China Space Program

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Long March-8 will be reusable​


The Long March-8 launch vehicle will be reusable, according to Song Zhengyu, chief designer of the Long March-8 rocket. The first launch of the Long March-8 launch vehicle (Long March-8 Y1) took place from the Wenchang Space Launch Center Hainan Province, China, on 22 December 2020, at 04:37 UTC (12:37 local time).

 

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Almost all Chinese moon mission research team including the chief are in their late 20's or early 30's.

 

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China's Mars probe Tianwen-1 expected to enter the red planet's orbit next month​

By Mark Armstrong with CCTV • last updated: 03/01/2021 - 13:27

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China's space probe Tianwen-1 is expected to enter Mars' orbit next month after traveling more than 400m km since its launch on July 23rd last year.

The probe has flown in space for 163 days and is currently around 8.3m km from Mars, according to the China National Space Administration.

The flight marks the start of the country's independent planetary exploration mission.

"The probe is flying faster and faster as it gets out of the influence of heliocentric gravity," explained Li Zhencai, the Deputy Commander of the project. "At present, the speed is basically stable at around 22km per second relative to Earth."

That means that the probe is covering about 1.8km per day.

The spacecraft consists of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover.

It's expected to touchdown on Mars in May 2021, about three months after arriving in the red planet's orbit.

The distance between Mars and Earth changes periodically, from 50 million kilometres at its nearest and 400 million kilometres at its farthest.

 

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NASA spacecraft reveals travels of China's Yutu 2 rover on far side of the moon​

By Andrew Jones 15 hours ago

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The Chang'e 4 lander (right) and Yutu 2 (left) spotted by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in October 2020. (Image credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University)

China's Yutu 2 rover just turned two years old, and NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has kept a sharp eye on its movements during its mission on the far side of the moon.


While China's Chang'e 5 sample-return mission has been basking in the lunar limelight, the Chang'e 4 mission was also back in action. Chang'e 4 launched to the moon in May 2018 and deployed the Yutu 2 rover to the lunar surface on Jan. 3, 2019. The sun rose over Von Kármán crater on Dec. 7, meaning the solar-powered lander and Yutu 2 rover were active on Dec. 9.

The China Lunar Exploration Program stated the spacecraft had completed their lunar day's work on Dec. 22. Yutu 2 covered 35.9 feet. (10.95 meters) during lunar day 25, meaning a total drive distance of 1,970 feet (600.55 m) during its time on the far side of the moon.


Meanwhile the team behind the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) at the School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, have combined a number of images to show the two-year-old rover's journey.


The set of images taken by the LROC start from just before the historic January 2019 Chang'e 4 landing and lead up to recent lunar days.

The images from orbit show Yutu 2's progress across the crater-pocked floor of Von Kármán crater.

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Animated image showing the progress of the Chang'e 4 lunar farside mission. (Image credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University)
Yutu 2 has been heading to the northwest of its lander companion but faces a landscape strewn with craters which could trap the roughly 309-lb. (140 kilograms) Yutu 2.

LRO also spotted the Chang'e 5 lander just a day after its historic touchdown in Oceanus Procellarum.
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An image of Von Kármán crater taken by Yutu 2's PCAM in November 2020. (Image credit: CNSA/CLEP)

 

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China's new space station construction to begin​


 

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China gears up for space station, cargo and crewed mission launches​

by Andrew Jones — January 7, 2021

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Components of the Long March 5B (Y2) to launch the Chinese space station core module at a facility in Tianjin. Credit: CMSA

HELSINKI — China is preparing to launch three major missions in the next few months to initiate the construction phase of the country’s space station project.

The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) is finalizing work on rockets which will launch the first space station module, a cargo and refueling craft and a crewed mission.

The launches will be the first of 11 planned missions to construct a three-module Chinese space station. The activity marks the beginning of the end phase of a project approved in 1992 to develop human spaceflight capabilities and establish a long-term crewed presence in low Earth orbit.

A 849-metric-ton Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket will launch the roughly 22-metric-ton Tianhe space station core module this spring. The launcher is currently undergoing final work in a factory in the northern port city Tianjin.

The rocket components will soon be transported by Yuanwang cargo ships to Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on the southern island of Hainan, according to CMSA, China’s human spaceflight agency.

A launch date has not been released but the mission will likely take place around two months after the arrival of the Long March 5B to Wenchang. Previous Long March 5 series missions have required such a period for launch preparations.

