光。如果把这只“大眼睛”装到望远镜里，将极大提升望远镜的分辨率。这种大口径高精度非球面光学反射镜，是高分辨率空间对地观测、深空探测和天文观测系统的核心元件。其制造技术水平，对国家的国防安全、国民经济建设、基础科研能力具有重要意义，也是衡量一个国家高性能光学系统的研制水平的重要标志。

　　那么这只美丽的大眼睛是怎样炼成的呢？

　　大口径光学反射镜的制造难度，主要集中在反射镜镜坯制造、反射镜光学加工等制造工艺环节。从碳化硅粉末，到最终变成高刚度、高面形精度的4米反射镜，我们看一下科研人员是如何化腐朽为神奇的吧。

　　制造碳化硅反射镜第一步，是将碳化硅粉末烧制成整体的反射镜镜坯。4米碳化硅反射镜绝不仅仅是看着美丽，要想实现工程化应用，必须达到并保持极高面形精度。它依赖于反射镜“强健的筋骨”——碳化硅陶瓷镜坯。

　　目前，国际上常用的反射镜基体材料有石英玻璃、微晶玻璃、碳化硅、金属铍，以及碳纤维/碳化硅复合材料等。相比其他材料，碳化硅具有更大的比刚度和热稳定性。这使得在实现同样的光学口径和精度要求下，碳化硅反射镜更轻、热稳定性更优。

　　尽管碳化硅的面密度已经足够小，但对反射镜的“瘦身”还远未完成。目前世界上大多数反射镜由于制备技术限制，均采用开放式的轻量化结构。与它们不同，长春光机所采用类似“果冻”制品的成型方式，通过一次注模，实现具有背部半封闭轻量化结构的镜坯成型，既避免了实现轻量化结构的复杂机械加工过程；又进一步降低了反射镜的质量、提高了反射镜的结构刚度。

　　成型后的反射镜镜坯经两次烧结后，“大眼睛”的一身“钢筋铁骨”就练就好了。再经过光学加工、改性和镀膜等工艺，粗糙的陶瓷坯摇身一变，成为了一块反射率达到95%以上的高精度反射镜。

　　当今世界，大口径反射镜镜坯制造和反射镜加工技术一直被美国、法国、德国等少数西方国家掌握。长春光机所研究团队耗时十余年、经历数百次实验探索与工艺验证，先后突破了1米、2米口径的碳化硅反射镜镜坯，最终研制出4米口径碳化硅镜坯。围绕着大口径反射镜制造的工艺路线，一整套完整的、具有完全自主知识产权的加工、检测装备也同步开发完成，使大口径反射镜制造的全部核心技术真正掌握自己手中。

　　未来，这只“美丽的大眼睛”将越来越多的应用于国产各型大口径光电装备上。这些装备将遍及祖国陆地、海洋、天空，让中国的目光更加深邃、视野更加宽广。

http://news.cnr.cn/native/city/20180821/t20180821_524338099.shtml

 

[JSCh]

Hong Kong Polytechnic University signs deal to make camera for China’s 2020 Mars probe
Device for spacecraft in groundbreaking mission to red planet will need to cope with temperatures ranging from minus 70 degrees Celsius to 90 degrees Celsius

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 22 August, 2018, 6:10pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 22 August, 2018, 8:39pm

Tony Cheung

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University will play a key role in a groundbreaking Chinese project to send a probe to Mars in 2020 by creating a camera designed to endure extreme temperatures as well as shocks 6,200 times the force of gravity.

Professor Yung Kai-leung, the university’s chair professor of precision engineering, said development of the camera’s technologies would have implications beyond exploring the solar system, from medical robotics to industrial engineering.

“We expect the space project to strengthen our ability in scientific research and in coming up with good designs ... and we also hope to transfer the space technology to civil use,” he said.

In the past decade China has achieved a series of breakthroughs in space exploration, including its first lunar “soft landing” in 2013 with the Chang’e-3 spacecraft and Jade Rabbit rover.

The country is planning to launch a spacecraft to Mars in 2020 with the aim of becoming the first nation to complete an orbital and surface exploration of the red planet in a single mission.

The United States has conducted such explorations in separate missions since the 1970s, and India in 2014 became the first solo Asian country to reach Mars’ orbit.

Since 2003 Polytechnic University has helped develop soil surveying tools for Mars missions spearheaded by the European Space Agency, and a failed voyage jointly organised by China and Russia. The university also joined hands with the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) to develop a camera system for Chang’e-3.

