China Outer Space Science, Technology and Explorations: News & Updates

[JSCh]

China completes satellite station network
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-31 18:23:02|Editor: ying



BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- A network of remote sensing satellite ground stations that cover all of China's territory and 70 percent of Asia passed its final acceptance examination on Wednesday.

The network is headquartered in Beijing and features three ground stations in a suburb in Beijing, Kashgar in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Sanya in Hainan Province, respectively.

It will be used to support various remote-sensing systems, especially for the western part of the country and the South China Sea, according to the examination committee.

The project began in 2007.

 

[JSCh]

China’s telescope on the Moon is still working, and could do for 30 years
Andrew Jones
2017/06/05

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The Chang'e-3 lander on Mare Imbrium, imaged by the Yutu rover. (Photo: Chinese Academy of Sciences)

China’s Chang’e-3 lander and its Lunar-based Ultraviolet Telescope (LUT) are still operational, three and a half years after landing on the Moon.

The LUT has been monitoring variable stars and stars like our own Sun, and also performing low-galactic-latitude sky surveys during the daytime periods over Mare Imbrium, the area in which Chang’e-3 landed.

Wang Jing at the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) told gbtimes that the lander was still waking automatically after hibernating during a 14 Earth-day-long period of nighttime on the Moon.

Chang’e-3 is still in contact with ground stations in China during these periods of sunlight and transmitting data from LUT, which is the only instrument on the lander that is still operational.

The lack of atmosphere makes the Moon a prime place for UV astronomy, which is not possible at low altitudes on Earth, and the LUT has yielded some interesting results.

Above: An image of the Pinwheel galaxy captured earlier by the UV telescope on the Chang'e-3 lander (NAO).

“The most significant scientific result from the LUT telescope is the water content in the lunar exosphere,” Wang says.

The lunar exosphere refers to the almost negligible amount of molecules above the Moon’s surface. If present in the Moon’s silicate rocks, OH and H2O molecules could be released due to micro-meteor impacts and the effects of the solar wind.

The presence of substantial quantities of water on the Moon would be a big boost for plans to establish a lunar habitat, as transporting water from Earth for astronauts would be very expensive. It would also serve as a potential source of oxygen and propellant.

However in situ measurements carried out by LUT revealed the concentration of OH/H2O molecules to be about two orders of magnitude lower than the values reported by previous missions, with the results reported in a paper by Wang and others.

Durable extraterrestrial first

While the Apollo 16 mission astronauts had a manual UV telescope, LUT is the first automated and remote operated telescope placed on an extraterrestrial body.

It has also been taking advantages of the unique conditions during lunar eclipses.

China has its own Planetary Data System, maintained by the National Astronomical Observatories of China, which allows people across the world to access and download data and stunning images from its lunar exploration missions.

Wang was speaking at an event at the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX 2017) which opens formally on Tuesday.

Steve Durst, director of the International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) which has Chinese partners, stated during a presentation at the same event that the power source for the Chang’e-3 lander could last for 30 years.

The lander, which was expected to operate for a year, is powered by a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) and solar panels. Durst hopes that the mission will receive the necessary support on Earth to continue well into the future.

Chang'e-3 was launched in December 2013, and has returned valuable scientific data from the Moon, adding to our understanding of our celestial neighbour. Chang’e-3 was due to awaken for its 44th lunar day on June 4.

The mission, which included the Yutu rover, also made China only the third country to soft-land on the Moon, following the United States and Soviet Union, and the first since the 1970s.

China's next mission to the Moon will be the Chang'e-5 lunar sample return spacecraft, which is set to launch in November.


China’s telescope on the Moon is still working, and could do for 30 years | gbtimes.com

 

[JSCh]

China to select up to 12 new astronauts, including 2 women
(People's Daily Online) 13:33, June 06, 2017

China will begin the process of selecting new astronauts later in 2017, when 10 to 12 candidates - including two female astronauts - will be chosen for the nation's next phase of space exploration, a manned space program official revealed.

Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut and also deputy director general of China's manned space program, made the remarks in an interview with Beijing Youth Daily. Yang added that preliminary research and experiments have already been completed.

"The first batch of astronauts were all bachelor's degree-holders selected from the PLA Air Force. Now we will give more consideration to aerospace engineers and other experts from broader society. They will more likely be postgraduates," Yang said.

While the new astronauts may not go through as demanding a physical training program as the previous two groups, their physical condition will still be strictly checked to ensure that they don't suffer from chronic diseases. They will also undergo training to be mentally tough so they can handle long hours in a narrow capsule in space.

China is ready to enter the third phase of its space program, which would require astronauts to set up and maintain a space lab. In the future, new astronauts will be selected every four years, according to Yang.

China plans to launch a Long March-5B rocket in 2019, and by 2022 will have launched two space lab experiment modules. Astronauts will be stationed for longer periods in space, during which time they will conduct multiple manned space missions and experiments. Yang predicted that Chinese astronauts would land on the moon by around 2030.

"Our missions will be safer and more comfortable. One day, we may go to Mars or even further," he said.

 

[Shotgunner51]

China plans to launch a Long March-5B rocket in 2019

China just launched CZ-5 (Long March 5) in November 2016, world's second largest operational SLV at the moment, let's see how CZ-5B goes.

Comparison of orbital launch systems
Operational, and Under Development (shaded), as of 2017 June 6th

 

[onebyone]

China
China's space program
New Chinese astronaut selection and space station missions revealed
ANDREW JONES
2017/06/06
The crew of Shenzhou-10 ahead of launch in June 2013.

China has provided an update to its human spaceflight plans, announcing that a third selection round of 10-12 astronauts - including two women - will take place this year, while outlines of crewed missions to the future Chinese Space Station (CSS) are taking shape.

While the two previous rounds drew on air force pilots, the third astronaut selection will seek candidates with more diverse backgrounds, reflecting the changing requirements for CSS objectives.

"Scientific experiments are going to be a major part of the new space station, so we're going to need astronauts who have the right backgrounds," said Yang Liwei, deputy director of China's manned space engineering office.

Yang, who became China's first astronaut in space in 2003, was speaking to Chinese media on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX 2017) in Beijing.

China has sent 11 astronauts into space, most recently on the Shenzhou-11 mission last October, the country's longest by far at 33 days.

View image on Twitter

Follow
Andrew Jones @AJ_FI
China's Wang Yaping appearing at #GLEX2017

9:19 AM - 6 Jun 2017




Crewed missions to the CSS will last for between three months and half a year.

Building a space station
China will also carry out at least four crewed missions across five years as it constructs the 60 metric tonne space station in low Earth orbit, Yang said.

The country plans to complete the three-module space station by around 2022, requiring around a dozen launch missions, according to Yang.

Missions will include launches of Long March 5 heavy-lift rockets to loft the 20-tonne modules to around 390 kilometres above the Earth, starting with the Tianhe core module in 2019, earlier slated for late 2018.

Long March 2F and Long March 7 launchers will be used for crewed missions and Tianzhou cargo spacecraft respectively.

Above: Rollout of the first Long March 5 in October 2016 (China Daily/Su Dong).

The CSS complex will also be joined by a co-orbiting space telescope, Xuntian, a two metre aperture Hubble-class observatory that can dock for maintenance and repairs.

Refuelling tests continue
Later this month Tianzhou-1, the country's first space freighter mission, will undock from the Tiangong-2 space lab in preparation for a another rendezvous, docking and a second test of the 29-step, five-day orbital refuelling process.

The successful transfer of liquid propellant in microgravity to Tiangong-2 in late April was the primary objective for the Tianzhou-1 mission, marking a huge step towards a larger space station.

Above: Tianzhou-1 (right) docks with Tiangong-2 in April (CCTV+).