“We will soon complete the construction of China’s first long-term orbital crewed space station meeting advanced world levels, and will carry out large-scale space scientific research on it,” Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China’s human spaceflight program, told CCTV recently.

“We firmly believe that it will play a major role in the forefront of scientific exploration of humanity and also in the development of our space technology,” Zhou said.

Chinese space station launch, delays​

Launch of the core module was planned for 2018 with subsequent modules to follow around 2020 and 2022. However a launch failure and subsequent issues with the Long March 5 rocket means China is now condensing the schedule into an intensive two-year period.

The 16.6-meter-long, 4.2-meter-diameter Tianhe core module was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and is already at Wenchang. It underwent fit checks with the first flight model of the Long March 5B, which features China’s largest payload fairing, in early 2020.

The module will provide the main living quarters for three astronauts for periods of around six months. It includes a docking hub and will also control the station’s orbit and attitude.

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The Tianhe core module and docking hub of the Chinese Space Station. Credit: CMSA

Tianhe is planned to be inserted directly into a low Earth orbit with an apogee of around 370 kilometers and inclined by 41 degrees. A test flight for the mission in April 2020 saw the first Long March 5B launch a prototype new generation crew spacecraft. The new, uncrewed craft was loaded with propellant to simulate a payload similar in mass to a space station module.

Notably the rocket’s large core stage reached orbital velocity and uncontrolled reentry off the west coast of Africa, passing over New York just minutes earlier. A similar event can thus be expected for the upcoming launch.

After completion in 2022 the Chinese Space Station will be joined by a co-orbiting, Hubble-class space telescope. The Xuntian survey telescope will be able to dock with the CSS for maintenance and repairs. The space station itself could also be expanded from three to six modules.

Cargo, crewed missions to follow​

Once in orbit the Tianhe module will be visited by the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft. This will be launched by a Long March 7 kerosene-liquid oxygen rocket from Wenchang. That launcher is currently undergoing final assembly.

Tianzhou cargo spacecraft have a mass of up to 13.5 tons and differing pressurized and unpressurized variants. Tianzhou-1 was launched in April 2017 to test technologies crucial to establishing and maintaining a space station.

The mission successfully tested a number of rendezvous and docking maneuvers and verified automated refuelling in microgravity with the Tiangong-2 space lab. The Tiangong lab also tested regenerative life support and a robotic arm for the larger, future space station.

This will be followed by the Shenzhou-12 crewed mission. This will launch on a Long March 2F, an older generation hypergolic rocket, from Jiuquan in the Gobi Desert.

It will be China’s first crewed mission since 2016. Zhou Jianping has previously stated that the crew have already been selected.

The astronauts are expected to carry out a number of extravehicular activities during the mission. The identity of the crew will likely remain secret until days or weeks before launch.

The Shenzhou-12 spacecraft will also feature an upgraded guidance, navigation and control system (GNC) to meet new mission demands, according to a 2017 report (Chinese).

The mission’s Long March 2F is undergoing testing in a final assembly facility in Beijing. Work is expected to be completed following the Chinese New Year (Feb. 12).

No clear schedule for the launches has been published. It is also unclear how soon after the two experiment modules will follow Tianhe into orbit. However the reports on launch vehicle preparations suggest the missions will follow relatively quickly after the module launch.

Chinese commercial resupply?​

The Chinese Space Station, sometimes referred to as Tiangong (also the name for two small testbed space labs), is expected to be completed and enter normal operations in 2022 orbiting between 340-420 kilometers above the Earth.

CMSA announced Wednesday (Chinese) a solicitation for proposals for low-cost cargo transportation to assist space station operations.

The call aims to explore low-cost cargo transportation methods, create a supplement to the Tianzhou cargo delivery system, and build a “flexible, efficient, diverse, and low-cost cargo transportation system.”

Main requirements for cargo delivery include a payload capacity of 1-4 tons, possibility for removing and deorbiting station waste to prevent space debris, and transportation costs to be inline with international levels.

For returning cargo to Earth, requirements are for a payload 100-300 kilograms with the returning spacecraft to be easily tracked and recovered.

Actors are required to submit proposals by Feb. 28, including technical descriptions, spacecraft capabilities, and cost and engineering analyses.

The call is understood to be open to both state-owned space sector entities and new commercial actors, which have emerged since late 2014. The latter, nascent grouping is in the earlier phases of developing light and medium-lift launch vehicles and likely lack the required capabilities, expertise and resources.

