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

[JSCh]

First exoplanet found by Chinese astronomers named after moon goddess
Source: Xinhua| 2019-12-21 22:59:17|Editor: ZX

BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The first exoplanet discovered by Chinese astronomers and its host star have been named "Wangshu" and "Xihe," which mean moon goddess and sun goddess respectively in Chinese mythology.

The two names proposed by the student astronomy club of Guangzhou No. 6 Middle School were announced at the Beijing Planetarium Saturday, which is a part of the NameExoWorlds campaign organized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Discovered by Chinese astronomers in 2008, Wangshu is about 440 light-years away from Earth in Lyra, orbiting Xihe, which is sufficiently bright to be observed through telescopes from China.

Xihe's mass is twice that of the Sun, while Wangshu's mass is 2.7 times that of Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System, according to Zhao Fei from the National Astronomical Observatories, a member of the team who discovered Wangshu. "We love the two names, they are quite Chinese style," he added.

Within the framework of the IAU's 100th anniversary commemorations in 2019, 112 countries and regions organized campaigns that stimulated the direct participation of over 780,000 people worldwide, who proposed and selected names for each exoplanet and its host star.

While astronomers catalogue newly discovered exoplanets using telephone-number-like designations, there has been growing interest amongst astronomers and the public alike in also assigning proper names, as is done for Solar System bodies, said Eric Mamajek, co-chair of the NameExoWorlds Steering Committee.

Chinese astronomers discovered the giant exoplanet HD173416b in 2008, which was selected as one of China's top 10 astronomical advances that year.

Proposed by the student astronomy club of Guangzhou No. 6 Middle School, Xihe and Wangshu emerged from 67 proposals from all over the country and were confirmed by the IAU as the official names of the star and planet.

Xihe and Wangshu are the names of celestial deities from Chinese ancient mythology. Xihe is the goddess of the sun and is also considered to be the earliest astronomer and calendar maker, and Wangshu is the goddess who drives for the moon and is regarded as the symbol of the moon, said Xu Yipeng, a student from the astronomy club.

"The two names not only show the relationship between the star and planet, but also symbolize the spirit of exploring the universe," Xu said.

 

[JSCh]

↑↑↑
Chinese university launches reusable rocket
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-23 22:07:16|Editor: Li Xia

XIAMEN, April 23 (Xinhua) -- China's Xiamen University launched and recovered its first rocket Tuesday, in northwest China's desert.

The Jiageng-I rocket, jointly developed by Xiamen University and Beijing-based company Space Transportation, has a total length of 8.7 meters, a wingspan of 2.5 meters and a take-off mass of 3,700 kg.

The reusable rocket traveled at a maximum altitude of 26.2 km and was recovered at the designated landing site.

The joint flight was to test the performance of the dual waverider forebody configuration designed by the university's School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and to verify the rocket recovery and reuse technology.

The dual waverider forebody configuration, an aerodynamic system for hypersonic airplanes, is installed at the nosecone of the rocket to test its performance in real flight conditions.

The test was part of the university's project to try to quintuple the current speed of civil aircraft to achieve global direct access within two hours.

The flight is "an important milestone towards the ultimate goal of the project," said the university's official WeChat account.

Located in east China's Fujian Province, Xiamen University is one of the earliest Chinese universities to conduct aviation studies.

Space Transportation Co. is a launcher manufacturer aiming to develop reusable rockets for small payloads and provide low-cost and reliable space transportation services for its clients.

China航天
今天 19:14
【凌空天行成功完成“天行Ⅰ”火箭遥二飞行试验】2019年12月23日上午8时50分，凌空天行“天行Ⅰ“火箭完成遥二飞行试验任务O凌空天行成功完成“天行Ⅰ”火箭遥二飞行试验 LChina航天的微博视频

Today 19:14
[Space Transportation successfully completed the "TianXing Ⅰ" rocket Y2 flight test] At 8:50 am on December 23, 2019, Space Transportation "TianXing Ⅰ" rocket completed second test flight mission.

 

[JSCh]

NEWS RELEASE 24-DEC-2019
Lasers learn to accurately spot space junk
Scientists applied a set of algorithms to laser-ranging telescopes and succeeded in increasing accurate detection of the space litter in Earth's orbit threatening spacecraft safety

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS

Beijing Fangshan Satellite Laser Observatory. CREDIT: Beijing Fangshan Satellite Laser Observatory

WASHINGTON, D.C., December 24, 2019 - Chinese researchers have improved the accuracy in detecting space junk in earth's orbit, providing a more effective way to plot safe routes for spacecraft maneuvers.

"The possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to one!" exclaimed C-3PO as Han Solo directed the Millennium Falcon into an asteroid field in "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back." Earth's orbit is nowhere near as dangerous, but after more than half a century of space activity, collisions between jettisoned engines and disintegrated spacecraft have formed a planetary scrapheap that spacecraft need to evade.

Scientists have developed space junk identification systems, but it has proven tricky to pinpoint the swift, small specks of space litter. A unique set of algorithms for laser ranging telescopes, described in the Journal of Laser Applications, by AIP Publishing, has significantly improving the success rate of space debris detection.

"After improving the pointing accuracy of the telescope through a neural network, space debris with a cross sectional area of 1 meter squared and a distance of 1,500 kilometers can be detected," said Tianming Ma, from the Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping, Beijing and Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin.

Laser ranging technology uses laser reflection from objects to measure their distance. But the echo signal reflected from the surface of space debris is very weak, reducing the accuracy. Previous methods improved laser ranging pinpointing of debris but only to a 1-kilometer level.

