Tag: China
-
Chinese spacecraft poised for launch with two astronauts
Astronauts Jing Haipeng (left) and Chen Dong (right) will fly in space for 33 days aboard Shenzhou 11. They were introduced to the media early Sunday. Credit: Xinhua China is gearing up to launch two astronauts on a month-long expedition to the country’s new orbiting space lab module Sunday. Officials lifted a news blackout on…
-
Key events during Shenzhou 11’s ascent to orbit
It will take less than 10 minutes for a Long March 2F rocket to send two astronauts inside the Shenzhou 11 space capsule on course toward a docking with China’s Tiangong 2 space lab. The 191-foot-tall (58-meter) rocket is scheduled to blast off from the Jiuquan space center in northwestern China’s Inner Mongolia territory at…
-
China launches two astronauts on Shenzhou 11, heading for orbital laboratory
A Chinese Long March 2F rocket rises from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, sending the Shenzhou 11 spacecraft with two Chinese spacefliers into orbit. (Credit: CCTV) Two Chinese astronauts are on their way to an orbiting laboratory for a monthlong mission aimed at preparing the way for a full-fledged Chinese space…
-
Live coverage: Chinese space capsule docks with Tiangong 2
Live coverage of the flight of China’s Shenzhou 11 mission with two astronauts visiting the Tiangong 2 space lab. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter. China’s CCTV English news channel will broadcast major events during Shenzhou 11.
-
China developing mission to return samples from far side of the moon
Illustration of the far side of the moon, with Earth in the background. Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio If China’s lunar exploration program goes according to plan, scientists could send a robotic lander to pick up samples from the far side of the moon and return them to Earth by the early 2020s, a top…
-
Out-of-control Chinese space lab expected to fall to Earth next year
An image of Tiangong 1 from an approaching Shenzhou spacecraft. Credit: CCTV China’s Tiangong 1 space lab, replaced by an upgraded human-rated research station launched last week, is heading for an uncontrolled re-entry back into Earth’s atmosphere in late 2017. The crash is not expected to cause any damage — only a small fraction of…
-
Out-of-control Chinese space lab expected to fall to Earth next year
An image of Tiangong 1 from an approaching Shenzhou spacecraft. Credit: CCTV China’s Tiangong 1 space lab, replaced by an upgraded human-rated research station launched last week, is heading for an uncontrolled re-entry back into Earth’s atmosphere in late 2017. The crash is not expected to cause any damage — only a small fraction of…
-
China’s Tiangong 2 space lab successfully blasts off
The Tiangong 2 space lab launched at 1404 GMT (10:04 a.m. EDT; 10:04 p.m. Beijing time) Thursday on top of the Long March 2F T2 rocket. Credit: Xinhua The next stepping stone in China’s human spaceflight program launched Thursday, delivering a destination and living quarters to orbit for two astronauts preparing for liftoff next month…
-
China launches Tiangong-2 orbital module
China took another step on its long march to a permanent orbital outpost with the launch of the Tiangong-2 orbital module from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The launch, conducted by a Long March 2F – took place at 14:04 UTC from the 921 Launch Pad of the LC43 Launch Complex. The new orbital outpost…
-
China readies launch of space station pathfinder mission
The Long March 2F T2 rocket, topped with the Tiangong 2 space lab module, rolled out of its assembly building at Jiuquan on Sept. 8. Credit: Xinhua China is scheduled to launch a human-rated spacecraft the size of a bus Thursday, paving the way for a month-long visit by two astronauts in October and nudging…