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

[JSCh]

China plans to launch 156 low Earth orbit satellites by 2025
(Global Times) 10:50, September 01, 2017

CGTN photo​

China plans to launch 156 small satellites by 2025 to provide Internet services in low signal areas and places with adverse natural environment, according to an announcement by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC).

Due to environmental conditions of deserts, mountains and seas, half of the world's population has no access to the Internet, and the information deficiency hampers local development, according to a press release CASIC sent to the Global Times Thursday.

It will be China's first broadband Internet access system with small satellites hovering in low orbit, which will also help meet the needs of commercial space development, it said.

The project, named Hongyun, plans to send the first satellite by 2018, and launch four more to gain preliminary experience by 2020. By the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), CASIC plans to have all of the 156 satellites in operation.

"The satellites will also facilitate Internet access and communication for airplanes and ocean-going ships," Wang Yanan, chief editor of the Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told reporters.

The Hongyun Project, which focuses on communication, remote sensing and navigation, can offer communication and Internet services for China and less-developed countries with reduced latency. Meanwhile, the project can also benefit emergency communication, sensor data collection and remote control of unmanned equipment, CASIC said.

Currently, international maritime satellites are widely used for communications in mountainous areas and airplanes, but those satellites, 36,000 kilometers above the Earth, have time and signal delay as well as high costs for providing services, said Yang Yuguang, a research fellow with the CASIC, according to the WeChat account of the company.

The small satellites sent by the Hongyun Project will hover in low orbits only hundreds of kilometers to 1,000 kilometers above the Earth, and thus could improve the Internet access, Yang said.

However, the low orbit satellites may face challenges in power supply, as they need more energy to reduce the influence of air-resistance compared to high orbit satellites. Experiments are needed to determine whether solar energy alone is enough, Wang said.

Hongyun Project was part of the space projects announced by CASIC at the Third China (International) Commercial Aerospace Forum in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, on Wednesday.

CASIC also announced at the forum that the rocket launch project called Kuaizhou 11, a solid-fuel carrier rocket. The rocket will mainly be responsible for sending mini satellites and sun-synchronous orbit small satellites.

The Kuaizhou 11 will have its maiden launch carrying six satellites in early 2018, reported China Central Television (CCTV).

China begins space-based broadband project
By Zhao Lei at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2018-12-22 08:18

The first satellite in the Hongyun project, which was planned by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC) to be the country's first low-orbit broadband communications satellite constellation, was launched on Saturday at 7:51 am on a Long March 11 carrier rocket at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China. [Photo by Li Jin/Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

China launched a communications satellite on Saturday, marking the start of construction of a vast space-based communications network capable of covering the entire world with broadband internet service.

The first satellite in the Hongyun project, which was planned by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC) to be the country's first low-orbit broadband communications satellite constellation, was launched on Saturday at 7:51 am on a Long March 11 carrier rocket at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China.

The spacecraft is tasked with verifying basic designs of Hongyun satellite and demonstrating low-orbit broadband communications technologies.

Its main payloads are Ka-band transponders and transmission antennae. It also carries several scientific and technical devices to explore Hongyun system's applications in scientific research, environmental survey as well as air and sea transportation, CASIC said in a statement.

Weighing 247 kilograms, the satellite works in a sun-synchronous orbit about 1,100kilometers above earth. It is powered by solar arrays and has a design life of one year, but is expected to operate longer, according to Xiang Kaiheng, Hongyun's chief designer at CASIC Space Engineering Development Co Ltd in Beijing, which is responsible for developing and running the Hongyun constellation.

After a yearlong in-orbit technological demonstration by the satellite, CASIC plans to launch four mass-production Hongyun satellites before the end of 2020 to form a small network for Hongyun's trial run, he said.

The Hongyun project, started by CASIC in September 2016, aims to build a space-based communications network to provide broadband internet connectivity to users around the world, especially those in underserved regions.

CASIC currently intends to place more than 150 Hongyun satellites on orbits about 1,000 kilometers above the ground around 2023, while the constellation is likely to be further expanded in response to market demands, the designer said.

