China Readies Moon Mission for Launch Next Week

[cnleio]

Good luck !

This mission prepare for next Chinese astronaut landing the moon & return earth.

 

[jugad]

Good luck peeps , keep posting updates

 

[TaiShang]

A Long March 2C carrier rocket carrying the Shijian-11-08 experimental satellite leaves the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwest China's Gansu Province. The Shijian-11-08 satellite, which was launched from Jiuquan at 2:59 p.m. Monday, will be used to conduct scientific experiments in space. The launch marks the 197th flight of the Long March rocket series. (Photo/Xinhua)

 

[cirr]

Taken by CE5T1：

 

[terranMarine]

hoping for more details what went wrong.

 

[cirr]

Return date and time：2014.11.01 05:53:58（Beijing Time）

 

[cirr]

China’s Lunar Test Spacecraft Takes Incredible Picture of Earth and Moon Together

by NANCY ATKINSON on OCTOBER 28, 2014


A unique view of the Moon and distant Earth from China’s Chang’e-5 T1 lunar test flight. Image via Xinhua News and UnmannedSpaceflight.com.

The Chinese lunar test mission Chang’e 5T1 has sent back some amazing and unique views of the Moon’s far side, with the Earth joining in for a cameo in the image above. According to the crew atUnmannedSpaceflight.com the images were taken with the spacecraft’s solar array monitoring camera.

Add this marvelous shot to previous views of the Earth and Moon together.


A closeup of Mare Marginis, a lunar sea that lies on the very edge of the lunar nearside. Credit: Xinhua News, via UnmannedSpacefight.com.

The mission launched on October 23 and is taking an eight-day roundtrip flight around the Moon and is now journeying back to Earth. The mission is a test run for Chang’e-5, China’s fourth lunar probe that aims to gather samples from the Moon’s surface, currently set for 2017. Chang’e 5T1 will return to Earth on October 31.

The test flight orbit had a perigee of 209 kilometers and reached an apogee of about 380,000 kilometers, swinging halfway around the Moon, but did not enter lunar orbit.


A view of Earth on October 24, 2014, from the Chinese Chang’e-5 T1 spacecraft. Credit: Xinhua News, via UnmannedSpaceflight.com.

See original images at Xinhua News.

 

[Brainsucker]

A Long March 2C carrier rocket carrying the Shijian-11-08 experimental satellite leaves the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwest China's Gansu Province. The Shijian-11-08 satellite, which was launched from Jiuquan at 2:59 p.m. Monday, will be used to conduct scientific experiments in space. The launch marks the 197th flight of the Long March rocket series. (Photo/Xinhua)



Meanwhile, elsewhere... A very expensive firework...

SS-bound NASA rocket explodes on takeoff in Virginia (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
Published time: October 28, 2014 22:53

An unmanned rocket exploded shortly after takeoff Tuesday evening on Virginia’s eastern shore. Orbital Sciences’ Antares rocket was carrying thousands of pounds of equipment to restock the International Space Station.

The launch was supposed to be the third of eight planned Orbital missions to ferry gear and food to astronauts aboard the ISS. The rocket had some 5,000 pounds of food, supplies and science experiments, which all were engulfed in a fireball just above NASA’s Wallop’s Island facility.

The team on the ground has confirmed there are no injuries, although because of “classified crypto equipment” onboard, it is in the process of securing the surrounding area, chatter on the livestream of the launch said.

Orbital called the enormous blast a “vehicle anomaly” on Twitter.

The Antares was originally supposed to lift off on Monday, but the launch was postponed 10 minutes before take-off because a sailboat ended up in the restricted danger zone south of the Virginia complex, the Associated Press reported. Controllers promptly halted the countdown.

Each delivery by Orbital Science’s unmanned Cygnus capsule honors a deceased person linked to the company or a commercial spaceflight. Tuesday’s mission was a tribute to Mercury astronaut Deke Slayton, who led a rocket company until his death in 1993. As a retro-style homage, Orbital Sciences flight controllers wore short-sleeved white shirts and skinny black ties.

Along with 32 mini-research satellites, a meteor tracker and a tank of high-pressure nitrogen to replenish a vestibule used by spacewalking astronauts, the company stowed a post-Halloween surprise for the two Americans, three Russians and one German aboard the ISS, Orbital said at a prelaunch news conference Sunday.

Also onboard the rocket was Planetary Resources’ Arkyd 3 telescope prototype, which is being developed to explore space and identify natural resources from asteroids. The project was privately funded and raised $1.5 million in a 2013 Kickstarter campaign.

The prototype destroyed in the explosion was only a demonstrator, meant as a stepping stone to the first Arkyd 100 telescope, which the company plans to launch in 2015, Popular Mechanics reported.

I don't think that NASA rocket disaster is necessary to be put in here. No countries can success forever. Someday you'll face some difficulty like US or other countries. So, rather than praise your own and make others look like a fool; you should encourage more cooperation in Space Program. I think it will help your government more. Space program is belong to everyone. Let people from all around the world cheer China's moon project like it belong to them too, rather than feel irritated because of it.

 

[TaiShang]

On the NASA news, you are right. I should not have posted it. Hence, I edited the post, taking out the unrelated part.

you should encourage more cooperation in Space Program.

Cooperation is long dead.

I think it will help your government more.

Nobody helps those who do not help themselves.

 

[notsuperstitious]

All the best China.

 

[cirr]

Perfect return，precision landing。

Success!

 

[indiatester]

Perfect return，precision landing。

Success!

Great job! Congratulations.....
Any video links?

 

[Brainsucker]

eh, the mission is already over? Can somebody can tell me about this more?