Tag: China
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Chinese intelligence-gathering satellite launched by Long March 4B rocket
A Long March 4B rocket launched at 0321 GMT Wednesday (11:21 p.m. EDT Tuesday) with China’s second Shijian 16 satellite. Credit: Xinhua A Long March 4B rocket lifted off from a remote launch base in the Gobi Desert Wednesday and placed a secretive spacecraft in orbit 375 miles (600 kilometers) above Earth, likely adding a…
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Prototype for new Chinese human-rated spacecraft lands in desert
The sub-scale re-entry capsule for China’s next-generation human-rated spacecraft landed in the Inner Mongolia region at 0741 GMT (3:41 a.m. EDT; 3:41 p.m. Beijing time) Sunday. Credit: Xinhua A sub-scale landing craft for China’s next-generation crew capsule parachuted back to Earth on Sunday, one day after rocketing into orbit aboard the country’s new Long March…
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China’s new Long March 7 rocket successful on first flight
The new kerosene-fueled Long March 7 rocket rocket, developed to become a workhorse for a planned Chinese space station and the country’s clandestine military space program, flew into orbit Saturday on its inaugural flight from a launch base on Hainan Island in the South China Sea. Burning a combination of rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen,…
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China successfully debuts Long March 7 – Recovers capsule
The Chinese conducted the maiden launch of the Long March 7 rocket on Saturday. The launch took place at 12:00 UTC, which also involved the inauguration of is new Wenchang Space Launch Center, located at the Hainan Island. The main payload for this mission was a scaled-down version of a next generation crew vehicle that…
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China’s most powerful rocket set for maiden flight
The Long March 7 rocket, standing 174 feet (53 meters) tall, emerged from its vertical assembly building to travel to a launch pad at the new Wenchang spaceport Wednesday. Credit: Xinhua A brand new Chinese launcher powered by kerosene-burning rocket engines could take off on its first flight as soon as Saturday, also debuting a…
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China’s Beidou navigation network grows with successful launch
A Long March 3C rocket blasted off at 1530 GMT (11:30 a.m. EDT; 11:30 p.m. Beijing time) Sunday with a Beidou navigation satellite. Credit: Xinhua A Chinese Long March 3C rocket boosted a fresh satellite into orbit Sunday to join the country’s Beidou navigation system, deploying the craft into an elliptical orbit ranging more than 22,000…
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Long March 4B lofts Earth-viewing satellites for China, Argentina
Credit: Xinhua Three Earth observation satellites for the Chinese government and a commercial Argentine startup launched Monday, entering an orbit 300 miles (500 kilometers) above Earth to begin mapping missions. A Long March 4B rocket carried the satellites into space after lifting off at 0317 GMT Monday (11:17 p.m. EDT Sunday) from the Taiyuan space base…
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China to debut new rocket and spaceport next month
A ground model of China’s new Long March 7 rocket passed a test campaign at the Wenchang space base last year. Credit: CCTV China plans to launch its first Long March 7 rocket, a new kerosene-fueled booster capable of carrying supplies to the country’s planned space station, by the end of June on a test…
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China to debut new rocket and spaceport next month
A ground model of China’s new Long March 7 rocket passed a test campaign at the Wenchang space base last year. Credit: CCTV China plans to launch its first Long March 7 rocket, a new kerosene-fueled booster capable of carrying supplies to the country’s planned space station, by the end of June on a test…
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Chinese rocket lofts government surveillance satellite
A Long March 2D rocket blasted off at 0243 GMT Sunday (10:43 p.m. EDT Saturday) from the Jiuquan space center. Credit: Xinhua A Long March 2D booster fired into space Sunday from a remote Chinese spaceport in the Gobi Desert, delivering a military spy satellite to a 640-kilometer-high (400-mile) perch in polar orbit. The two-stage…