Globally, the concept of running a low-cost, high-performance satellite network to provide space-based communications and internet services has become popular among industry players.

The United States' SpaceX launched two experimental satellites last month to test technologies for its Starlink project, in which tech tycoon Elon Musk proposes to put a total of nearly 12,000 satellites into orbit by the mid-2020s.

Another US firm, OneWeb, plans to launch a satellite constellation of 648 low-Earth orbit microsatellites by the end of 2019, though few developments have been reported.

 

[JSCh]

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[JSCh]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1076905111597662208

Elon Musk‏ Verified account @elonmusk
Elon Musk Retweeted Scientific American

Amazing space progress by China. This year they did more orbital launches than the USA for the first time.

Elon Musk added,

Scientific American Verified account @sciam
China is once again on the threshold of a historic first in its fast-paced exploration of Earth’s moon. http://bit.ly/2GCCIPs​

2:19 AM - 24 Dec 2018​

Current total launch count is China 37 versus USA 34.

Well, China is not done yet.

Two more launch is known, one is tomorrow morning at 00:54am BJT for Communication Technology Experiment Satellite no. 3.

Another is on 29th Dec for multiple satellites with one being the first communication technology experiment satellite for the Hongyan constellation. While the Hongyun constellation just launched on 22nd Dec is for global internet network from CASIC, the Hongyan constellation is for global mobile network from CASC.

Hongyan satellite constellation to be operating by 2025
By Yin Han Source:Global Times Published: 2018/9/18 22:28:40

Global coverage for mobile phones will be realized by 2025 when the broadband system for a 300-satellite Chinese constellation is completed, a scientist for the project announced Tuesday.

"A broadband system will enable seamless global intercommunication," Pang Zhihao, a retired rocket and aerospace expert who co-led the Hongyan project at the China Academy of Space Technology, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Hongyan translates as "wild goose." In ancient China, geese were used to deliver messages.

Mobile phones will be able to connect "any time and place, and even in complex terrain," Hongyan project head Zhou Zhicheng said at a 2018 China Cybersecurity Week conference on Monday.

Construction of the constellation would combine low-orbit and high-orbit satellite technologies, according to Zhou.

The constellation consists of 300 low-orbit satellites and a global data processing center. Network security was one of top issues that would also be addressed by national authorities, Zhou said.

The constellation could also improve the accuracy of navigation provided by China's BeiDou satellite navigation system, according to an article released on Tuesday by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation where the Hongyan constellation is produced.

Hongyan could provide communication support on Arctic expeditions and dredgers, the article said.

Once completed, the Hongyan network will replace the ground-based network and allow a mobile phone to be connected in a remote desert or at sea.

Hongyan constellation is also used for a centimeter level global positioning system.

Planned global satellite system to allow 'unparalleled' accuracy
By ZHAO LEI | China Daily | Updated: 2018-12-07 07:20

A mock-up shows parts of the planned Hongyan Satellite Constellation system. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Kuilong expected to provide position to within 10 cm anywhere on planet

China will soon start building a space-based positioning and navigation system designed to provide unparalleled accuracy to users around the world, according to project managers.

The Kuilong system will link China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System with the Hongyan Satellite Constellation, on which construction will soon begin, said He Xing, executive vice-president of China Great Wall Industry Corp, which initiated the Kuilong program.

After the system is completed, Kuilong users will have access to their exact position accurate to about 10 centimeters in less than one minute, no matter where they are, He told China Daily on Thursday on the sidelines of the Sixth China Space Forum in Beijing.

He said the typical accuracy of a GPS reading on a mobile phone or car-mounted GPS receiver is about 5 to 10 meters, and positioning services are scarce to nonexistent in isolated places.

The Kuilong system will involve a sophisticated chain of electronic transactions from the ground to tens of thousands of kilometers above Earth, said He Mu, head of the Kuilong program at Great Wall Industry.

The Beidou system will obtain basic positioning data and then transmit it to ground control, which will use algorithms to improve accuracy before sending the information to the Hongyan constellation.

