Tag: CALT
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China’s busy year continues with four launches in six days
With Monday’s launch of the Shiyan-20A satellite aboard a Chang Zheng 4C rocket, China has rounded out a busy few days which have seen four orbital launches – including the debut of one new rocket and the first successful flight of another. With just under three weeks remaining, 2022 has already been a record year…
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China’s Chang Zheng 3B/E launches ChinaSat 6D
China has successfully launched the ChinaSat 6D satellite into geostationary transfer orbit Friday via their Chang Zheng 3B/E rocket. The launch took place at 12:00 UTC (8:00 PM local time) from Launch Complex 2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The ChinaSat 6D satellite, also known as Zhongxing 6D, was deployed into orbit by the…
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China launches military satellite toward geostationary orbit
A Long March 3B rocket takes off with the TJS 6 satellite. Credit: CASC A mysterious Chinese government satellite, believed to be a military-operated early warning station, successfully launched into orbit Feb. 4 on top of a Long March 3B rocket. The three-stage, 184-foot-tall (55-meter) rocket lifted off from the Xichang space center at 1536…
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China’s Long March 8 rocket successful in debut launch
A Long March 8 rocket lifts off from Sunday (U.S. time) from the Wenchang launch base on Hainan Island. Credit: Xinhua A new Chinese launch vehicle, the Long March 8, has successfully placed five payloads into orbit on its first mission, debuting an expendable booster intended to eventually be outfitted for recovery and reuse. The…
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China launches Earth-observation satellite for stereo mapping
A Long March 3B rocket lifts off from the Xichang launch base at 11:58 a.m. Beijing time Sunday with the Gaofen 14 satellite. Credit: Xinhua China launched an optical stereo mapping satellite Sunday, using an upgraded version of the country’s Long March 3B rocket with an extended payload shroud to deliver the Earth-imaging spacecraft into…
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China successfully launches satellites from ocean-going platform
A Long March 11 rocket climbs away from a platform in the Yellow Sea on Tuesday. Credit: Xinhua A solid-fueled Long March 11 launcher delivered nine small Chinese Earth observation satellites to orbit Tuesday after firing off a ship positioned in the Yellow Sea. The four-stage rocket blasted off from the De Bo 3 launch…
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China launches final Beidou navigation satellite
A Long March 3B rocket launches from the Xichang space center in southwestern China at 0143 GMT Tuesday (9:43 p.m. EDT Monday). Credit: Xinhua China launched the capstone satellite for the Beidou navigation constellation Tuesday, adding the final piece to a global network to rival the U.S. military’s GPS fleet providing positioning, timing, and search…
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Last Beidou satellite launch postponed by rocket trouble
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated June 16 after launch delay. A Long March 3B rocket stands on its launch pad at the Xichang space base in southwestern China. Credit: CGTN Ground crews at the Xichang launch center in China postponed the launch of a Long March 3B rocket into orbit Tuesday that was to complete the deployment of…
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China launches ocean monitoring satellite
A Long March 2C rocket lifts off with the Haiyang 1D oceanography satellite. Credit: Xinhua A civilian-operated Chinese oceanography satellite deployed in orbit after lifting off on a Long March 2C rocket Wednesday, joining a predecessor launched in 2018 to monitor ocean color and water temperatures. Chinese engineers also debuted modifications to the Long March…
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China announces failure in first launch of new Long March 7A rocket
This image of the Long March 7A rocket was posted on Weibo, the Chinese social media platform. A Chinese Long March 7A rocket failed to place a secret payload into orbit Monday, casting doubt on planned flights by the country’s other launchers that use similar engines. Chinese state media confirmed the launch failure Monday, but…