Application of neural networks - algorithms modeled on the human brain's sensory inputs, processing and output levels - to laser ranging technologies has been proposed previously. However, Ma's study is the first time a neural network has significantly improved the pointing accuracy of a laser-ranging telescope.

Ma and colleagues trained a back propagation neural network to recognize space debris using two correcting algorithms. The Genetic Algorithm and Levenberg-Marquardt optimized the neural network's thresholds for recognition of space debris, ensuring the network wasn't too sensitive and could be trained on localized areas of space. The team demonstrated the improved accuracy by testing against three traditional methods at the Beijing Fangshen laser range telescope station.

The observation data of 95 stars was used to solve the algorithm coefficients from each method, and the accuracy of detecting 22 other stars was assessed. The new pointing correction algorithms proved the most accurate, as well as easy to operate with good real-time performance.

Ma aims to further refine the method. "Obtaining the precise orbit of space debris can provide effective help for the safe operation of spacecraft in orbit."


Lasers learn to accurately spot space junk | EurekAlert! Science News

 

[JSCh]

Breaking !!

央广军事
23分钟前 来自 微博 weibo.com 已编辑
【转起祝贺！#探索一号商业亚轨道运载火箭成功首飞#

】2019年12月25日16点50分，酒泉卫星发射中心成功组织了“探索一号·中国科技城之星”商业亚轨道运载火箭首次飞行。该型火箭是北京星途探索科技有限公司自主研发的首型火箭，可以广泛应用于超燃冲压发动机、导引头、航天产品准入考核等领域，也可为气象探测、微重力试验、卫星载荷试验等提供技术服务。

China National Radio Military
21 minutes ago from Weibo

[Congratulations! Tansuo-1 Commercial Suborbital Launch Vehicle Successfully Launch # [威武]】 At 16:50 on December 25, 2019, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center successfully organized the "Tansuo-1 China Science and Technology City Star" commercial suborbital launch for the first time. This type of rocket is the first rocket independently developed by Beijing Space Trek Technology CO., LTD. It can be widely used for scramjet engines, seekers, aerospace product test mission etc., and can also be used to provide technological service for meteorological observation, microgravity testing satellite payload test.

 

[Pakistan Space Agency]

Anymore news on China's reusable rocket by private companies?

 

[JSCh]

China航天
今天 19:14
【凌空天行成功完成“天行Ⅰ”火箭遥二飞行试验】2019年12月23日上午8时50分，凌空天行“天行Ⅰ“火箭完成遥二飞行试验任务O凌空天行成功完成“天行Ⅰ”火箭遥二飞行试验 LChina航天的微博视频

Today 19:14
[Space Transportation successfully completed the "TianXing Ⅰ" rocket Y2 flight test] At 8:50 am on December 23, 2019, Space Transportation "TianXing Ⅰ" rocket completed second test flight mission.

 

[JSCh]

Commercial space industry is soaring
By Zhang Hongpei and Li Xuanmin Source:Global Times Published: 2019/12/25 21:38:40

Private, state firms reap gains of past efforts, make technological advance

A simulated diagram of Xiaoxiang 1, a commercial research nanosatellite developed by Spacety Photo: Courtesy of Spacety

China's commercial space sector is growing rapidly and its development is reaching a climax this year with domestic players making technology breakthroughs, executives and industry analysts told the Global Times on Wednesday.

"For both players with state-owned enterprise backgrounds or private-invested, this year means harvesting the gains" of past efforts, said Huang Zhicheng, an expert in the space industry.

The overall atmosphere is very dynamic, Huang told the Global Times.

Earlier this month, two solid-fueled Kuaizhou-1A rockets were fired into orbit from the same spaceport in northern China with a gap of less than six hours. Kuaizhou-1A is a low-cost solid-fuel carrier rocket with high reliability and a short preparation period. The rocket, developed by a company under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC), is mainly used to launch low-orbit microsatellites.

Cao Meng, head of marketing at Expace Technology Co, which is subordinate to state-owned CASIC, told the Global Times that the company has basically completed its mission of eight to nine launches planned at the beginning of the year, and it is scheduled to do four to five launches in the first half of next year.

In August, China's another new carrier rocket Smart Dragon-1, developed by the China Rocket Co (affiliated to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology) and designed for commercial use, made its maiden flight, sending three satellites into planned orbit.

Unlike the carrier rockets of the world-known Long March family, the new Dragon series was developed in a commercial mode to meet the market demand to launch small commercial satellites, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Start-ups' opportunities

Space is a hard place to operate, and doing business in the sector seems to be more difficult for private-sector companies, which have to make full efforts in technology research and development, talent attraction and sufficient financing to support their own survival.

The development of China's private space sector, including rockets, satellites and space-to-ground internet connections, is still in its initial phase, experts noted.

Private rocket firm iSpace's carrier rocket successfully sent satellites into orbit in July from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China's Gansu Province, a milestone for China's commercial space industry. It was the first private-sector space firm to do so, after two earlier failures of the other two leading rocket start-ups - OneSpace and LandSpace.

Called SQX-1 Y-1, the iSpace's rocket is the largest and most powerful built by a private Chinese space company, the Beijing-based start-up said.

Yao Bowen, vice president of iSpace, told the Global Times Wednesday that this year's experience taught the company to stick to its targets in phases to achieve them step by step.

"Featuring high risks and a scrupulous R&D process, the rocket project needs long periods of hard work and patience," said Yao.

He said iSpace plans to do four to seven space launches next year, according to current orders.
​

"We have made profits via rocket projects since this July's successful launch and want to expand our business in this sector next year," said Yao.

Yao also noted that iSpace wants to take another giant step next year in the area of reusable rockets.

