Tag: China

  • China launches two Kuaizhou rockets in six hours

    A Kuaizhou 1A rocket lifts off Saturday from the Taiyuan space base with the Jilin 1 Gaofen 02B Earth-imaging satellite. This was the first of two Kuaizhou 1A rocket launches from Taiyuan in less than six hours. Credit: Xinhua Two solid-fueled Kuaizhou 1A rockets fired into orbit from the same spaceport in northern China Saturday,…

  • China launches radar observation satellite

    A Long March 4C rocket took off from the Taiyuan space center in northern China at 2352 (6:52 p.m. EST) Wednesday. Credit: Xinhua A new all-weather radar imaging satellite for China’s civilian-oriented fleet of Gaofen Earth observatories launched Wednesday aboard a Long March 4C rocket, according to Chinese state media. The Gaofen 12 radar surveillance…

  • Long March 4C lofts Gaofen-12

    China launched a new remote sensing satellite on November 27 from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, Shanxi Province. Launch of Gaofen-12 took place at 23:52 UTC from the LC9 launch complex using the Long March-4C (Y24) – Chang Zheng-4C – rocket. The new Earth observation satellite is equipped with a high-resolution Earth observation system. It…

  • China launches two more Beidou navigation satellites

    A Long March 3B rocket lifted off at 0055 GMT (8:55 a.m. Beijing time) Saturday with two Beidou navigation satellites. Credit: Xinhua Maintaining a rapid-fire launch cadence to close out the year, China added two more Beidou satellites to its independent positioning, navigation and timing fleet Saturday with a successful launch aboard a Long March…

  • Chinese bolster navigation system with dual Beidou launch

    Nearing the completion of the global coverage of its navigation satellite system, China launched a new pair of navigation satellites on Saturday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan province. The launch of Beidou-3M21 (Beidou-50) and Beidou-3M22 (Beidou-51) took place from the LC3 Launch Complex using a Long March-3BGZ/YZ-1 – Chang Zheng-3BGZ/YZ-1 – launch vehicle.…

  • China’s Kuaizhou launcher flies for second time in four days

    A Kuaizhou 1A rocket lifted off Sunday from the Jiuquan space center in northwestern China. Credit: Xinhua Demonstrating a quick turnaround launch capability, China launched a light-class, solid-fueled Kuaizhou 1A rocket Sunday, four days after the same type of satellite booster fired into orbit from the same launch pad. The four-stage Kuaizhou 1A booster delivered…

  • Chinese Mars rover completes landing trial ahead of 2020 launch

    A test model of China’s first Mars rover, set for launch in mid-2020, performs a landing test Nov. 14 inside a specially-built rig in northern China’s Hebei province. Credit: Xinhua China has performed a hover and hazard avoidance test on a model the country’s first Mars rover, while engineers ready the real spacecraft for launch…

  • China launches second Kuaizhou-1A rocket in four days

    China launches second Kuaizhou-1A rocket in four days

    In just a little more than a four day period, from the very same pad, with the very same launch team and launch truck, China has launched yet another Kuaizhou-1A rocket carrying satellites into orbit. This flight, fresh on the heels of yet another flight with the Jilin-1 Gaofen-2A satellite on November 13, lifted off…

  • Two Chinese satellite launchers lift off three hours apart

    A solid-fueled Kuaizhou 1A rocket launched from the Jiuquan space base in northwestern China’s Inner Mongolia region at 0340 GMT Wednesday (10:40 p.m. EST Tuesday). Credit: Xinhua Chinese rockets performed two satellite delivery missions in a three-hour span Wednesday, carrying a commercial Earth-imaging satellite and five mysterious surveillance payloads into orbit. The launches originated from…

  • Another Beidou satellite launched by China

    A Long March 3B rocket lifted off from the Xichang space center Monday with a Beidou navigation satellite. Credit: Xinhua A Chinese Long March 3B rocket successfully carried a new Beidou navigation satellite into orbit Monday, continuing a brisk launch cadence at the country’s launch sites. The Long March 3B rocket lifted off from the…