Tag: China
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Live coverage: China launches three-man crew to Tiangong space station
Live coverage of China’s Shenzhou 16 mission, a planned six-month expedition to the Chinese space station. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter. [tabby title=”CCTV launch coverage (with English commentary)”] [tabbyending]
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Three astronauts ready for ride to China’s space station
Chinese space officials announced the identities of the Shenzhou 16 crew members just one day before their launch to the Tiangong space station. From left to right: Payload specialist Gui Haichao, commander Jing Haipeng, and spaceflight engineer Zhu Yangzhu. Credit: China Manned Space Agency The next three-man crew to live on China’s Tiangong space station…
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Beidou-3 G4 gets launched and Chinese Raptor gets tested, as it receives its own name
One of China’s biggest rockets flew again this Wednesday. Chang Zheng 3B/E successfully launched the Beidou-3 G4 payload at 2:49 AM UTC. The launch was conducted from launch complex 2 of the China Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC). This is already the third flight of the massive first-generation launcher. Beidou-3 G4 is a geostationary Earth…
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Chinese cargo ship launches to resupply space station
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated after docking of Tianzhou 6 with the Tiangong space station. Six kerosene-fueled engines on the Long March 7 rocket generated 1.6 million pounds of thrust at full power. Credit: CCTV China’s space station received delivery of fresh supplies, experiments, and fuel after the launch of the Tianzhou 6 cargo ship Wednesday aboard a…
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How Chang Zheng 9 arrived at the “Starship-like” design
China has been very agile in developing its super-heavy lift vehicle Chang Zheng 9 (CZ-9). It initially started as a fully expendable rocket, like the Ares V or SLS rockets, but over the years developed into at first a partially reusable concept, and recently, with Starship becoming more real, it changed its design again to…
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Chinese Tianlong-2 successfully debuts from Jiuquan
The Tianlong-2 rocket by Space Pioneer successfully performed its debut flight on April 2 and 08:48 UTC. In a rare occurrence, the company’s first orbital flight performed well, reaching its targeted orbit. The launch was conducted at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China. This launch makes Tianlong-2 the first RP-1-based private rocket from China…
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LandSpace readies for second flight of ZhuQue-2 amid launch salvo
LandSpace has confirmed that the second methane-based ZhuQue-2 is fully assembled as the company gears up for its second launch campaign. After the initial first flight failure, this could mean a second attempt to get a methane-fueled rocket to orbit is approaching. While the debut flight of Tianlong-2 is slipping into April, China still launched…
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Commercial rockets spotted amidst Chinese launch tripleheader
China is starting to increase its launch cadence again after a slow start to 2023. This week saw three launches in the Chang Zheng family while several more non-Chang Zheng vehicles were spotted on launch pads at Jiuquan. Satellite Imagery of Jiuquan Recently published satellite imagery showed new Chinese commercial vehicles on multiple pads at…
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China reveals lunar lander, launches satellites, and conducts a spacewalk
China has stayed busy over the last week, launching a new set of Tianhui-6 satellites into space while detailing plans for their first lunar missions in 2030. Furthermore, a new change could impact the Chang Zheng 5B rocket and reduce the chances of an uncontrolled reentry. Finally, an EVA was conducted on the Tiangong Space…
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China launches two satellites following EVA at Tiangong station
The Chinese space program has resumed launches after going over a month without a single launch due to the Chinese New Year and Spring Festival holiday period. On Thursday, Feb. 23, at 7:49 PM Beijing time (11:49 UTC), Chang Zheng 3B Y93 flew successfully from pad LC-2 at Xichang in southwest China. This flight, the…