Another important component of the commercial space sector is made up by satellite companies, and they are also betting on the market next year.

Galaxy Space, a commercial aerospace company, plans to launch China's first low-Earth orbit (LEO) 5G broadband satellite in early January, CEO Xu Ming told the Global Times. The satellite has been delivered to the Jiuquan launch base, where it's waiting to be launched.

The launch is aiming to catch up with US rivals such as Oneweb and SpaceX, which have already set up LEO satellite networks.

Galaxy Space's satellite will also be the world's first LEO broadband satellite in the Q/V band, an extremely high-frequency band. "We will send more low-cost, high-performance 5G satellites into space," Xu noted.

Another satellite firm, Spacety, based in Changsha, capital of Central China's Hunan Province, has so far sent 18 satellites into orbits, seven this year alone.

To some degree, the satellite segment has taken faster steps than the rocket segment in the whole commercial space sector, said Yang Feng, CEO of Spacety.

Yang told the Global Times on Wednesday that the company has been able to cut its satellite manufacturing costs year after year.

"Commercial space is a globalized market and China is showcasing a set of 'box combinations' composed of state-owned players and private ones, to join the race in the global market," Yang noted.

 

[JSCh]

China Focus: Chinese satellite tests space-based gravitational wave detection technologies
Source: Xinhua| 2019-09-20 20:23:40|Editor: ZX

BEIJING, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- A recently-launched Chinese satellite has conducted in-orbit experiments on the key technologies related to space-based gravitational wave detection, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced on Friday.

The satellite, sent into orbit on Aug. 31, is China's first such kind of satellite, and has completed its first stage tests in orbit, laying a solid foundation for future gravitational wave observation in space, said Xiangli Bin, vice president of CAS.

"This is the first step of China's space-based gravitational wave detection. But there is still a long way to go to realize detecting gravitational waves in space. Chinese scientists will continue to contribute Chinese wisdom to the exploration and human progress," Xiangli said.

The satellite has been named Taiji-1. As a Chinese term for the "supreme ultimate," Taiji is well-known as the black and white circular symbol representing yin and yang. The pattern of Taiji also resembles a binary star system composed by objects like neutron stars or black holes.

Gravitational waves are "ripples" in space-time caused by some of the most violent and energetic processes in the universe. Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916 in his general theory of relativity.

The strongest gravitational waves are produced by catastrophic events such as colliding black holes, supernovae, coalescing neutron stars or white dwarf stars and possibly even the remnants of gravitational radiation created by the birth of the universe itself.

The first discovery of gravitational waves by the LIGO Collaboration in 2015 has opened a new window to observe the universe and encouraged scientists worldwide to accelerate their research.

CAS has announced the research program "Taiji" that will study gravitational waves from the merging of binary black holes and other celestial bodies.

Unlike the LIGO research conducted from a ground-based observatory, Taiji will conduct space-based detection on the gravitational waves with lower frequencies to observe celestial bodies with greater mass or located farther away in the universe, said Wu Yueliang, chief scientist of the Taiji program and an academician of CAS.

However, the gravitational wave signals from those celestial bodies are extremely weak, posing great challenges for detection. Scientists need to break through the limit of current precise measurement and control technology, Wu said.

Taiji-1 aims to test the key technologies such as high-precision and ultra-stable laser interferometer, gravitational reference sensor, ultra-high precision drag-free control and ultra-stable and ultra-static satellite platform, according to Wu.

Taiji-1 has realized China's most accurate space laser interference measurement and the first in-orbit drag-free control technology test. It also carried out electric propulsion technology experiments, Xiangli said.

The first-stage in-orbit test showed that the accuracy of displacement measurement of the laser interferometer on Taiji-1 could reach a 100-picometer order of magnitude, equivalent to the size of an atom.

"The accuracy of the gravitational reference sensor on the satellite reached ten billionths of the magnitude of the earth's gravitational acceleration, equivalent to the acceleration produced by an ant pushing the Taiji-1 satellite," Wu explained.

The thrust resolution of the micro-thruster on the satellite reached a scale equivalent to one-ten thousandth of the weight of a sesame grain, Wu said.

However, the technological requirements for detecting gravitational waves in space are much higher, scientists say.

CAS set a three-step strategy to implement the Taiji program. It took the research team about one year to develop Taiji-1, the first satellite of the program. It is expected to launch another two satellites in the second step after 2023, and three more satellites in the third step around 2033, according to Wu.

Over the past few years, China has sent a series of space science satellites into space, including the DAMPE to search for dark matter, the world's first quantum satellite and the HXMT, China's first X-ray space telescope.

In the coming three to four years, China plans to launch new space science satellites including the Gravitational Wave Electromagnetic Counterpart All-sky Monitor (GECAM), the Advanced Space-borne Solar Observatory (ASO-S), the Einstein-Probe (EP) and the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) to study gravitational waves, black holes, the relationship between the solar system and humanity and the origin and evolution of the universe.

China's Taiji-1 satellite successfully passes in-orbit tests
Source: Xinhua| 2019-12-25 23:58:28|Editor: zh

BEIJING, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- China's first satellite to conduct experiments on key technologies related to space-based gravitational wave detection, Taiji-1, has successfully completed its in-orbit tests, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced Wednesday.

The satellite, sent into orbit on Aug. 31, 2019, is China's first such kind of satellite, and has completed its in-orbit experiments, making a breakthrough in the country's gravitational wave detection, said Wu Yueliang, chief scientist of the project.

After four months of tests and experiments, it was proved that the satellite system has performed well in orbit and completed all the experiments required for research, Wu added.

