Tiangong 1 to be launched in late September

New military communications satellite to be launched

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 first military communications satellite to be based on the DFH-4 design. Its military designation may be Fenghuo 2.

The Chinasat designation has been used by the China Satellite Communications Co. Ltd., a subside of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), for its fleet of China and foreign-built commercial telecommunications satellites. However, the designation has also been frequently used by China’s military communications satellites as a disguise. For example, Chinasat 22 for the Fenghuo 1 series and Chinasat 20 for the Shentong 1 series, both of which were based on the Dongfanghong 3 satellite design introduced in the 1990s.

Development of the new generation communications satellite Dongfanghong 4 began in 2000 and the first launch took place in 2006. However, the programme suffered initial failure, with the first two satellites both out of service shortly after launch due to solar panel malfunction. The subsequent four launches were all successful following some modifications on the satellite design.

Tiangong 1 Space Lab Launch Delayed

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 Centre by air on 26 August as scheduled. However, following the unsuccessful launch of the Shijian 11 #04 in mid-August, the mission headquarters had decided to postpone the launch of Tiangong 1 in order to give more time for engineers to investigate the reasons of the failure.

Tiangong 1 arrived at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in early July, followed by its Changzheng 2F launch vehicle in mid-July. Both the spacecraft and the launcher have been undergoing pre-launch checkouts since then. The launch was reportedly scheduled in late August or early September, so that Shenzhou 8 could be launched in November to perform the unmanned rendezvous docking.

On 18 August, a Changzheng 2C rocket launched from the same launch site failed to place its payload Shijian 11 #04 into the orbit. Both the Changzheng 2C and Changzheng 2F belong to the same family of launch vehicles designed by CALT (The First Academy). As a precautious measure, the Tiangong 1 mission control decided to postpone the launch until engineers are confident that the Changzheng 2F launcher will not be affected by any potential flaws on the Changzheng 2C.

Rumours began to speculate in late August that the Tiangong 1 launch schedule may have been affected by the Shijian failure. Some even suggested that the launch could be delayed until late October. However, there has been no report yet indicating that the launch campaign had stopped or technical staffs been withdrawn from the launch site, suggesting that the delay of the launch could be only few weeks rather than months.

Exactly What is Changzheng 6?

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 an upper stage, both burning the LOX/Kerosene fuel, the launcher is capable of sending 500kg payload to the 700km Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO).

A presentation by CASC showing the modular design of its next-generation launch vehicles, including a small launcher based on the 2.25m core stage (Source: CASC)

In September 2009, Chinese media reported that the Changzheng 6 launch vehicle programme was officially approved by the state, and development had been initiated by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST, also known as 8^th Space Academy).

The reported stated that the Changzheng 6 was the new-generation ‘non-toxic and non-polluting’ launcher and its first flight was expected to take place in 2013. The report also mentioned that SAST began to develop the concept of the next –generation launch vehicle as early as 2000, and the China Aerospace Corporation (CASC) finally decided to assign the Changzheng 6 development to SAST in July 2008.

On the face of it, the report appeared to have confirmed the earlier speculation that the Changzheng 6 was indeed a small-load launcher. However, there have been doubts as whether SAST would be satisfied with being given only a minor development programme, while its competitor, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), has been awarded two major development projects Changzheng 5 and Changzheng 7.

The latest rumour is that the Changzheng 6 is not a small-load launcher, but a medium-load launcher based on a newly-developed 3.35m core stage powered by a single YF-100 LOX/Kerosene engine. The launcher may succeed the SAST-designed Changzheng 4 series currently being used for all SSO launch missions.

Changzheng (Long March) Launcher Family

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 announced in May 1958 that the country would send its own satellite into space. However, the Chinese missile and space programme suffered from a major setback in 1960, when Moscow decided to withdraw its aid and advisers following the split up of the two countries.

Following the termination of Soviet assistance, China continued with its ballistic missile programme independently. In November 1960, China successfully tested the “1059 Missile”, a copy of the Soviet R-2 (SS-2 Sibling) short-range ballistic missile. In 1963, China initiated an ambitious programme to develop four types of ballistic missiles in 8 years: the short-range Dongfeng 2, the medium-range Dongfeng 3, the intermediate range Dongfeng 4, and the intercontinental range Dongfeng 5.

Changzheng 1 

In April 1965, China initiated the Project 651 to send the country’s first satellite into space. The 1^st Space Academy (now China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, CALT) was tasked with the design and development of the Changzheng 1 launch vehicle, with Ren Xinmin appointed as the chief designer.

The Changzheng 1 was based on the Dongfeng 4 (NATO reporting name: CSS-3), a two-stage, liquid-propellant intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM). The Changzheng 1 retained the first- and second-stage of the Dongfeng 4, and added it with an upper stage powered by a solid rocket motor. The satellite and the third-stage of the launcher were carried inside a payload fairing. The launcher was capable of sending 300kg payload to a 68.5° inclination LEO.

CZ-1 carrying the DFH-1 satellite on the launch pad (Source: Chinese Internet)

The Dongfeng 4 was first tested in November 1969 but the test failed when the first- and second-stage failed to separate. A second test in January 1970 succeeded, paving way to the launch of the first satellite.

