Tag: China
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China tests experimental reusable spacecraft shrouded in mystery
File photo of a previous Long March 2F launch. Credit: Xinhua A mysterious space vehicle described by Chinese state media as an experimental reusable spacecraft completed a two-day flight in low Earth orbit Sunday. The spacecraft took off on top of a Long March 2F rocket Friday from the Jiuquan launch base in the Gobi…
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China launches another Gaofen Earth observation satellite
A new optical Earth observation satellite launched by China Monday joins the country’s remote sensing network for land surveys, urban planning, and agriculture monitoring. The Gaofen 11-02 remote sensing satellite lifted off at 0557 GMT (1:57 a.m. EDT) Monday from the Taiyuan launch base in northern China aboard a Long March 4B rocket. The 154-foot-tall…
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Long March 4B lofts Gaofen-11 (02)
Following the successful launch and return of its recoverable experimental spaceplane, China launched another remote sensing satellite on September 7, 2020, from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. Launch of the Gaofen-11 (02) took place at 05:57 UTC from the LC9 Launch Complex using the Long March-4B – Chang Zheng-4B – Y46 rocket. The second Gaofen-11…
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Mars missions complete first course corrections on journey to Red Planet
This illustration from NASA’s “Eyes on the Solar System” app shows the Mars 2020 spacecraft outbound from planet Earth. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Three robotic Mars missions launched from Earth last month have begun fine-tuning their trajectories through the solar system with the first in a series mid-course corrections to take aim on the Red Planet for…
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Earth observation and research satellites ride Chinese rocket into orbit
China launches a Long March 2D rocket Thursday from the Jiuquan space base. Credit: Xinhua China sent an Earth observation satellite and a university-built research payload into orbit Thursday aboard a Long March 2D rocket. The Long March 2D booster launched from the Jiuquan space base in northwestern China at 12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 GMT;…
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China launches high-resolution mapping satellite
A Long March 4B rocket lifts off Saturday with the Ziyuan 3-03 mapping satellite and two secondary payloads. Credit: Xinhua China launched a Long March 4B rocket Saturday with a high-resolution mapping satellite for the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources and two smaller spacecraft designed for astronomical observations and data relay services. The three-stage rocket…
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Long March 4B lofts latest Ziyuan-3 satellite
The third satellite in the Ziyuan-3 series was orbited by China on Friday at 03:17 UTC using the Long March 4B ‘Chang Zheng-4B’ (Y45) rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center’s LC9 launch platform. The new high-resolution remote sensing geological mapping satellite will be used for civil purposes. On its ride to orbit, the new…
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China launches robotic mission to orbit, land, and drive on Mars
A Long March 5 rocket takes off Thursday from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on Hainan Island with the Tianwen 1 Mars mission. Credit: Xinhua A heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket propelled China’s first Mars landing mission toward the Red Planet on Thursday after launching from a seaside spaceport on Hainan Island, the second of…
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China launches robotic mission to orbit, land, and drive on Mars
A Long March 5 rocket takes off Thursday from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on Hainan Island with the Tianwen 1 Mars mission. Credit: Xinhua A heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket propelled China’s first Mars landing mission toward the Red Planet on Thursday after launching from a seaside spaceport on Hainan Island, the second of…
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China seeks “Heavenly Questions” with ambitious Tianwen-1 mission to Mars
The Tianwen-1 Orbiter, Lander, and Rover departed for Mars at 00:41 EDT (04:41 UTC) on Thursday, 23 July 2020 from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Center in Wenchang, Hainan, People’s Republic of China. The flight is the first China-led mission to another planet and seeks to be the first successful Chinese Mars endeavour. Liftoff of the…