With the success of Taiji-1's in-orbit tests, the first goal of CAS's three-step strategy to implement the program has been successfully achieved.

Taiji-1 will conduct more expansion experiments in the next stage, said Wu.

 

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Sinosphere on steroid lately, and skyrocketing above the stratosphere, after Japan, North and South Korea, now the R.O.C. more and more credible.

After the solid propellant Kirin SLV, another Taiwanese small launcher of the Iranian Safir-2 SLV class.

This time the Hapith-V SLV is an expandable hybrid N2O/SBR launcher, made for 90% of T800-grade carbon fiber composite.

This launcher will deliver up to 390 kg to a low-inclination orbit of 600-700 km. SSO can be envisaged from Australia or Scandinavia.


Taiwanese Company Aims At Launch Costs 10% Of Competitors’

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

Oct 24, 2019

Bradley Perrett


Hot fire test of Tispace 1-metric-ton-thrust engine: Tispace

A Taiwanese company plans to enter the market for light space launches with what it says will be 10% of the costs of current major operators, thanks to an efficient production setup and use of hybrid solid-liquid propulsion.

Launch of a two-stage demonstrator rocket is scheduled for November, to be followed by monthly launches of larger production rockets in 2021, said Yen-Sen Chen, founder and CEO of the company, Taiwan Innovation Space (Tispace).

At first, each launch by the expendable, three-stage Hapith V production rocket will be priced at $6-7 million, Chen said. This will deliver up to 390 kg (860 lb.) to a low-inclination orbit of 600- 700 km (370-430 mi.). “We have lots of room for a lower price,” Chen added, since costs would be so low.

The initial production facility near Taipei, with a capacity of 12 rockets a year, will be able to achieve the targeted cost of 10% of competitors’, Chen said. But the company is looking for a larger site farther south for a plant that could build 100 rockets a year.

Engines of the Hapith V and the Hapith 1 demonstrator are almost devoid of machinery. Being hybrid, they do not require the elaborate production and handling facilities of potentially explosive solid-propellant motors.

The fuel is a special hard rubber, made in Taiwan. The oxidizer is nitrous oxide fed to the engine by tank pressure, which begins at 6 MPa (870 psi.) at launch, falling to 1 MPa at the time of engine cutoff; there are no turbo pumps.

Tispace has tested engines of various thrust levels. Specific impulse, a measure of propulsion efficiency, will be 270 sec. for the first stage and 301 sec. for the second and third, the company estimates. This is regarded as adequate rather than exceptional, since the most important engine characteristic is simplicity and adaptability to low-cost production.

A contractor will supply the fuel in the single cylindrical block needed for each engine, Chen said. No trimming or other adjustment of shape will be required. Insulation will be placed manually on the fuel blocks, then uncured carbon fiber composite will be laid around them automatically to create the case. The engine will then go into an oven for unpressurized curing of the composite at 90C (190F).

The oxidizer tanks will similarly be made automatically with the same, T800-grade carbon fiber composite. The company chose carbon fiber in preference to the usual aluminum to reduce weight. The company also believes carbon fiber suits low-cost fabrication. About 90% of the Hapith V structure is made of the material.

The engines use commercially available valves and stainless steel piping. Injectors, of proprietary design, will be made with 3D printing.

Attitude control is effected in the first stage by venting nitrous oxide and in the second and third stages by gimballing the engines (that is, the encased rubber blocks).

Chen set up the company in 2016, having previously worked for Taiwan’s National Space Organization. It has 105 employees, he said, speaking on the sidelines of the International Astronautical Congress, held in Washington Oct. 21-25.

The demonstrator is complete and ready for its Nov. 28 launch. It has a weight of 3.04 metric tons and launch thrust of 7.92 metric tons.

The company has begun making the first Hapith V. That 20-m (66-ft.) design has a weight of 35 metric tons and launch thrust of 65 metric tons from five engines. The second stage has four engines and 8 metric tons of thrust; the third has one engine generating 1 metric tons of thrust. Payload to Sun-synchronous orbit is 350 kg.

The company’s launch site is at the southern end of Taiwan, facing the empty Pacific Ocean. With inhabited islands to the north and south, Taiwan is unsuitable for launches to Sun- synchronous orbit, so Tispace is looking at options in Scandinavia. Australia is also a possibility.

Rockets are to be moved to the Taiwanese launch site by truck and to the chosen foreign one by air.

http://web.archive.org/web/20191206224150/https://www.taiwanembassy.org/uslax/post/21945.html
http://archive.is/pR2SN

HAPITH V
is a cost-effective space launch system using cutting-edge, non-explosive hybrid rocket technologies. Our hybrid rocket engines are delivering class-I rocket engine performance that enables fast turnaround space launch services.

PAYLOAD

MICRO AND SMALL SATELLITES TO LOW EARTH ORBIT (LEO) AND SUN-SYNCHRONOUS ORBIT (SSO)

HAPITH V OVERVIEW

MAX. LEO PAYLOAD MASS
390 KG

MAX. SSO PAYLOAD MASS
350 KG

ALTITUDE
600 – 700 KM

HEIGHT
20 M

DIAMETER
2.2 M

STAGES
3

UPPER STAGE

single hybrid rocket engine with gimbaled thrust vector control (TVC) and a cold-gas reaction control system (RCS)

THRUST 10KN

SECOND STAGE

cluster of four hybrid rocket engines with gimbaled thrust vector control (TVC)

THRUST 80KN

FIRST STAGE

cluster of five hybrid rocket engines with liquid-injection vector control (LITVC)

THRUST 650KN

PAYLOAD

The payload fairing of Hapith V is constructed by using lightweight composite honeycomb sandwich structure with ample thermal and environmental protections.