On 24^th April 1970 at 21:35:44 Beijing Time (13:35:44 GMT), the Changzheng 1 carrying the DFH-1 was successfully launched from the Pad No.5020 in the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. The satellite entered its scheduled orbit in minutes later, making China the fifth country in the world to be capable of launching satellite into space.

The Changzheng 1 made a second flight on 3 March 1971, sending China’s second satellite Shijian 1 (SJ-1) into orbit, before it was retired.

CALT introduced the Changzheng 1D in the mid-1990s and the launcher made two suborbital flights in 1995 and 1997, but it was never used for any space launch.

Fengbao 1 and Changzheng 2

In the late 1960s, China began to develop more capable launch vehicles based on its Dongfeng 5 (NATO reporting name: CSS-4) intercontinental ballistic missile. The development was carried out in two parallel programmes: Changzheng 2 and Fengbao 1. The two launch vehicles were near identical in design but the Fengbao 1 had slightly higher specifications. They formed the basis for the entire Changzheng launch vehicle family introduced between the 1980s and 2000s.

The Dongfeng 5 is a two-stage rocket powered by a liquid bipropellant, with unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) as fuel and nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) as an oxidiser. The first-stage consists of four parallel 75t-thrust YF-20 chambers motors with swinging nozzles. The second-stage utilises a 75t-thrust YF-22 motor with a fixed nozzle, and a swivelling venire motor with four 4.8t-thrust YF-23 chambers, which were designed for steering and sustaining propulsion for a further period of time after the shutting of the main motor, and enabling a wide aiming arc for the re-entry vehicles in the upper atmosphere.

A FB-1 on the launch pad in Jiuquan (Source: Chinese Internet)

The Fengbao 1 development began in the autumn of 1969 in Shanghai, the main base of the then leading leftist political faction of China, which later became known as the “Gang of Four”. Under the order of the Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, the 1^st Space Academy in Beijing transferred the documents of its Dongfeng 5 design to Shanghai and also provided technical assistance to the Fengbao 1 programme. The first Fengbao 1 was completed 11 months after the programme started. The first suborbital flight of the Fengbao 1 took place in August 1972. Between 1972 and 1981, a total of 11 Fengbao 1 launches were carried out. Out of these only 7 were successful. The last flight of the Fengbao 1 on 19 September 1981 was China’s first multiple satellite launch, with three satellites (SJ-2, SJ-2A, and SJ-2B) being sent into orbit aboard a single launch vehicle.

The Fengbao 1 design team later evolved into the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST, also known as 8^th Space Academy or Shanghai Bureau of Astronautics, SHBOA). The academy has used the Fengbao 1 technology to develop the Changzheng 4 series and the Changzheng 2D (3,100kg LEO payload).

CZ-2C (left) and CZ-2D (right) (Source: Chinese Internet)

The 1^st Space Academy began to develop the Changzheng 2 in the early 1970s. The Changzheng 2 was virtually identical to the Dongfeng 5 in design. The swivelling venire motor on the second-stage was modified to continue burning for a further 200 seconds after the shutting of the main motor in order for the vehicle to climb to a 180km X 300km orbit. The development team was led by a top Chinese rocket scientist Tu Shou’e.

The Changzheng 2 was 31.17m in length and 3.35m in diameter. It had a launch weight of 192t and a launch thrust of 2,960kN, with an LEO payload capacity of 1,400kg.

The first flight of the Changzheng 2 took place on 5 November 1974 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. The launcher carried the first FSW reconnaissance satellite. Due to a failure of the cable carrying pitch rate gyro signal, the launcher exploded in the midair 20 seconds after launch, destroying the satellite onboard. A second launch was carried out successfully on 26 November 1975, sending the satellite (FSW-0 No.1) into the orbit. This was followed by further two successful launches in 1976 and 1978, before the launcher was retired and replaced by the improved Changzheng 2C with an increase LEO payload of 2,400kg.

Changzheng 3 Family

In the late 1970s, China required a new launch vehicle for the launch of the geostationary communications satellite (Project 331). CALT and SAST each introduced their own three-stage launcher designs based on the first two stages of the Changzheng 2. The Changzheng 3 design by Beijing-based CALT had a third stage that burns the liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen (LOX/LH2) propellant, while the Changzheng 4 design introduced by Shanghai-based SAST used a third stage that burns the UDMH/N2O4 propellant.

(Left to right) CZ-3, CZ-3A, CZ-3B and CZ-3C (Source: Chinese Internet)

Eventually the Changzheng 3 design by CALT was chosen for the launch of the communications satellite, but the development was shared between the two academies. CALT was in charge of the launch vehicle’s overall design as well as the development of the LOX/LH2-propellant third stage, and SAST was responsible for the development of the first and second stage.

The third-stage of the Changzheng 3 employed a four-chamber YF-73 engine that burns the LOX/LH2 propellant, producing a thrust of 16,000kg (157kN). The restarting ability of the third-stage engine allows heavier payload to be delivered to the GTO. The launch vehicle was capable of delivering 1,400kg payload to GTO, where the satellite then used its own apogee kick stage to manoeuvre to its intended position on GEO.

