Tag: China
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Rocket launch marks big step in building China’s lunar infrastructure
The next phase of China’s Moon program began with the launch of a new data relay satellite Monday to link lunar landers and rovers on the far side of the Moon with ground controllers back on Earth. This launch sent China’s Queqiao-2 relay spacecraft toward the Moon, where it will enter an elliptical orbit and…
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Launch Roundup: two missions to the ISS, including first Dragon 2 from SLC-40
SpaceX is preparing to launch three Falcon 9s, including two Starlink missions. Additionally, launching this week are two Chinese rockets, an Electron, and a crewed Soyuz. SpaceX will continue to strive for a record-breaking year by launching from all three of its Falcon 9 launch pads this week, which will take its launch total to…
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Launch Roundup: SpaceX launches two Starlink missions; China launches Chang Zheng 5
A brand new week of spaceflight is approaching with SpaceX preparing to launch three Starlink missions, China getting ready to send two payloads to orbit, including one on the powerful Chang Zheng 5 (CZ-5) rocket, and Roscosmos preparing to launch Russian-built satellites to orbit atop Soyuz. Late on Feb. 22, Starlink Group 7-15 took 22…
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Chinese Launch Startup Orienspace Secures $83.5 Million in Funding Round
Chinese launch company Orienspace has announced a successful Series B funding round worth nearly 600 million yuan ($83.5 million) shortly after its maiden launch, underscoring China’s efforts to bolster its burgeoning commercial space sector. The funding round, disclosed on January 24, attracted investment from notable entities including Liangxi Science and Technology Innovation Industry Fund of…
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Space Circling Secures $13.9M for Cutting-Edge Rocket Engine Development
Chinese launch startup Space Circling, known officially as Shaanxi Tianhui Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd., has successfully clinched over 100 million yuan ($13.9 million) in funding to bolster its pioneering work on innovative rocket engines aimed at powering commercial space endeavors. The Series A funding, unveiled on February 18th, marks a significant milestone for the Xi’an-based…
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Launch Roundup: NASA’s PACE mission, Chinese art satellites, and more Starlink missions
February started with two Chinese launches. On Feb. 2, a Long March 2C rocket launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China at 23:37 UTC, carrying 11 satellites for a Geely Constellation. A Chinese multistage solid rocket, Jielong-3, launched from a barge in coastal waters off Yangjiang in the South China Sea a few…
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Launch Roundup: Northrop Grumman prepare the first Cygnus to fly on Falcon 9
Recent challenges with weather concerns and the movement of key flights such as USSF-52 and Axiom-3 have impacted Falcon 9 launch dates, not least Starlink Group 7-11 which scrubbed three times and finally launched on Tuesday, albeit with problems on the launch livestream. SpaceX had two drone ships and the two fairing recovery ships in…
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Launch Roundup: Axiom-3 crew and Tianzhou 7 cargo space station missions this week
A pair of missions to space stations headline the launches for the week of Jan. 10 to Jan. 17. Axiom-3 will be flying four private astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), becoming the first crew launch of 2024. Crew Dragon Freedom will fly from Florida, with a multinational crew, for a mission to the…
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Launch Roundup: Axiom-3 crew and Tianzhou 7 cargo space station missions this week
A pair of missions to space stations headline the launches for the week of Jan. 10 to Jan. 17. Axiom-3 will be flying four private astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), becoming the first crew launch of 2024. Crew Dragon Freedom will fly from Florida, with a multinational crew, for a mission to the…
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Rocket Report: SpaceX’s record year; Firefly’s Alpha rocket falls short
Welcome to Edition 6.25 of the Rocket Report! We hope all our readers had a peaceful holiday break. While many of us were enjoying time off work, launch companies like SpaceX kept up the pace until the final days of 2023. Last year saw a record level of global launch activity, with 223 orbital launch…