MATERIALS

Hapith V is designed to be constructed using mainly lightweight high strength carbon composite flight structure.

AVIONICS

TiSPACE avionics and GNC flight control subsystem are developed simultaneously such that their performance can be checked and verified through real time simulations with the enhancement of a high precision rate table testing platform.

LELIEN

LELIEN engine is designed based on a high-efficiency N2O/SBR hybrid rocket technology with specially formulated high density and high energy SBR solid grain and N2O injection scheme that gives our propulsion system close to ideal overall thrust performance.

http://archive.ph/WDK6h/bf56dbcadeae9363b52ab7ca505eabe0cbd62fea.png ; https://archive.ph/WDK6h/655ea4fad5777b2b809e6c58b5db183baee72698/scr.png ; http://www.tispace.com/launch.html ; http://archive.ph/OJFSI
▲ 1. HAPITH V SLV

http://www.tispace.com/launch.html
http://archive.ph/OJFSI
​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y26ZIdxVI3E ; http://www.tispace.com/video/video-4.html ; http://archive.ph/w8Uuy
▲ 1. TiSPACE Video 2,079 views •Sep 12, 2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SItKkOJ5RMQ ; http://www.tispace.com/video/video-4.html ; http://archive.ph/w8Uuy
▲ 2. Accomplishment of Vehicle Structural Dynamics Testing 778 views •Sep 17, 2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exXVuppC0Qc ; http://www.tispace.com/video/video-4.html ; http://archive.ph/w8Uuy
▲ 3. High Efficiency Hybrid Rocket Engine 761 views •Oct 17, 2019
We are ready for the first sub orbital launch in late 2019 and the first orbital launch in early 2020.
Our hybrid rocket engines have achieved Class-I propulsion efficiency, including 10,000 N, 20,000 N and 130,000 N thrust levels which can provide dedicated services for small satellites.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhM7UmQir5o ; http://www.tispace.com/video/video-4.html ; http://archive.ph/w8Uuy
▲ 4. Successful S2 Stage level Qualification Hot fire Test with Thrust Vectoring 588 views •Nov 20, 2019
Before the first launch, we have another beautiful performance.

http://archive.is/0S0sD/d68463237f88b6182ae460840ad9e20e1c556154.jpg ; https://archive.is/0S0sD/b76bb6e780cb06c6c83ccbc557dcb13d41a699a2/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191023163949/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHk16MrX0AMmOhK.jpg:large ; https://twitter.com/RKDurden/status/1187039260274282497/photo/1 ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191207.../стартап-tispace-представил-новые-ракеты-нос/ ; http://archive.ph/n8hMf
▲ 1. Hapith-I and Hapith-V SLV

http://archive.ph/qcDNh/e076594a43fa5e86b11f169977543a37e2b47936.jpg ; https://archive.ph/qcDNh/015371028c8e9738f29154846a472fa2656906d0/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191226.../uc.udn.com.tw/photo/2019/12/26/1/7246288.jpg ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191226034126/https://udn.com/news/story/11322/4249404 ; http://archive.ph/v9SM5
▲ 2. Hapith-I (「飛鼠一號」: Flying Squirrel) moved to the launchpad: notice the four gimballed hybrid main engines.

http://archive.is/fNM9r/47ad48124737d3d62b6443fce4165f71561aa6a3.jpg ; https://archive.is/fNM9r/fd51bf7cbcac24ddbbda0b25ef98a05a78ca9796/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191224115320/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EMjJxBfUEAEOXkk.jpg ; https://twitter.com/LaunchService/status/1209438354128850944
▲ 3. Hapith I (「飛鼠一號」: Flying Squirrel) launch vehicle is standing on the launch pad and getting ready for its maiden flight. 24 December 2019

http://archive.ph/Xs5OW/029069688fc6937f6f79a1eaf79f8720de4d721d.jpg ; https://archive.ph/Xs5OW/ce648a2da2cd58b0cc6bf3248b9928b47ece15b3/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191224115320/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EMjJxCQVAAIi-Ia.jpg ; https://twitter.com/LaunchService/status/1209438354128850944
▲ 4. Hapith I (「飛鼠一號」: Flying Squirrel) launch vehicle is standing on the launch pad and getting ready for its maiden flight. 24 December 2019

http://archive.ph/ZypQk/e0bac8f9374e47e60bc9a354874ce795a95c0f86.jpg ; https://archive.ph/ZypQk/aa96a52f1ca325064d22bb4f2d20e40f924576e8/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191224115320/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EMjJxC-UcAIF1CP.jpg ; https://twitter.com/LaunchService/status/1209438354128850944
▲ 5. Hapith I (「飛鼠一號」: Flying Squirrel) launch vehicle is standing on the launch pad and getting ready for its maiden flight. 24 December 2019

Maiden launch scheduled for 27th December 2019

2019-12-26 08:58:31

The promotion of the space technology companies in Taitung ’s space exploration rocket has attracted attention from all walks of life. However, due to local concerns, the launch operation will be suspended and a briefing will be held today. The relevant person said today that the promotion company hopes to obtain local public opinion supports and strives to launch as scheduled tomorrow (27th). If the planned launch operation can be carried out according to the original plan, the projectiles of the space exploration rocket will fall into the waters 30 kilometers east of Green Island and Lanyu.

Relevant sources also said that if it is difficult to successfully launch on the 27th of this month, the next launch date will be on January 22 next year.

The Maritime Safety Administration, the Agriculture Commission, the Civil Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Communications, the Port Bureau and the military have issued sea and air area control notifications in accordance with previous plans, calling on vessels and aircraft in various areas to avoid the controlled sea and air areas launched by rockets.