Yung said designing a Mars camera would be more challenging than devices sent to the moon. Photo: Dickson Lee

But Yung said designing a Mars camera would be different and more challenging.

“It takes [days] to go to the moon, but it takes nine months to travel to Mars ... [It will be] a prolonged period of extreme temperatures, radiation and mechanical vibrations,” Yung said.

“The Mars mission will be like putting the camera into a fridge for nine months ... and throwing it onto the street [from a building] and expecting it to work immediately.”

The device will need to cope with temperatures ranging from minus 70 degrees Celsius to 90 degrees Celsius.

Its weight and size will be similar to ordinary cameras, but materials such as titanium alloy and aluminium alloy will ensure it is extraordinarily durable.

About 10 cameras in total will be installed on the Mars spacecraft, which will consist of an orbiter, a lander and a rover. Yung said the camera to be designed by his team would be one of the most difficult of the 10 to produce, because it was for the lander, which needed to withstand a huge impact.

The camera will help the mainland Chinese scientists in charge of the mission to monitor the landing process, the surrounding environment and movements of the rover, Yung explained.

He also said his team of about 20 researchers must rely on their own scientific research and experience as the specifics of space appliances produced by foreign agencies were confidential.

The university, represented by its vice-president for research development, Professor Alex Wai Ping-kong, signed an agreement with CAST on Wednesday to collaborate on the Mars camera project.

The work will be mainly funded and tested by the state-owned academy, while the university will produce the device and offer financial support for Yung’s team.

Wai said the deal showed Beijing’s recognition and approval of Hong Kong researchers’ experience and achievements.


Hong Kong Polytechnic University signs deal to make camera for China’s 2020 Mars probe | South China Morning Post

 

[JSCh]

China to improve smog control via satellite remote sensing
Source: Xinhua| 2018-08-26 22:00:43|Editor: Li Xia


BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- China announced Sunday it has launched a plan to better monitor and control smog at key regions through satellite remote sensing.

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment said a grid network to monitor the density of PM 2.5, a major pollutant in atmosphere, will gradually cover Beijing, Tianjin and 26 cities in nearby provinces, 11 cities on the Fenhe and Weihe river plains, as well as 41 cities on the Yangtze River Delta.

With technologies including remote sensing, authorities in the Beijing headquarters can discover environmental problems in faraway regions quickly and direct immediate actions, according to Zhao Qunying, an official in charge of environmental supervision at the ministry.

"This can improve the efficiency of regulation and address the problem of inadequate enforcement personnel for the broad regions under scrutiny," Zhao said.

Regions covered by the network will be divided into grid units each measuring 3 km by 3 km. The units with relatively high density of PM 2.5 are listed as key areas to watch.

By October, Beijing, Tianjin and nearby cities will be included into the network. Cities on the Fenhe and Weihe river plains will be covered starting from October, while those on the Yangtze River Delta will be covered from February 2019, according to Zhao.

 

[JSCh]

China, South Africa step up cooperation on super radio telescope
Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-02 17:11:16|Editor: Li Xia


BEIJING, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- As China and South Africa strengthen economic ties, they are also stepping up cooperation on the world's largest radio telescope to help answer fundamental questions about the origin and evolution of the universe.

The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) will combine signals received at thousands of small antennas spread over 3,000 kilometers to simulate a single giant radio telescope with a total receiving area of approximately one square kilometer and capable of extremely high sensitivity and angular resolution.

The antennas will be built in the southern hemisphere with the cores in Australia and South Africa, where the view of the Milky Way galaxy is best and radio interference is least. SKA will detect faint radio waves from deep space with a sensitivity about 50 times greater than any other radio instrument ever developed.

"SKA will be the largest and most advanced radio telescope ever, and will play a key role in global astronomical research in the next half-century," said Wu Xiangping, a senior Chinese astronomer in the project and an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

As a member country of the multinational project, China is taking the lead in designing and producing the 15-meter dish-shaped antennas, and is trying to maximize the project's achievements.

The main scientific aims of SKA include exploring the dawn of the universe, studying the evolution of galaxies, cosmology and dark energy, searching for extraterrestrial life and civilization, studying the gravitational field through pulsars and black holes, and the origin and evolution of cosmic magnetic fields.

China has established 11 research groups focusing on these aims, promoting cooperation between universities and research institutes domestically, as well as in-depth and practical collaboration with other countries, especially South Africa and Australia where the antennas will be installed, said Wu.

