After some delay, the much anticipated Tiangong 1 space lab module, or “Target Vehicle”, is finally ready for launch. On 20 September, the spacecraft aboard the Changzheng 2F(G) booster began its journey of rollout from the Launch Vehicle Vertical Assembly Building to the Launch Pad 921 in the South Launch Site of the Jiuquan Satellite… [Read more…]
September 18, 2011
A new communications satellite, named Chinasat 1A, is due to be launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre (XSLC) on 19 September aboard a Changzheng 3B booster. It is believed that the satellite is for military purposes, possibly a replacement to the Fenghuo 1 (Chinasat 22A) tactical COMSAT launched in 2006. This will be the… [Read more…]
September 1, 2011
A spoke person of the Chinese Human Spaceflight Programme finally confirmed on 1 September that the launch schedule for the Tiangong 1 Space Lab “had been adjusted”. He emphasized that the preparation work for China’s first rendezvous docking operation was still progressing smoothly, and that Shenzhou 8 spacecraft had arrived at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch… [Read more…]
December 20, 2010
Initially the Changzheng 6 was thought to be a small-load launch vehicle based on a 2.25m-diameter core stage originally developed as a strap-on booster for the Changzheng 5 heavy-load launch vehicle. The booster is powered by a single YF-100 rocket engine that burns a liquid-oxygen (LOX) and Kerosene propellant. By adding a 2.25m-diameter second-stage and… [Read more…]
December 19, 2010
Like those of the United States and the Soviet Union, China’s first space launch vehicles were also developed from ballistic missiles. China started its ballistic missile programme in the late 1950s with the assistance of the Soviet Union. Inspired by the Soviet success in launching the first man-made satellite Sputnik, the Chinese leader Mao Zedong… [Read more…]
December 18, 2010
Compass-IGSO2, the 7th satellite in China’s Compass Satellite Navigation System, was launched into orbit on 18 December 2010 from Pad No.3 of the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre aboard a Changzheng 3 launch vehicle. This was the last launch mission in China’s space plan in 2010, bringing the total number of launch mission in this year to 15,… [Read more…]
December 11, 2010
China began research on space medical science in the late 1960s. More recently, the astronaut selection and training programme has been undertaken at the Astronaut Centre of China (ACC) located in the ‘Beijing Space City’. Astronaut (known as Hángtiānyuán in Chinese) candidates were selected exclusively from experienced jet fighter pilots. Requirements for the candidates include… [Read more…]
December 7, 2010
The Second Artillery Corps (SAC) is an independent branch of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), directly subordinate to the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Military Commission (CMC). The SAC did not gain the ‘Service’ status like the Air Force and Navy, but remained a grade lower in the Chinese military hierarchy. The force has a total… [Read more…]
December 5, 2010
Spacecraft: ChinaSat 20A (Shentong 1 No.2) Launcher: Changzheng 3A Y21 Launch Site: Xichang Satellite Launch Centre (LC3) Launch Time: 00:09:04 Beijing Time 25 November 2010 (16:09:04 GMT 24 November) Orbit: GEO ChinaSat 20A is a military communication satellite known as Shentong 1 No.2 in its military name. This satellite will replace the ChinaSat 20 (Shentong… [Read more…]
December 4, 2010
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September 20, 2011
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