Hongyan satellites, carrying augmentation devices in low orbit, will further process the positioning data and deliver it to end users around the globe, He Mu said.

The first Hongyan satellite is scheduled to be launched this month atop a Long March 2D carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, a State-owned space giant and parent of Great Wall Industry.

The satellite will perform technological demonstrations in an orbit about 1,100 kilometers high to verify Hongyan satellites' compatibility with low-orbit and data-transmission capacity, designers said.

China Aerospace intends to carry aloft about 60 Hongyan satellites before the end of 2022, and then place more than 200 smaller satellites in orbit to form a network with global reach.

"When the 60 Hongyan satellites begin working in orbit, users will be able to know their position with 10-centimeter accuracy within three minutes anywhere in the world," He Mu said. "Once the entire 300-plus-satellite Hongyan constellation is operational, the Kuilong system will become fully functional and will give its users the same accuracy in less than a minute."

Kuilong would revolutionize a wide range of businesses including the internet of things and smart transportation, he said.

And unconfirmed rumor has it that there might be another launch on 30th Dec.

That would have made the total count to 40!!

 

[cirr]

China sends secretive satellite towards geostationary orbit with 38th launch of 2018

by Andrew Jones Dec 24, 2018 21:38

CHINA'S SPACE PROGRAM XICHANG CASC

A Long March 3C carrying a Beidou satellite lifting off from Xichang in March 2015. CNS

China carried out the launch of a secretive communications satellite to geostationary orbit on Monday from the Xichang launch centre in what was the country's 38th launch of 2018.

Liftoff of the Long March 3C launch vehicle carrying the satellite occurred at 16:53 UTC Monday from the launch site in southwest China, with local time at 00:53 December 25.

The People's Liberation Army Daily newspaper confirmed success of the launch 40 minutes later via social media, with the satellite inserted into geostationary transfer orbit.

The payload is known as the communication technology test satellite 3 (Tongxin Jishu Shiyan Weixing-3), or TJS-3, with few further details offered by Chinese media.

TJS satellites are perceived by outside observers to be classified spacecraft for the Chinese military, and possibly early warning satellites for detecting and tracking ballistic missiles, similar to the US Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), and would, if correct, provide China with capabilities that are otherwise absent.

Reporting on the TJS-1 satellite, developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, stated it would test Ka-Band frequency broadband communications.

TJS-2, this time developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST) and launched in January 2017, was similarly described by Chinese media as simply an experimental communications satellite. Differences in the launches suggest the utility of the payloads may vary.

The Long March 3C is very similar to the Long March 3B launch vehicle which on December 7 sent the Chang'e-4 lunar far side lander and rover towards the Moon, using two side boosters instead of the 3B's four.

Chinese record for launches in 2018

With 38 launches this year so far China will finish ahead of both the United States and Russia in launch rate for the first time.

The main contractor for the Chinese space programme CASC stated at the start of the year that it was targeting around 35 launches, meaning commercial launches could take the national number close to 40.

On December 29 at around 08:00 UTC CASC will launch the first of its Hongyan satellites as a technology verification for a 320-plus-satellite constellation for low Earth orbit broadband communications (not to be confused with first 'Hongyun' satellite launched for another state-owned behemoth on the weekend).

CASC has reached its own target and China has smashed its national record of 22 launches, set in 2016. However the flagship Long March 5 heavy-lift launcher remains grounded despite expecting a return-to-flight late this year, as it awaits its large Shijian-20 payload.

Components of the third Long March 5 rocket undergoing tests and assembly in Tianjin in early October 2018. CCTV/framegrab

China leads the world for launch rate in 2018, with the United States, which is set to launch a number of missions in the coming days, on 34 (including three Electron launches from New Zealand). Russia with 18, Europe (8), India (7) and Japan (6) all follow.

However in terms of wet launch mass the United States has sent more than double China's tonnage into a variety of orbits.

China suffered one of the two failures experienced out of the 108 global launches so far with the first attempt by a Chinese private launch company to reach orbit.