"We already had close cooperation with Australia in jointly organizing symposiums and training classes. The exchanges between China and South Africa have just started. We will step up cooperation with South Africa, and the priority will be finding common interests," Wu said. "For instance, the study of neutral hydrogen might be a possible direction of joint research. Understanding neutral hydrogen, the first element formed after the Big Bang and the most abundant element in the universe, might help us trace the origin of the universe and study the large scale structure of the cosmos."

Chinese scientists will visit South Africa this year and work with counterparts there to determine the cooperative research field.

China completed construction of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), currently the largest radio telescope in the world, in September 2016.

Africa's most advanced telescope, Meerkat, was launched in South Africa in July this year. The 64-dish radio telescope is a precursor to SKA and will be integrated into the first phase of the SKA project, which is expected to start in 2020.

China and South Africa have agreed to conduct joint observations of FAST and Meerkat, and exchange data, said Peng Bo, deputy manager of the FAST project and a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatories of the CAS.

"Meerkat excels in resolution while FAST has higher sensitivity. It's like looking at a distant forest, where Meerkat can not only see each tree, but also every leaf. While FAST cannot see each tree as clearly as Meerkat, it can see the darkest place in the forest," said Peng.

"So if we combine the observation data, we can have a clearer and more complete picture of the forest," Peng said. "Over the past two years, research teams of the two telescopes have had seven meetings. The scientists of the two countries have become friends. Personnel exchanges are an important basis for scientific cooperation."

 

[JSCh]

China Focus: China launches new marine satellite
Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-07 17:10:03|Editor: Li Xia

A Long March-2C rocket carrying the HY-1C satellite takes off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province, Sept. 7, 2018. The satellite HY-1C will help improve understanding of maritime waters and climate change. (Xinhua/Zheng Taotao)

TAIYUAN, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- China sent a new marine satellite into orbit Friday to help improve understanding of maritime waters and climate change.

A Long March-2C rocket carrying the HY-1C satellite took off at 11:15 a.m. from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province.

The satellite HY-1C will monitor ocean color and water temperatures, providing basic data for research on the global oceanic environment, according to the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.

Its data will also be used in the survey of the resources and environment of China's offshore waters, islands and coastal zones, marine disaster relief and the sustainable utilization of ocean resources, said the administration.

With a design life of five years, it was developed by the China Spacesat Co., Ltd. under the China Academy of Space Technology.

China launched its first marine satellite, HY-1A, on May 15, 2002, laying the foundation for a ocean monitoring system.

Then the HY-1B satellite was launched on April 11, 2007.

HY-1C and HY-1D, which is planned to be launched in 2019, are expected to improve China's ocean remote sensing capability.

HY-1C can detect chlorophyll and suspended sediment concentrations and dissolved organic matter, which can affect ocean color, as well as temperatures on the sea surface, said Wang Lili, chief designer of the satellite.

The data will help survey fishery and aquaculture resources and environments, offering a scientific basis for reasonable exploitation and utilization of marine resources, experts said.

Scientists will also use the data to study global environmental changes, the role of the oceans in the global carbon cycle and the El-Nino phenomenon.

The satellite carries an imager to probe suspended sediment in estuaries and harbors in coastal zones, and to forecast and monitor marine environmental disasters, said Wang.

It is equipped with an automatic identification and monitoring system for ships, which will help safeguard maritime rights and interests, and provide data for disaster prevention and mitigation and fishery production, Wang said.

The satellite will save time, manpower and materials in conducting integrated marine surveys, compared with traditional investigation methods on ships.

It could improve China's ability to predict, monitor and evaluate maritime risks such as storm surges, red tides, sea ice and huge waves, and help save lives and property. It can also rapidly get information about the fishery environment and make the oceanic fishery industry more efficient.

The successful launch will help end the long-term shortage of continuous data on ocean color, and promote research on global ocean circulation and changes in the sea surface.

Friday's launch was the 284th by the Long March rocket series.

 

[JSCh]

Suborbital rocket successfully launched
Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-07 17:25:06|Editor: Li Xia

The OS-X1, a suborbital rocket developed and produced by Chinese private company One Space, is successfully launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Sept. 7, 2018. The OS-X1 can reach a speed of Mach 4.5 in load flight. This was the company's second launch this year. (Xinhua/Wang Jiangbo)

JIUQUAN, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- A suborbital rocket developed by a private Chinese company was successfully launched at 12:10 p.m. Friday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

The OS-X1, developed and produced by One Space, can reach a speed of Mach 4.5 in load flight.