The second docking will be conducted from a different direction, in order to test the ability of the cargo ship to dock with the future Chinese Space Station from different directions.

http://gbtimes.com/china/new-chinese-astronaut-selection-and-space-station-missions-revealed

 

[onebyone]

China to conduct at least four manned space missions in five years
TECH & SCI
By Yao Nian

China will carry out at least four manned space missions over a five-year period to build a space station, China's first astronaut Yang Liwei said Tuesday.

China's first astronaut Yang Liwei gives a speech at China Foreign Affairs University on December 8, 2016. /VCG Photo

Two manned space missions will be conducted in 2020, said Yang, deputy director of China's manned space program office, at the 2017 Global Space Exploration Conference which opened Tuesday in Beijing.



China plans to complete construction on a permanent space station by 2022, aiming to carry out around a dozen launch missions beforehand, said Yang.



He said the country would launch the first core module of the station in 2019, followed by launches of two experimental modules.



The space station will enable astronauts to stay in space for three months to half a year, he said.



Yang said that astronauts are currently preparing for the space station program and that China will start selecting new astronauts this year.



(Source: Xinhua)


https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d4d444d3445444e/share_p.html

 

[Han Patriot]

China just launched CZ-5 (Long March 5) in November 2016, world's second largest operational SLV at the moment, let's see how CZ-5B goes.

Comparison of orbital launch systems
Operational, and Under Development (shaded), as of 2017 June 6th
View attachment 401972

The Japanese have got quite advanced technology too but I doubt they will develop further to 100k level LEO launchers.

 

[cirr]

Project Tengyun

Project Kuaiyun

Project Feiyun

And more:
http://www.guancha.cn/Industry/2017_06_06_411958_1.shtml

 

[JSCh]

China discloses Chang'e 5 lunar probe landing site
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-07 13:07:29|Editor: MJ



BEIJING, June 7 (Xinhua) -- China's Chang'e 5 lunar probe is expected to land in the Mons Rumker region, and to take moon samples back to earth at the end of the year, according to a Chinese space official.

Liu Jizhong, director of China Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center of China National Space Administration (CNSA), for the first time disclosed the probe landing site, an isolated volcanic formation located in the northwest part of the Moon's near side.

Liu also mentioned China's Chang'e 4 lunar probe. Delivering a report at the Global Space Exploration Conference, which opened in Beijing Tuesday, he said China's Chang'e 4 lunar probe, which is expected to be the first human carrying probe landing on the far side of the moon, would be launched in 2018, carrying 11 scientific payloads, including four developed by other countries.

He said lunar exploration had many international cooperation opportunities and that constructing the international moon village or international research station, proposed by European Space Agency (ESA), was also a long-term goal for China.

"China is planning and designing its future lunar exploration program. We will focus on the south pole region of the moon. The research on water and the permanent shadow area of the lunar south pole region will bring greater scientific discoveries," Liu said.

He said that China would push forward international cooperation in exploring the south pole of the moon, constructing lunar scientific research station and establishing long-term energy supply and autonomous infrastructures.

Liu proposed jointly exploring the lunar polar region and constructing the scientific research station as a guide for the international moon village or station, following international law.

He also proposed creating an open platform for cooperation in accordance with the principle of "sharing the risks and achievements," and to set up the International Union of Planetary Scientists and the International Union of Planetary Science College Students.

He said scientists from different countries might jointly formulate scientific objectives, develop scientific payloads and carry out scientific data research.

"Partners may develop probes and facilities independently, which will complement each other. Enterprises are also encouraged to actively participate in lunar exploration," Liu said. "Intergovernmental cooperation should be strengthened, and governments should co-ordinate existing deep space exploration infrastructures to share the resources and enhance investment efficiency."

At the conference, Wu Yanhua, vice administrator of CNSA, honored the international partners of China's Chang'e 4 mission, which will carry payloads from the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Saudi Arabia.