The Changzheng 3A introduced in 1994 featured an enlarged third-stage powered by an improved YF-75 LOX/LH2 engine. The propellant capacity was increased from 8,200kg to 17,600~18,200kg, and the GTO payload capability was increased to 2,600kg. An improved control system allowed greater flexibility for altitude control and better adaptability to a variety of launch missions.

The Changzheng 3B introduced in 1996 was based on the A model, but added with four strap-on boosters, each powered by a liquid-propellant (UDMH/N2O4) DAFY5-1 engine. This further increased the launcher’s GTO payload capability to 5,200kg.

The Changzheng 3C introduced in 2008 had 2 strap-on boosters, with a GTO payload capacity of 3,700kg.

Changzheng 4 Family

Although the Changzheng 4 design failed in the bid for the geostationary communications satellite launcher, SAST continued with the programme to develop the Changzheng 4A, a three-stage launch vehicle specifically designed for SSO launches.

The first- and second-stage of the Changzheng 4A are near identical to those of the Changzheng 2, but with enlarged fuel tanks to reach higher orbits. The third stage of the vehicle is powered by a 98kN YF-40 rocket motor that burns the UDMH/N2O4 propellant, with two swinging nozzles. The launch vehicle has a SSO payload capability of 1,500kg.

The Changzheng 4A made its maiden flight on 7 September 1988, sending China’s first meteorological satellite Fengyun 1 into the orbit. The launch vehicle made a second flight in 1990 before it was phased out and replaced by the improved Changzheng 4B, which features an increased SSO payload of 2,200kg. A further improved variant Changzheng 4C with 2,800kg SSO payload was introduced in 2006.

Changzheng 2E/F

CZ-2E (left) and CZ-2F (right) (Source: Chinese Internet)

CALT developed the Changzheng 2E in the early 1990s as part of China’s effort to break into the international commercial space launch market. The core stage of the vehicle was based on the Changzheng 2C, added with four strap-on boosters, each powered by a 75t-thrust YF-20B motor that also burns the UDMH/N2O4 propellant, and an upper stage using an EPKM solid rocket motor. The launch vehicle was designed to send up to 3,500kg payload into GTO from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre. The first launch of the Changzheng 2E took place on 16 July 1990. Out of the seven launches carried out between 1992 and 1995, only four were completely successful. The launcher was then phased out and replaced by the more capable Changzheng 3B.

In the early 1990s, CALT began to develop the Changzheng 2F for the Shenzhou manned spacecraft. The launcher was primarily based on the Changzheng 2E, but with improved reliability and removal of the third stage. The payload fairing was redesigned and added with an emergency escaping system. The LEO payload capability of the vehicle is 8,000kg. Between 1999 and 2008, the Changzheng 2F made a total of 7 flights, each time sending a Shenzhou spacecraft into orbit. The vehicle has since then been retired and will be replaced by the improved Changzheng 2F(G) featuring increased LEO payload of 11,200kg.

Changzheng 5, Changzheng 6, and Changzheng 7

China is currently developing new-generation space launch vehicles to fulfil its requirements for future space launch missions. These launchers will be powered by the 120,000kg-thrust YF-100 rocket motor that burns the Kerosene and liquid oxygen (LOX/Kerosene) liquid-propellant, and the 50,000kg-thrust YF-77 rocket motor that burns the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen (LOX/LH2) propellant. Once commissioned, they are expected to completely replace the existing Changzheng 2, 3, and 4 series launchers within a decade.

Model of the CZ-5 (Source: Chinese Internet)

The Changzheng 5 developed by CALT is a heavy-lift launch vehicle featuring a 5m core stage and four strap-on boosters. By combining different modules, the launcher can be configured to launch up 25,000kg payload into LEO, or up to 14,000kg into GTO. The first flight of the launcher is expected take place in 2014 from the newly-built Wenchang spaceport in Hainan.

The Changzheng 6 is a launch vehicle developed by SAST, possibly as a successor to its Changzheng 2D and Changzheng 4 series launchers. The maiden flight is scheduled in 2013.

The Changzheng 7 is a medium-lift launch vehicle developed by CALT. The launcher is based on the 3.35m core stage powered by two parallel YF-100 engines, giving a LEO payload capability of 13,500kg. The vehicle will replace the existing Changzheng 2 series for LEO launches, including the human spaceflight missions. With some modifications, the launcher may also replace the Changzheng 3 series for GTO launch missions. The maiden flight of the Changzheng 7 is scheduled in 2013.

7th COMPASS Navigation Satellite Launched

Compass-IGSO2, the 7^th 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, the highest record since the country sent its first satellite into space 30 years ago.

It was also the 100^th flight of launch vehicles developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT).

The payload fairing (Source: China News)

The Changzheng 3 carrying Compass-IGSO2 lifting off (Source: China News)

Chinese Astronauts

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 age between 25~30, height between 160~172cm, weight between 50~70kg, with over 800 flying hours.

Astronauts in EVA simulation in a neutral buoyancy water tank facility in Beijing Space City (Source: Chinese Internet)