Suborbital rockets usually have a flight path of less than one complete orbit of the Earth. They can reach an altitude of more than 100 km above sea level and then fall back to Earth. Suborbital rockets or satellites are primarily used for scientific experiments.

This was the company's second launch this year.

 

[JSCh]

China Focus: China launches new marine satellite
Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-07 17:10:03|Editor: Li Xia

A Long March-2C rocket carrying the HY-1C satellite takes off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province, Sept. 7, 2018. The satellite HY-1C will help improve understanding of maritime waters and climate change. (Xinhua/Zheng Taotao)

TAIYUAN, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- China sent a new marine satellite into orbit Friday to help improve understanding of maritime waters and climate change.

A Long March-2C rocket carrying the HY-1C satellite took off at 11:15 a.m. from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province.

The satellite HY-1C will monitor ocean color and water temperatures, providing basic data for research on the global oceanic environment, according to the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.

Its data will also be used in the survey of the resources and environment of China's offshore waters, islands and coastal zones, marine disaster relief and the sustainable utilization of ocean resources, said the administration.

With a design life of five years, it was developed by the China Spacesat Co., Ltd. under the China Academy of Space Technology.

China launched its first marine satellite, HY-1A, on May 15, 2002, laying the foundation for a ocean monitoring system.

Then the HY-1B satellite was launched on April 11, 2007.

HY-1C and HY-1D, which is planned to be launched in 2019, are expected to improve China's ocean remote sensing capability.

HY-1C can detect chlorophyll and suspended sediment concentrations and dissolved organic matter, which can affect ocean color, as well as temperatures on the sea surface, said Wang Lili, chief designer of the satellite.

The data will help survey fishery and aquaculture resources and environments, offering a scientific basis for reasonable exploitation and utilization of marine resources, experts said.

Scientists will also use the data to study global environmental changes, the role of the oceans in the global carbon cycle and the El-Nino phenomenon.

The satellite carries an imager to probe suspended sediment in estuaries and harbors in coastal zones, and to forecast and monitor marine environmental disasters, said Wang.

It is equipped with an automatic identification and monitoring system for ships, which will help safeguard maritime rights and interests, and provide data for disaster prevention and mitigation and fishery production, Wang said.

The satellite will save time, manpower and materials in conducting integrated marine surveys, compared with traditional investigation methods on ships.

It could improve China's ability to predict, monitor and evaluate maritime risks such as storm surges, red tides, sea ice and huge waves, and help save lives and property. It can also rapidly get information about the fishery environment and make the oceanic fishery industry more efficient.

The successful launch will help end the long-term shortage of continuous data on ocean color, and promote research on global ocean circulation and changes in the sea surface.

Friday's launch was the 284th by the Long March rocket series.

First batch of pictures from HY-1 marine satellite.

 

[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.

Hongyan satellite constellation to be operating by 2025
By Yin Han Source:Global Times Published: 2018/9/18 22:28:40

Global coverage for mobile phones will be realized by 2025 when the broadband system for a 300-satellite Chinese constellation is completed, a scientist for the project announced Tuesday.

"A broadband system will enable seamless global intercommunication," Pang Zhihao, a retired rocket and aerospace expert who co-led the Hongyan project at the China Academy of Space Technology, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Hongyan translates as "wild goose." In ancient China, geese were used to deliver messages.

Mobile phones will be able to connect "any time and place, and even in complex terrain," Hongyan project head Zhou Zhicheng said at a 2018 China Cybersecurity Week conference on Monday.

Construction of the constellation would combine low-orbit and high-orbit satellite technologies, according to Zhou.

The constellation consists of 300 low-orbit satellites and a global data processing center. Network security was one of top issues that would also be addressed by national authorities, Zhou said.

The constellation could also improve the accuracy of navigation provided by China's BeiDou satellite navigation system, according to an article released on Tuesday by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation where the Hongyan constellation is produced.

Hongyan could provide communication support on Arctic expeditions and dredgers, the article said.

Once completed, the Hongyan network will replace the ground-based network and allow a mobile phone to be connected in a remote desert or at sea.

 

[JSCh]

Chinese institute's virtual ground stations serve 10 countries
Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-18 17:57:40|Editor: ZX


BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Institute of Aerospace Information Research has helped 10 countries install virtual ground stations, it said in a report Tuesday.

The report was released at the fourth International Symposium on Earth Observation for Arid and Semi-Arid Environments, which began in Xining, capital of China's northwestern Qinghai Province, on Monday.

The 10 countries are Mongolia, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Thailand and Belgium.