The promotion company had previously stated that once the space exploration rocket was launched, the entire rocket had a range of about 10 minutes and fell after reaching 200 kilometers. However, according to the application file of the promotion company, the maximum ballistic altitude of the space exploration rocket was 300 kilometers. A space exploration rocket can reach a higher altitude. If the rocket launches smoothly, the small satellites carried next time will be able to be sent directly into space orbit.

In order to perform the launch mission of the National Space Center's multi-purpose sounding rocket scientific experiment, the promoted space technology company once invited the relevant units to coordinate the sea and airspace control operation. According to the launching notice (sea and airspace) issued by the Coastal Inspection Agency and the Agricultural Committee Control sheet), from 6 am to 7 am on the 27th, it will be launched at the Taidong Nantian launch base (台東南田發射基地). The rocket's projectiles are expected to fall in the waters 30 kilometers away from the middle of Green Island and Lanyu.

http://web.archive.org/web/20191226034926/https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/Taipei/breakingnews/3020650
http://archive.ph/TQmYG
​

http://archive.ph/ofNzw/2c6815b14f1f39498399ea75f312477d185741ba.jpg ; https://archive.ph/ofNzw/0895203df3a51cfc8c14452adec77eda5ad6b0c8/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191226...m.tw/Upload/news/600/2019/12/26/phpG2ArHK.jpg ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191226034926/https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/Taipei/breakingnews/3020650 ; http://archive.ph/TQmYG
▲ 6. NOTAM issued for 27 December 2019 or 22 January 2020, 0600-0700 AM

All fingers crossed and Godspeed! Go China! Go Feishu (「飛鼠一號」: Flying Squirrel)!

 

[JSCh]

China's private reusable rocket to be launched in 2021
Source: Xinhua| 2019-10-21 14:27:27|Editor: huaxia

Photo shows the model of the Hyperbola-2, a reusable rocket developed by a private Chinese company. (Photo provided to Xinhua)

A Chinese reusable carrier rocket that uses liquid oxygen-methane propellants will be launched for the first time in 2021, making up for China's lack of reusable liquid-propellant rockets.

BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese reusable carrier rocket that uses liquid oxygen-methane propellants will be launched for the first time in 2021.

The rocket, named the Hyperbola-2, may make up for China's lack of reusable liquid-propellant rockets.

The model of the rocket was on display at the 2019 Zhongguancun Forum in Beijing last week.

The Hyperbola-2 was developed by a Beijing-based private rocket developer i-Space. Its primary stage can be reused, reducing more than 70 percent of the rocket production cost, according to Dong Yanmin, the company's vice president of technology.

It will not only meet the growing demand for small and medium-sized satellite launches but also provide emergency and ride-share launches, Dong said.

This diagram shows the structure of the Hyperbola-2. (Photo provided to Xinhua)

The 28-meter-long rocket, with a takeoff weight of 90 tonnes, has a lift capability of sending 1.9 tonnes of payload to low-Earth orbit.

The rocket is low-cost and reliable, which can provide high-quality satellite launches, Dong said.

China's reusable liquid rocket engine completes 500-second test
Source: Xinhua| 2019-12-25 23:02:44|Editor: Mu Xuequan

BEIJING, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- China's 15-tonne reusable liquid oxygen-methane engine completed a run test with a duration of 500 seconds in Beijing on Wednesday.

The engine, named JD-1, was developed by the Beijing-based rocket company i-Space, which is China's first private developer to send a rocket into orbit.

As the key to the reuse of carrier rockets, the engine was designed to be used up to 30 times. It can save more than 70 percent in manufacturing cost for the rockets, according to the developer.

The engine can meet multi-mission requirements such as deceleration, landing, as well as long time in orbit and deep space exploration. It has a strong adaptability to missions, the developer said.

The engine will be assembled on the reusable liquid oxygen-methane carrier rocket Hyperbola-2, which was developed by i-Space.

The rocket, with a takeoff weight of 90 tonnes, is capable of sending 1.9 tonnes of payloads to the low-Earth orbit. It is expected to be launched for the first time in 2021.

 

[Galactic Penguin SST]

http://archive.is/0S0sD/d68463237f88b6182ae460840ad9e20e1c556154.jpg ; https://archive.is/0S0sD/b76bb6e780cb06c6c83ccbc557dcb13d41a699a2/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191023163949/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHk16MrX0AMmOhK.jpg:large ; https://twitter.com/RKDurden/status/1187039260274282497/photo/1 ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191207012338/https://aboutspacejornal.net/2019/10/23/стартап-tispace-представил-новые-ракеты-нос/ ; http://archive.ph/n8hMf
▲ 1. Hapith-I and Hapith-V SLV

http://archive.ph/qcDNh/e076594a43fa5e86b11f169977543a37e2b47936.jpg ; https://archive.ph/qcDNh/015371028c8e9738f29154846a472fa2656906d0/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191226.../uc.udn.com.tw/photo/2019/12/26/1/7246288.jpg ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191226034126/https://udn.com/news/story/11322/4249404 ; http://archive.ph/v9SM5
▲ 2. Hapith-I (「飛鼠一號」: Flying Squirrel) moved to the launchpad: notice the four gimballed hybrid main engines.

