Tag: China
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Kuaizhou-1A launches two satellites, one named in tribute to Wuhan
A Chinese Kuaizhou-1A (Y6) rocket has launched the first two operational satellites for the Xingyun narrowband constellation. The launch took place at 01:16 UTC on Tuesday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The two satellites Xingyun-2 (01) ‘Wuhan’ and Xingyun-2 (02) were developed by the Xingyun Satellite Co., a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and…
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China’s massive Long March 5B’s rocket falls out of orbit over Atlantic Ocean
This map illustrates the track of the Long March 5B core stage on its final orbit. The rocket body re-entered over the North Atlantic Ocean, somewhat closer to the coast of Africa on this particular orbit. Credit: Aerospace Corp. A large rocket stage left in space after the successful launch of China’s heavy-lift Long March…
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U.S. military tracking unguided re-entry of large Chinese rocket
File photo of a Long March 5 core stage on a previous mission. Credit: Xinhua A Chinese rocket measuring around 100 feet long that launched earlier this month will likely plunge back into Earth’s atmosphere some time Monday, becoming the most massive object in decades to fall out of orbit in an uncontrolled manner. The…
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China’s next-generation crew spacecraft lands after unpiloted test flight
The Chinese crew capsule after landing Friday, concluding an unpiloted orbital test flight. Credit: Xinhua A next-generation Chinese capsule designed to carry astronauts to the country’s planned space station, and eventually the moon, wrapped up a nearly three-day unpiloted orbital test flight Friday with a landing in northwestern China. The prototype for China’s new reusable…
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Experimental Chinese cargo return capsule malfunctions during re-entry
Artist’s illustration of the experimental cargo return vehicle. Credit: CCTV An experimental cargo return craft launched as a secondary payload on China’s Long March 5B rocket malfunctioned during its return to Earth on Wednesday, while an unpiloted prototype for the country’s next-generation crew capsule continues raising its orbit before its scheduled landing Friday, Chinese officials…
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China’s first Long March 5B rocket launches on crew capsule test flight
A Chinese Long March 5B rocket climbs into space Tuesday. Credit: CCTV Flying without astronauts on a demonstration flight in Earth orbit, a test model of a next-generation Chinese crew capsule lifted off Tuesday on top of a heavy-lift Long March 5B rocket, the same launcher configuration that will loft segments of China’s planned space…
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First launch of Long March 5B lofts Next Generation Crew Space Capsule
China has launched a new generation crew space capsule at around 10:00 UTC on May 5, 2020, using the first Long March-5B rocket. The launch took place from the LC101 Launch Complex of the Wenchang Spaceflight Launch Center, in Hainan. (Lead image via CCTV) Landing is expected between 05:02 and 05:42 UTC on May 6,…
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China to debut new version of powerful Long March 5 rocket this week
A view of the next-generation Chinese crew spacecraft during pre-launch processing. Credit: CCTV A prototype for China’s next-generation human-rated spacecraft — flying on a test flight without astronauts — is scheduled to ride a new version of the country’s heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket into orbit this week. The Long March 5B rocket could take…
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Chinese rocket fails during launch of Indonesian communications satellite
The Palapa-N1 communications satellite during pre-launch testing. Credit: PSN A Long March 3B rocket malfunctioned during the launch of an Indonesian communications satellite Thursday, leading to sightings of fiery debris in the skies over Guam. Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency, said the Long March 3B launcher failed after lifting off from the Xichang space center…
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China launches three military satellites
A Long March 2C rocket climbs into the sky with three Yaogan 30 satellites Monday. Credit: CCTV Three Chinese military satellites with undisclosed missions rocketed into a 370-mile-high (600-kilometer) orbit Tuesday on a Long March 2C launcher. The classified payloads lifted off at 0343 GMT Tuesday (11:43 p.m. EDT Monday) from the Xichang space center…