Tag: China

  • Chinese weather satellite launched into polar orbit

    A Long March 4C rocket lifts off from the Taiyuan space center Tuesday with the Fengyun 3D weather satellite. Credit: Xinhua A Chinese Long March 4C rocket launched Tuesday with a new polar-orbiting weather observatory named Fengyun 3D, replacing an aging satellite for the China Meteorological Administration. The Fengyun 3D satellite lifted off at 1835…

  • Chinese weather satellite launched into polar orbit

    A Long March 4C rocket lifts off from the Taiyuan space center Tuesday with the Fengyun 3D weather satellite. Credit: Xinhua A Chinese Long March 4C rocket launched Tuesday with a new polar-orbiting weather observatory named Fengyun 3D, replacing an aging satellite for the China Meteorological Administration. The Fengyun 3D satellite lifted off at 1835…

  • Long March 3B successfully returns with dual Beidou-3 mission

    China successfully launched a new pair of navigation satellites – namely the Beidou-3M1 (Beidou-24) and Beidou-3M2 (Beidou-25) navigation spacecraft – on Sunday, using a Long March-3B/YZ-1 rocket that was marking its return. The launch took place at around 11:45 UTC from the LC2 Launch Complex of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan province. It took…

  • China returns Long March 3B rocket to service after June failure

    A Long March 3B rocket lifts off from the Xichang launch base Sunday with two Beidou navigation satellites. Credit: Xinhua China’s Long March 3B rocket, used to power navigation and communications satellites into high-altitude orbits, launched for the first time in nearly five months Sunday with two spacecraft for the country’s Beidou positioning network. Sunday’s…

  • China successfully launches Earth-imaging satellite for Venezuela

    A Long March 2D rocket lifted off Monday with the VRSS 2 satellite for Venezuela. Credit: CGWIC A Chinese Long March 2D rocket launched Venezuela’s second Earth-observing surveillance satellite Monday, adding a new space-based reconnaissance asset the country’s government says it will use to aid security forces, emergency responders, farmers, and health professionals. The two-stage,…

  • Chinese Long March 2D launches VRSS-2

    Chinese Long March 2D launches VRSS-2

    China launched the second remote sensing satellite for Venezuela using a Long March-2D (Chang Zheng-2D) launch vehicle on Monday. This was the first use of the CZ-2 rocket after a mishap occurred in December 2016 with the first Gaojing mission. The failure caused major distruption to the Chinese launch schedule. Chinese Launch: The launch of…

  • Chinese Long March 2D launches VRSS-2

    Chinese Long March 2D launches VRSS-2

    China launched the second remote sensing satellite for Venezuela using a Long March-2D (Chang Zheng-2D) launch vehicle on Monday. This was the first use of the CZ-2 rocket after a mishap occurred in December 2016 with the first Gaojing mission. The failure caused major distruption to the Chinese launch schedule. Chinese Launch: The launch of…

  • China resumes launch campaigns after string of failures, delays lunar mission

    A Long March 2C rocket launched Sept. 29 from the Xichang space center in southwest China, the first Chinese space launch since July 2. Credit: Xinhua The launch of three experimental remote sensing satellites last week signaled the resumption of Chinese space launches following multiple rocket failures since late last year, but a senior Chinese…

  • China returns to action with Long March 2C launch of  Yaogan-30 01

    China returns to action with Long March 2C launch of Yaogan-30 01

    After two launch mishaps that casted a shadow on the launch plans for 2017, China conducted a secretive launch from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan province on Friday. An unidentified payload – later revealed to be Yaogan-30 01 – was launched by the Long March-2C (Y29) at 04:20 UTC from the LC3 Launch Complex.…

  • China’s Tianzhou 1 supply vehicle re-enters atmosphere

    Artist’s concept of the Tianzhou 1 spacecraft. Credit: China Manned Space Engineering Office The Chinese Tianzhou 1 resupply and refueling freighter re-entered Earth’s atmosphere Friday, burning up as designed after a five-month mission demonstrating servicing techniques for China’s future space station. The nearly 35-foot-long (10.6-meter) robotic cargo carrier fired its thrusters two times to slow…