The call for proposals is notable however for being open to outside entrants. Such missions and activities have so far been carried out by the China Aerospace Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC), China’s state-owned main space contractor.

Other actors such as sister conglomerate CASIC and nominally private firms were previously understood to be restricted to competing for commercial missions only. This indicates China is considering furthering commercialization of its space activities.

 

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Construction of China’s space station construction nears implementation stage: CMS
By Deng XiaociPublished: Jan 14, 2021 06:39 PM

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File photo of a full-size model of the core module of China's space station Tianhe.Photo:Xinhua

China's space station construction has witnessed new progress recently, after the Tianhe core cabinet, Tianzhou-2 cargo spaceship, and space application system products for core cabinet missions passed authorities' reviews before moving out of the manufacturing factory.

This progress means that China's space station construction has come close to the implementation stage, China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMS) announced via its official WeChat public account on Thursday.

Currently, the Tianhe core cabinet and Tianzhou-2 cargo spaceship have completed all work in their development, manufacture and testing stages, with results all meeting the project requirements.

Development work for the flight model of the space application system products designed for core cabinet missions has been completed, according to the office.

Sources familiar with the matter told the Global Times on Thursday that the products include scientific research equipment developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which will support operations on the space station's core cabinet.

"Compatibility between space application systems and with the ground research units were verified during the examination," the sources added.

China will carry out 11 launches, including four manned spaceships and four cargo spaceship flights in the next two years, as it aims to complete the building of the country's first space station by around 2022, Global Times previously learned from China's space authority.

China is set to launch the core cabinet of the country's first space station by spring 2021, Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China's manned space program, disclosed to the Global Times on December 25.

The space station, named Tiangong, which means 'heavenly palace', will be T-shaped with a core module at its center and a lab capsule on each side. It will be able to accommodate three astronauts under normal circumstances and up to six during crew replacement.

The Chinese space station will operate in low-Earth orbit at an altitude of between 340 and 450 kilometers for more than 10 years, supporting large-scale scientific, technological and application experiments.
 

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China surges forward in new space race – ‘Americans very worried!’
CHINA has announced progress of its super heavy space rocket development which could cause concerns for NASA.
By MANON DARK
PUBLISHED: 04:46, Fri, Jan 15, 2021 | UPDATED: 09:32, Fri, Jan 15, 2021


China’s space contractor confirmed it had made breakthroughs on rocket engines designed for major space mission. Earlier this week, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced that progress had been made on important technologies for a 220-ton thrust, liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen stage combustion cycle engine.

The engine has been created to power the second stage of China’s Long March 9 rocket.
The rocket is a super heavy-lift launch vehicle developed to use on major missions.

The Long March 9 is part of long-term plans to send Chinese astronauts to the moon and aid deep space exploration.
Potential missions for the Long March 9 have been touted to include a single-rocket Mars sample return.


The Long March 9 is being developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT).

The first flight is expected at around the year 2030 to aid major space infrastructure projects.

According to the South China South Morning Post, Beijing’s next generation rocket engines are being developed for its ambitious space programme which includes three planetary missions over the next five years.

The CSAC told Chinese media: “It will better satisfy the demand for power by future rockets and important space missions of China.”

The three missions outlined in China’s space plan include the retrieval of samples from an asteroid, then Mars, and then a fly-by of the Jupiter system.

All of the missions are said to need significant rocket power.

China’s space programme was delayed by development problems with the YF-77 engine from 2016 to 2019.

The YF-77 powers the first stage of China’s Long March 5 CZ-5 heavy-lift vehicle rockets.

CSAC is continuing to work on the YF-77 to meet China’s launch plans for 2021.

China has ambitious plans to dominate space through technological advancement.

Earlier in January, the CASC said China would begin building its first permanent space station in the coming months.

The Tiangong space station will include living quarters for three astronauts to spend a period of around six months in space.

Completion of the space station is planned for 2022.

According to reports, it will orbit 340-420 kilometres above the Earth.

The launch of its core module is scheduled for next spring.

Dr Malcolm Davis, Senior Analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, has previously said he believes China has a good chance of ruling space.

He told Express.co.uk: “The Chinese have made it very clear they intend to be a comprehensive space power, certainly by 2049. That is in their official statements.”

He added “the Americans are worried” about the military, civil and commercial sides of China’s space ambitions.

 

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