http://archive.is/fNM9r/47ad48124737d3d62b6443fce4165f71561aa6a3.jpg ; https://archive.is/fNM9r/fd51bf7cbcac24ddbbda0b25ef98a05a78ca9796/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191224115320/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EMjJxBfUEAEOXkk.jpg ; https://twitter.com/LaunchService/status/1209438354128850944
▲ 3. Hapith I (「飛鼠一號」: Flying Squirrel) launch vehicle is standing on the launch pad and getting ready for its maiden flight. 24 December 2019

http://archive.ph/Xs5OW/029069688fc6937f6f79a1eaf79f8720de4d721d.jpg ; https://archive.ph/Xs5OW/ce648a2da2cd58b0cc6bf3248b9928b47ece15b3/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191224115320/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EMjJxCQVAAIi-Ia.jpg ; https://twitter.com/LaunchService/status/1209438354128850944
▲ 4. Hapith I (「飛鼠一號」: Flying Squirrel) launch vehicle is standing on the launch pad and getting ready for its maiden flight. 24 December 2019

http://archive.ph/ZypQk/e0bac8f9374e47e60bc9a354874ce795a95c0f86.jpg ; https://archive.ph/ZypQk/aa96a52f1ca325064d22bb4f2d20e40f924576e8/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191224115320/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EMjJxC-UcAIF1CP.jpg ; https://twitter.com/LaunchService/status/1209438354128850944
▲ 5. Hapith I (「飛鼠一號」: Flying Squirrel) launch vehicle is standing on the launch pad and getting ready for its maiden flight. 24 December 2019

Maiden launch scheduled for 27th December 2019

2019-12-26 08:58:31

The promotion of the space technology companies in Taitung ’s space exploration rocket has attracted attention from all walks of life. However, due to local concerns, the launch operation will be suspended and a briefing will be held today. The relevant person said today that the promotion company hopes to obtain local public opinion supports and strives to launch as scheduled tomorrow (27th). If the planned launch operation can be carried out according to the original plan, the projectiles of the space exploration rocket will fall into the waters 30 kilometers east of Green Island and Lanyu.

Relevant sources also said that if it is difficult to successfully launch on the 27th of this month, the next launch date will be on January 22 next year.

The Maritime Safety Administration, the Agriculture Commission, the Civil Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Communications, the Port Bureau and the military have issued sea and air area control notifications in accordance with previous plans, calling on vessels and aircraft in various areas to avoid the controlled sea and air areas launched by rockets.

The promotion company had previously stated that once the space exploration rocket was launched, the entire rocket had a range of about 10 minutes and fell after reaching 200 kilometers. However, according to the application file of the promotion company, the maximum ballistic altitude of the space exploration rocket was 300 kilometers. A space exploration rocket can reach a higher altitude. If the rocket launches smoothly, the small satellites carried next time will be able to be sent directly into space orbit.

In order to perform the launch mission of the National Space Center's multi-purpose sounding rocket scientific experiment, the promoted space technology company once invited the relevant units to coordinate the sea and airspace control operation. According to the launching notice (sea and airspace) issued by the Coastal Inspection Agency and the Agricultural Committee Control sheet), from 6 am to 7 am on the 27th, it will be launched at the Taidong Nantian launch base (台東南田發射基地). The rocket's projectiles are expected to fall in the waters 30 kilometers away from the middle of Green Island and Lanyu.

http://web.archive.org/web/20191226034926/https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/Taipei/breakingnews/3020650
http://archive.ph/TQmYG ​

http://archive.ph/ofNzw/2c6815b14f1f39498399ea75f312477d185741ba.jpg ; https://archive.ph/ofNzw/0895203df3a51cfc8c14452adec77eda5ad6b0c8/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191226...m.tw/Upload/news/600/2019/12/26/phpG2ArHK.jpg ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191226034926/https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/Taipei/breakingnews/3020650 ; http://archive.ph/TQmYG
▲ 6. NOTAM issued for 27 December 2019 or 22 January 2020, 0600-0700 AM

All fingers crossed and Godspeed! Go China! Go Feishu (「飛鼠一號」: Flying Squirrel)!

Again, what an impressive and unmatched foresight!

The correct assessment made on the Republic Of China's space development, and posted on 7th December 2019 is now confirmed!

You read it here first!

The Case Of The Republic Of China
https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/whic...ite-club-of-spacefaring-nations.598244/page-3

To sum up, the space launch is reported to next year at best, with high uncertainty concerning its future.

The residents of the Nantian tribe in Daren Township, Taitung, were very angry on 20th December.
We only learned at the tribal meeting site that the space launch center was built next to their homes.
Residents felt that they were not respected, and there were concerns about safety and environmental impact.
The person in charge of the base also apologized.

我們常說敦親睦鄰，和鄰居的關係很重要，不過台東達仁鄉的南田部落居民20日卻相當生氣，到了部落會議現場才知道，原來家旁邊蓋了衛星實驗基地，而且27日就要試射探空火箭。居民們覺得不被尊重，安全、環境上的影響也都有疑慮，基地的負責人也出面道歉。
​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hpta3bdKc_w ; 火箭基地當鄰居 村民氣炸反對試射【央廣新聞】 ; 554 views•Dec 21, 2019 ; Rti中央廣播電臺 43.1K subscribers
▲ 1. 火箭基地當鄰居 村民氣炸反對試射【央廣新聞】

 

[艹艹艹]

 

[JSCh]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1205381675225497600

cedar@EL2squirrel
SJ-20 is a communication satellite of DFH-5 platform, it will be launched in late december by Long March-5.

If it goes well, It will conduct the first Q/V-band communication experiment with 4.5Ghz bandwidth in the world


9
2:59 PM - Dec 13, 2019

Long march 5-Y3 rolled out this morning to launch pad for launch mission of SJ-20 communications satellite tentatively set on 27th Dec 20:00 BJT.

