Tag: Tiangong
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Lightning Hit Long March-3B 30 Seconds After Liftoff
Did the Long March-3B Survive a Lightning Strike at Liftoff? A Long March-3B rocket absorbed a lightning strike approximately 30 seconds after liftoff from China’s Xichang Satellite Launch Center on July 23, 2026 — and still delivered its payload to geostationary orbit (GEO) as planned. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) confirmed the…
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Shenzhou 23 launches new crew to Tiangong space station
The Chinese space station Tiangong, permanently occupied since June 5, 2022, is about to receive a new set of crew members. Shenzhou 23 launched atop a Chang Zheng 2F (CZ-2F) from Site 91 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Inner Mongolia province of northwest China. Launch took place on Sunday, May 24, at…
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Shenzhou 23 Crew Launch Maintains China’s LEO Station Operations
When Will China Launch Its Next Crew to Tiangong Station? China’s Shenzhou 23 mission is preparing to launch three taikonauts to the Tiangong space station, continuing the nation’s uninterrupted human presence in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) that began on June 5, 2022. The crew rotation represents China’s systematic approach to maintaining permanent operations aboard its…
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Tianzhou-10 Delivers 6.9 Tons to Tiangong Station
How quickly can China resupply its orbital outpost? China’s Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft delivered 6.9 tons of supplies to the Tiangong space station Sunday, completing an autonomous docking sequence in just 6.5 hours after launch from Wenchang Space Launch Center. The Long March 7 rocket lifted off at 21:22 UTC, with the cargo vessel securing to…
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China prepares cargo, crew, and deep space missions, as commercial sector steps towards reusability
China is preparing to launch both cargo and crew missions to its Tiangong space station, as a new cargo freighter is tested in low-Earth orbit and new designs are revealed to expand the orbiting outpost. Celebrating 70 years since the foundation of its space program this year, China is also advancing plans for deep space…
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China to Launch Unmanned Shenzhou-22 to Restore Backup Capability at Tiangong Space Station
China will launch the unmanned Shenzhou-22 spacecraft on Tuesday, its space authorities said on Monday, marking an effort to restore normal operations at the Tiangong space station after a damaged vessel forced an unexpected reshuffling of mission schedules. The Shenzhou-22 will replace the Shenzhou-21 return craft, which was brought back to Earth six months earlier…
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Shenzhou 22 launches uncrewed to Chinese Tiangong space station
The Shenzhou 22 mission, originally scheduled to fly next year, launched successfully on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 04:11 UTC from Site 901 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China’s Inner Mongolia province. Shenzhou 22, mounted atop a Chang Zheng-2F rocket, launched without crew and safely docked autonomously with the Tiangong space station after a…
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The Space Traffic Report: Starlink, ISS docking, and upcoming Falcon 9 & Kuiper launches
This past week marked a relatively quiet period for orbital launches, but there was still plenty of movement above Earth — from a new batch of Starlink satellites joining the constellation, to supply missions coming and going from two different space stations. Here’s your weekly rundown of what moved in orbit and what to watch…
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China Roundup: Tiangong cargo supply contracts awarded; Shenzhou’s 25th anniversary
This week’s Tianzhou 8 mission has delivered supplies to the three taikonauts who recently arrived at the Tiangong Space Station on the Shenzhou 19 mission. The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has announced two commercial contracts to service the station with cargo resupply missions in the future via two new vehicle designs. Meanwhile, progress continues…
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Rocket Report: A new estimate of Starship costs; Japan launches spy satellite
Welcome to Edition 6.27 of the Rocket Report! This week, we discuss an intriguing new report looking at Starship. Most fascinating, the report covers SpaceX’s costs to build a Starship and how these costs will come down as the company ramps up its build and launch cadence. At the other end of the spectrum, former…