The institute's self-developed virtual ground stations were equipped for receiving near-real time data from China's remote satellite ground stations.

The virtual ground stations support the satellites such as the HJ-1A, HJ-1B, Landsat-8 and Proba-V and have played an important role in ecological environment monitoring and disaster alleviation, according to the institute.

The previous three biennial symposiums were held in China, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, respectively.

 

[JSCh]

Space lab working beyond life span
By ZHAO LEI | China Daily | Updated: 2018-09-20 07:39

An image sent back by an accompanying satellite shows Shenzhou XI (top) and Tiangong II (bottom) in space on Oct 23, 2016. The satellite took the photo at a distance of 419 meters from Tiangong II and Shenzhou XI. [Photo/CCTV]

China's Tiangong II space laboratory, which has exceeded its designed life span, remains in space and is still able to conduct scientific tasks, according to its developer and a leading expert.

Pang Zhihao, a renowned space industry observer in Beijing, said despite the spacecraft's 24-month designed life span having been reached, it seems to be in good condition and is still carrying out work.

"Tiangong II is now like a large scientific satellite," he said on Wednesday.

The China Manned Space Agency said in an article published on Saturday on its WeChat account that the space lab, which was lifted into space on Sept 15, 2016, remains in orbit and is still "unswervingly carrying out its missions". It did not elaborate on the space lab's future agenda or when it would return back to Earth from its orbit nearly 400 kilometers above ground.

Tiangong II has helped to pave the way for China's plans for a manned space station, the agency said.

"In addition to scientific applications, the spacecraft can also perform orbit transfer experiments," Pang said. "Such experiments can help to explore methods of avoiding space debris for our future space station, and also can allow Tiangong II's cameras to take high-definition pictures of Earth."

Pang added that researchers can use the space lab to repeat some tests and experiments on equipment or technologies that will be used on the future space station, further verifying the reliability of the equipment and relevant technologies.

China plans to start putting together its first manned space station around 2020. The space station is expected to be fully operational around 2022 and is set to operate for about 15 years, according to the China Academy of Space Technology.

In 2024, it likely will become the world's only space station if the United States-led International Space Station is retired that year as planned.

The multimodule station, named Tiangong, or Heavenly Palace, will be mainly composed of three parts－a core module attached to two space labs－having a combined weight of more than 90 metric tons, the academy said.

Tiangong II was lifted atop a Long March 2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China's Gobi Desert two years ago. It is 10.4 meters high, 3.35 meters in diameter and weighs 8.6 tons.

Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong entered the lab on Oct 19 that year, after their Shenzhou XI spacecraft docked with the lab, and stayed inside for 30 days.

From April to September 2017, Tiangong II and the Tianzhou I cargo spacecraft fulfilled several docking and in-orbit refueling operations, which demonstrated resupply and refueling technologies applicable to the planned manned space station.

 

[JSCh]

China appears to be accelerating development of a super-heavy lift rocket
The Long March 9 rocket would be on par with the Saturn V booster.

ERIC BERGER - 9/19/2018, 9:55 PM

A Long March-2C rocket carrying two satellites is launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on July 9, 2018 in Jiuquan, Gansu Province of China. (Photo by Wang Jiangbo/China News Service/VCG)
Wang Jiangbo/China News Service/VCG

As part of its long-term planning, Chinese rocket officials have talked for some time about a super-heavy lift rocket that will enable a human lunar program. For this rocket, called the Long March 9, officials have generally cited the 2030 time frame for its maiden launch.

However, at the World Conference on Science Literacy 2018 this week, an engineer with the China National Space Administration, Li Guoping, said the country planned to launch the Long March 9 booster in 2028. This comes as China has successfully ramped up its launch cadence in 2018—it should launch about three dozen orbital rockets this year, more than any other country. The report in the Chinese news service Xinhua did not specify why this larger rocket was now expected to launch two years earlier than previously announced.

A huge rocket
The Long March 9 is an extremely ambitious booster, with a diameter of 10 meters, length of 90 meters, and a proposed lift capacity of 140 tons to low-Earth orbit. Those numbers are on par with the Saturn V rocket that NASA designed and built during the 1960s to carry out the Apollo lunar landing program. It would be roughly equivalent, in terms of capability, to SpaceX's proposed Big Falcon Rocket, although there has been no word from China on whether any part of the Long March 9 might be reusable.