Since China proposed international cooperation on the Chang'e 4 mission last year, China has received more than 20 schemes from other countries.

"We support more international cooperation in China's future lunar and Mars missions, as well as exploration to the Jupiter system and asteroids that are still under discussion," Wu said.

"It is exactly what I was looking forward to," said Jan Woerner, director general of the ESA. "It will fit perfectly to the moon village, ESA's vision for international cooperation on the moon."

 

[JSCh]

China is making preparations for manned lunar landing
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-07 00:19:41|Editor: MJ

Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut and deputy director of China's manned space program office, makes a speech during the 2017 Global Space Exploration Conference in Beijing, capital of China, June 6, 2017. The conference opened Tuesday in Beijing. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- China is making preliminary preparations for a manned lunar landing mission, said Yang Liwei, deputy director general of China Manned Space Agency, here on Tuesday.

It will not take long for the project to get official approval and funding, Yang said during a group interview at the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX 2017).

When asked whether he has any plan to step onto the Moon, Yang, China's first astronaut, showed great excitement. "If I am given the opportunity, no problem!" he said.

Wu Yansheng, president of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), also said that China is working on a manned lunar landing plan.

The mission will consist of a manned spaceship, a propulsion vehicle and a lunar lander. The manned spaceship and the lunar lander will be sent into circumlunar orbit separately, according to Wu.

 

[cirr]

China Focus: Space race or cosmic cooperation? China strongly calls for the latter

Xinhua, June 7, 2017

BEIJING, June 7 (Xinhua) -- China is looking towards increased cooperation with international space leaders, it stressed Tuesday at the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX 2017) currently being held in Beijing.

In a letter of congratulations sent to the conference by Chinese President Xi Jinping, he said that China wants to enhance cooperation with the international community in peaceful space exploration and development.

Xi noted that progress in space science and technology will benefit people around the world and China wants to use space exploration achievements to create a better future for mankind.

"China is expanding cooperation with the United Nations (UN) in space exploration, and will disclose projects later this year," said Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut and current deputy director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office.

The country has previously undertaken bilateral cooperation with various countries and institutions and is now looking towards multilateral projects. China will carry out joint projects with the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) including astronaut training, space station scientific experiments and multilateral application of such experiments, said Yang.

"Rather than a space race, I think cooperation is always good and worldwide cooperation is even better. I hope we can breach Earth's crises by having worldwide cooperation in space," said Jan Woerner, director general of the European Space Agency (ESA).

"We should not try to duplicate everything, and if we join forces we can do even more with the same amount of money," he added.

The conference, which ends Thursday, was jointly held by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and the Chinese Society of Astronautics and follows the GLEX 2012 conference held in Washington D.C.

International space engineers and delegates from leading aerospace companies including Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Airbus attended the conference.

SPACE ODYSSEY

Although China has completed many successful space exploration projects, the country's space expeditions are far from over.

At the conference, Yang said that China plans to use a Long March-5 carrier rocket to launch the core module of the country's manned space station in 2019 and build a space station around 2022.

With the International Space Station set to retire in 2024, the Chinese space station will offer a promising alternative, and China will be the only country with a permanent space station.

China National Space Administration (CNSA) held a ceremony to recognize and thank the ESA and four countries, namely the Netherlands, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Sweden, for their participation in the Chang'e-4 lunar exploration to the far side of the moon which will be launched in 2018.

Liu Jizhong, director of the CNSA's China Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center said that later this year China plans to send the Chang'e-5 lunar probe to the moon to collect samples, marking the third step in its lunar program.

He said that China is looking to offer cooperation opportunities in investigating the lunar south pole region, setting up an international moon village and carrying out experiments including energy supply.

Liu added that in accordance with the principle of "openness and cooperation, sharing both risks and achievements," China will create an open platform for cooperation enabling other countries to participate.

COOPERATION UNDERWAY

China has always advocated win-win cooperation between nations and it introduced the notion of building a community of shared destiny in late 2012.