CCTV weibo live broadcast link ->

• http://live.weibo.com/show?id=1042152:109b453f37bc9839448c2eeda74d9244
• https://live.bilibili.com/21686237
• https://www.pscp.tv/w/1nAKEZApWvlGL

 

[JSCh]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1210551040430395392

https://twitter.com/x/status/1210552916861304832

21:26, 27-Dec-2019
China successfully launches Long March-5 Y3
CGTN

The third Long March-5 rocket, China's largest carrier rocket, was successfully launched from Wenchang Space Launch Center on Friday night.

Long March-5 Y3 was vertically transported to the launch center in south China's Hainan Province on December 21 ahead of the launch.

The rocket is vital to China's future space missions. It will be tasked with launching China's first Mars probe and sending the Chang'e-5 lunar probe to the moon to bring lunar samples back to Earth.

In addition, a modified version of the rocket, Long March-5B, will be used to construct China's space station.

 

[JSCh]

China’s state-of-the-art carrier rocket sends satellite to orbit
By Deng Xiaoci Source:Global Times Published: 2019/12/27 21:51:22

Carrier rocket Long March-5 Y3

China's heavy-lift launch vehicle Long March-5 returned to flight after a break of more than two years, as it successfully sent a high-throughput communication satellite Shijian-20 into planned orbit on Friday, marking a huge comeback for the currently strongest member of the country's carrier rocket family.

The 20-story tall rocket [about 57 meters in height], codenamed Long March-5 Y3 for the mission, took off from Wenchang Space Launch Center in South China's Hainan Province on Friday around 8:45 pm, and after a flight of approximately 30 minutes, the rocket successfully placed the Shijian-20 satellite, whose weight at launch was over 8,000 kilograms, into the planned geosynchronous orbit (GEO).

The satellite is by far the country's heaviest GEO satellite, whose full wingspan of solar panels exceeds 40 meters, some 10 meters longer than those of a Boeing 737 airplane.

Shijian-20 is an experiment satellite designed to test the country's new-generation large GEO satellite platform, the Dongfanghong-5, or DFH-5, Pang Zhihao, a Beijing-based expert in space exploration, told the Global Times on Friday.

A number of high-throughput satellites with message capability of up to more than 1 terabyte per second (Tbps) will be developed based on the platform and to provide communication and internet services to countries and regions along the Belt and Road Initiative in around 2022, according to satellite developer China Academy of Space Technology, under the biggest Chinese state-backed aerospace contractor China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASC.)

Super 2020

The Friday launch mission also marked the third flight of Long March-5, which took place more than two years after a July 2017 launch failure on the rocket's second test flight due to an engine problem, according to its developer, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), also under CASC.

The successful flight of Long March-5 has given impetus to China's ambitious heavy payload space projects for a "Super 2020," during which the country plans to perform missions including the Chang'e-5 lunar sample return mission and the country's first Mars probe mission, according to the developer, as well as the construction of the country's future space station.

"It shows that Long March-5 rockets have accelerated its development toward the engineering application stage," said Wang Xiaojun, director of the CALT.

"By 2020, we plan to launch the Long March-5B for the first time, for the Chang'e-5 lunar sample return mission and a Mars probe," he revealed.

Wang Jue, chief commander of the Long March-5, said that to accomplish the Chang'e-5 mission, which includes sending the probe weighing more than eight tons into the Earth-Moon transfer orbit, the carrier rocket must have large payload capabilities.

According to the CALT boss, work on the Long March-5 rocket families for the later missions is going smoothly.

Li Dong, chief designer of the Long March-5, told the Global Times that there are two configurations of the heavy-lift carrier rocket. Long March-5B, a smaller variant of the rocket with a maximum payload capability of around 25 tons to low Earth orbit (LEO), will provide strong support for the construction of China's planned manned space station.

Another configuration of the rocket will be capable of sending payloads of up to 14 tons to the geosynchronous orbit and will serve missions such as lunar sample returns and deep space exploration, Li said.

Li hailed the development of the Long March-5, as it will greatly enhance the country's space capability. According to the plan, a Chinese mission will make a soft landing on Mars by 2021.

Big ticket to space powerhouse club

It is safe to say that the Long March-5, with a core diameter of five meters, which is almost double China's previous payload lifting capabilities, is a big ticket giving China entry into the world space powerhouse club, Wang Ya'nan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Friday.

The "big ticket" will not only provide direct support for imminent deep space exploration programs such as the Chang'e-5 lunar probe and the country's first ever Mars probe, but will also test the reliability and maintenance capability of the country's heavy-lift engines including liquid oxygen kerosene engine and liquid hydrogen oxygen engine, paving the way for the next generation of super heavy-lift launch vehicles such as the Long March-9, Wang noted.

China's heavy-lift carrier rocket, the Long March-9, is expected to make its maiden flight around 2030 and will support manned lunar exploration, deep space exploration and construction of a space-based solar power plant, the Xinhua News Agency reported in March quoting the CALT.

The diameter of the body of the Long March-9 rocket will be nearly 10 meters, according to media reports.

As of Friday, all 18 launch missions of carrier rockets developed by CALT have been completed, with a perfect run of 18 straight successes, according to a CALT official report on Friday.

The perfect run includes 12 from the Long March-3A rocket family, accomplishing missions for the deployment of four communication satellites, one GEO relay satellite and 10 satellites for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, or BDS.

Also, the year 2019 witnessed China's first-ever successful rocket launch at sea on June 5, which blasted off from a platform on a large semi-submersible barge in the Yellow Sea and sent two technological experiment satellites and five commercial satellites into the preset orbit.

With more than 30 successful rocket launches this year, China hopes to lead the world for a second year in launch numbers, which also showcases the nation's high-performing aerospace technology, space experts said.