NASA is further along in its development of its own big booster, the large Space Launch System rocket, which could make its maiden flight in 2020 or 2021. This version of the SLS rocket will have a launch capability of up to 95 tons to low-Earth orbit, according to a recent NASA update. Eventually, the space agency plans to upgrade the SLS rocket into a Block 2 configuration with a more powerful second stage as well as advanced side boosters, and this rocket would have an estimated capability of 130 tons to low-Earth orbit. However, it seems unlikely that the Block 2 rocket would launch before 2028.

This means that if SpaceX fails to secure funding for the Big Falcon Rocket and NASA continues on its slow development pace of the SLS rocket, China could have the world's most powerful rocket about a decade from now.

The purpose
China reportedly wants to use the Long March 9 rocket for an ambitious Mars sample return mission, and that could be the payload for the vehicle's first flight. However, given the scale of the proposed rocket, its overarching purpose seems likely to be geared toward taikonaut visits to the surface of the Moon.

Chinese officials have previously said their long-term goal is a series of lunar surface missions beginning in the 2030 time frame. This approach could prove more attractive to some partners, such as the European Space Agency, than NASA's plan to build a Deep Space Gateway in a distant lunar orbit rather than going directly to the surface.

By accelerating development of the Long March 9 rocket, Chinese officials could be offering a viable alternative to NASA's plans to other potential partners sooner. As ever with the Chinese space program, however, the most consequential decisions and planning occur out of the public view, so definitive answers are few.


China appears to be accelerating development of a super-heavy lift rocket | Ars Technica

 

[JSCh]

Space data services set to take off
By Liu Yukun and Li Wenfang in Zhuhai, Guangdong | China Daily | Updated: 2018-07-03 12:58

The Zhuhai-1 satellites can provide data services to sectors including agriculture, urban planning, transportation and environmental protection. [Photo/VCG]

Aerospace company readies to tap expanding commercial applications

Civil aerospace equipment company Zhuhai Orbita Aerospace Science & Technology Co Ltd set up a space data trading center in June, in order to tap the growing commercial applications of space technology.

The move comes two months after the company, which specializes in the production and sale of integrated circuit designs, had its Zhuhai-1 remote sensing satellites deployed from a single-carrier rocket at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province－opening up a major channel for commercial space data services.

Space data, or information relayed from satellites, is an emerging field with growing signs of dominating big data applications－the use of huge sets of data in multiple areas.

"The satellites have an overview of all that's happening on Earth. That can be significant for businesses and organizations, to help them with their various challenges and needs," said Duan Yilong, Zhuhai Orbita's board secretary.

"The Zhuhai-1 satellites can provide data services to sectors including agriculture, urban planning, transportation and environmental protection," Duan said.

In transportation, for example, information the company has collected shows that a highway linking Zhuhai with Jiangmen and other cities in South China's Guangdong province, as well as Hong Kong and Macao, is more likely to experience heavier traffic than other major roads. Similarly, in agriculture, space data can be used to monitor land and other factors influencing crop growth.

"We are also working with the government on data monitoring and extending the use of data in other fields," Duan said.

But the company has also faced significant obstacles, with the lack of professionals in the area a major concern, Duan said.

"Skilled workers are more willing to head to Beijing or Shanghai, where the aerospace industry is mainly based.

"We are eyeing more talent to help us cope with rapid development and the situation has improved in the past few years," Duan said, adding that the company has been offering housing compensation and more financial support to attract and retain professionals.

The Zhuhai National Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone, where the company is based, is also working to foster a better business environment, including investments in business incubators where startups can tap management training and other resources.

The startups can help form an important supply chain covering space-related technology and equipment manufacturing, which will benefit all industry players by cutting communication and transport costs, Duan said.

Orbita Aerospace to Set Up AI Institute in Zhuhai
TANG SHIHUA
DATE: TUE, 09/25/2018 - 11:05 / SOURCE:YICAI

(Yicai Global) Sept. 25 -- Orbita Aerospace Science & Technology will invest CNY50 million (USD 7million) in a research institute focused on artificial intelligence technology in the chip designer’s hometown of Zhuhai in southern China’s Guangdong province.

The wholly-owned research institute will develop AI technology, algorithms, chips and provide support for product development and technical consulting, including satellite big data AI processing and analysis, the company said in a statement.

The establishment of the facility will help Orbita Aerospace to cooperate with universities and other research institutions to carry out technical research and develop industrial applications of AI chips and algorithms, as well as boost processing and application service capabilities in terms of AI and satellite big data.

Founded in 2000, Orbita Aerospace mainly engages in integrated circuit design and aerospace electronics, as well as Big Data related to micro-satellite constellations.