Tag: CASC
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What Are the “National Team” Forces in China’s Satellite Laser Communication Field?
Satellite laser communication is a communication technology that uses laser light as an information carrier and free space as a transmission channel to establish high-speed data links between satellites, or between satellites and the ground. Compared to traditional microwave communication, laser communication boasts significant advantages—such as large bandwidth, high transmission rates, strong anti-interference capabilities, and…
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Lightning Hit Long March-3B 30 Seconds After Liftoff
Did the Long March-3B Survive a Lightning Strike at Liftoff? A Long March-3B rocket absorbed a lightning strike approximately 30 seconds after liftoff from China’s Xichang Satellite Launch Center on July 23, 2026 — and still delivered its payload to geostationary orbit (GEO) as planned. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) confirmed the…
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China’s Long March 10B Nails First Net Catch at Sea
Is China’s Net-Catch Booster Recovery a Viable Third Architecture? China’s state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) recovered an orbital-class booster for the first time on July 11, 2026, catching the Long March 10B first stage in a tensioned cable net mounted to an offshore vessel — a recovery method distinct from both SpaceX’s…
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China Lands Orbital Rocket First Time in Net at Sea
Does China Now Have a Reusable Orbital Rocket? China recovered an orbital rocket’s first stage for the first time on July 10, 2026 — and did it in a way no one has tried before. The Long March 10B’s maiden flight lifted off from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site at 12:15 p.m. Beijing time,…
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Launch Preview: Chinese, Rocket Lab, and Starlink flights scheduled
The upcoming week features flights from China, California, Virginia, and Florida. Three Starlink launches, two from Vandenberg and one from Cape Canaveral, are set for this week along with a HASTE suborbital flight from Wallops. Internationally, flights are scheduled from Jiuquan and Wenchang in China. ZhuQue-2E is set to make its first operational flight with a…
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Launch Preview: SpaceX and Chinese rockets to launch internet satellites to LEO
SpaceX and Chinese launches dominate this week’s launch manifest, which features six missions from five launch sites worldwide. Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch three Starlink missions from SpaceX’s California and Florida launch facilities. In China, a Chang Zheng 12B flew on its debut mission on Monday, with a Chang Zheng 8 and Chang Zheng…
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China Readies 6 New Rockets for Launch Including Reusable Tests
Which Chinese Rockets Are Targeting First Flights in 2026? China’s space sector is preparing at least six new launch vehicles for debut flights and reusability demonstrations between June and September 2026, representing the most concentrated wave of Chinese rocket development since the commercial space sector opened in 2014. The lineup includes three state-led Long March…
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Launch Preview: Falcon 9 to loft Cygnus to ISS, Minotaur IV to launch from California
As NASA’s Artemis II mission reaches its halfway point, the launch manifest on Earth continues to stay busy, with eight launches scheduled for the week of April 6th. SpaceX is expected to launch four Falcon 9s this week, including three Starlink missions and the NG-24 mission to the International Space Station. A Northrop Grumman Minotaur…
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Launch Preview: Falcon 9 to dominate another busy week of missions
Eight launches are scheduled worldwide this week, with Falcon 9 again dominating the launch schedule. SpaceX is set to launch a communications satellite and Starlink satellites this week from its Florida and California launch facilities. Meanwhile, Firefly Aerospace was set to launch its Alpha rocket from California on Tuesday, before scrubbing. Internationally, China is scheduled…
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China Launches Yaogan-47 Remote-Sensing Satellite on Long March 4B
China successfully launched a remote-sensing satellite into orbit on Tuesday, deploying the Yaogan-47 spacecraft aboard a Long March 4B carrier rocket, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC). The state-owned aerospace contractor said the rocket lifted off at 11:41 a.m. from the Jiuquan Space Launch Center in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region…