To create peaceful cooperation in outer space, China has signed agreements with over 30 countries and organizations, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Germany, France, the ESA and UNOOSA.

China's contribution to the international space industry has included helping over 20 countries and regions with 50 launches, and exporting satellites to nine countries.

Scientific innovation was a central topic at the recent Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, with China proposing a Belt and Road Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation Action Plan.

China also voiced its willingness to carry out more projects with Belt and Road countries in various fields, including satellite launches, maritime navigation and archaeological studies to enable more countries to benefit.

http://www.china.org.cn/china/Off_the_Wire/2017-06/07/content_40982055.htm

 

[JSCh]

 

[Shotgunner51]

The Japanese have got quite advanced technology too but I doubt they will develop further to 100k level LEO launchers.

Agree, I don't think JAXA will go solo and actively develop huge launchers, no such need.

I think Japanese will continue to focus on supplying technologies and components to international programs led by other sovereign agencies like NASA, in fact the rise of privately-funded spaceflight business (e.g. SpaceX, Kuang-Chi, Virgin) may give a boost to the whole supply chain. There about 80 prominent aerospace vendors in Japan, IHI Corporation is the biggest, others include Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Fuji Heavy Industries, Kawasai Heavy Industries, Kobe Steel and Toray Industries.

 

[JSCh]

China Plans to Launch Chang'e-5 Lunar Mission on Nov. 30
08:00 07.06.2017(updated 08:36 07.06.2017)

Director of the international cooperation department of China National Space Administration Xu Yansong stated that the third launch of the carrier rocket Long March 5 with the satellite Chang'e-5 will take place in the end of November, approximately on November 30.

BEIJING (Sputnik) — China plans to launch Chang'e-5 lunar mission on November 30, Director of the international cooperation department of China National Space Administration Xu Yansong told Sputnik Wednesday.

"The third launch of the carrier rocket Long March 5 with the satellite Chang'e-5 will take place in the end of November, approximately on November 30. These are our plans so far," Xu said on the sidelines of the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX) 2017.​

As part of its lunar program, China plans the launch of the satellite that would collect the samples of the Moon soil and return to Earth.

GLEX-2017 is carried out in Beijing on June 6-8.

The second launch of China's high power carrier rocket Long March-5 [Changzheng 5] is planned for July 2, according to Xu Yansong.

"The second launch of Long March-5 carrier rocket is planned for the late June or early July, approximately July 2," Xu said on the sidelines of the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX) 2017.​

Media reported that the carrier rocket was already transferred to the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center earlier in May in preparation for launching a communications satellite.

https://sputniknews.com/asia/201706071054384653-china-space-program/

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[JSCh]

Configuration and manipulation of soft robotics for on-orbit servicing
June 5, 2017

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The hybrid structure of the space soft robot for OOS. Credit: ©Science China Press

Traditional rigid-bodied robots are stiff, with few degrees of freedom, placing limits on many applications. Recently, more engineers are learning from the soft flexibility properties of living beings to advance bionic soft robotics. The main characteristics of soft robots are flexibility, deformability and energy-absorbtion.

With respect to on-orbit servicing (OOS), soft robots have promising characteristics: (1) Flexibility (many degrees of freedom)—soft robots can adapt to the unstructured space environment. (2) Deformability—soft robots can perform multiple tasks, which can lighten the payload of spacecraft. (3) Energy-absorbing characteristics—soft robots can improve safety and reliability when robots interact with targets or even humans. A recent paper published in SCIENCE CHINA Information Sciences reviews the status and development of soft robotics and proposes a conceptual design of configuration and manipulation of a space-based soft robot.


---> https://phys.org/news/2017-06-configuration-soft-robotics-on-orbit.html


More information: Zhongliang Jing et al, An overview of the configuration and manipulation of soft robotics for on-orbit servicing, Science China Information Sciences (2017). DOI: 10.1007/s11432-016-9033-0