Liftoff of the Zhuque-1 solid-fuelled rocket from Jiuquan on October 27, 2018. Landspace

An issue with the third stage of Landspace's ZQ-1 rocket meant the payload failed to reach orbit.

The other involved two astronauts on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, but the crew safely reached the ground after aborting the launch.

https://gbtimes.com/china-sends-sec...-geostationary-orbit-with-38th-launch-of-2018

镁锂合金在“通信技术试验卫星三号” 成功应用！！

原创： 亦兵 西安四方集团

据新华社报道，2018年12月25日零时53分，我国在西昌卫星发射中心利用长征三号丙运载火箭发射“通信技术试验卫星三号”发射成功！ 今天发射的“通信技术试验卫星三号”，在预埋件、支架和部分机箱机壳等部位应用了我国自主研发的镁锂合金材料LA103Z及LA43M，这使整个卫星减重了约173KG！大大地提高了卫星的有效载荷量。

这是我国首次在高轨卫星上应用镁锂合金材料！高轨卫星相对低轨卫星寿命更长，但由于高轨电磁环境复杂，为避免高能粒子对电器原件的影响，不但要求材料的稳定性高，还要求材料的抗辐照性能好。为此卫星研发单位先后申请且授权了7项有关镁锂合金材料应用方面的国家专利。

关键词：镁锂合金

镁锂合金材料是当今世界最轻的金属结构材料，比铝合金减重40%－50%，比普通镁合金减重20%－30%，具备高比刚度、高比强度、减震消噪的高阻尼以及抗辐射、抗电磁干扰等优异性能。LA103Z及LA43M代表了国家镁合金发展的技术前沿，被称为未来最为“绿色环保”的革命性材料。通过使用镁锂合金可有效地提高卫星等产品的有效载荷量、大幅度降低其综合成本，在航空航天、兵器军工、石油化工、机械仪表、3C电子、物联网、医用等领域都具有广泛用途。

西安四方超轻材料有限公司

作为该材料的研制方，西安四方超轻材料有限公司是一家位于西安航空基地的高新技术企业。公司与西安交通大学柴东朗教授及其团队合作，于2008年9月率先建成了国内第一条镁锂合金生产线，在镁锂合金的熔炼工艺、质量控制、表面处理、制备加工等方面取得了突破性成果，总体技术水平处于国内领先、国际先进水平。西安四方超轻材料有限公司负责起草了我国第一份镁锂合金材料国家标准《镁锂合金铸锭》，并已正式颁布执行。2017年底通过国家立项，由西安四方超轻材料有限公司负责起草镁锂合金锻件和镁锂合金棒材、管材两项国家军用标准。经过多年的努力，四方公司研制的LA43M、LA103Z及LA103M镁锂合金材料通过了力学性能、真空挥发性能、辐照性能、耐腐蚀性能等各种性能考核。

 

[Adam WANG SHANGHAI MEGA]

 

[qwerrty]

via nasaspaceflight forum

 

[JSCh]

Another is on 29th Dec for multiple satellites with one being the first communication technology experiment satellite for the Hongyan constellation. While the Hongyun constellation just launched on 22nd Dec is for global internet network from CASIC, the Hongyan constellation is for global mobile network from CASC.


Hongyan constellation is also used for a centimeter level global positioning system.


And unconfirmed rumor has it that there might be another launch on 30th Dec.

That would have made the total count to 40!!

Reported to have successfully launch!! Would still need to wait for confirmation of mission success.

 

[cirr]

Reported to have successfully launch!! Would still need to wait for confirmation of mission success.

China successfully launches first satellite for Hongyan global internet satellite constellation

“鸿雁”首发星发射成功 航天科技全年37次发射圆满收官
　　
2018年12月29日，“鸿雁”星座首发星在我国酒泉卫星发射中心由长征二号丁运载火箭发射成功并进入预定轨道，卫星的成功发射标志着“鸿雁”星座的建设全面启动。卫星由中国航天科技集团有限公司空间技术研究院下属深圳航天东方红海特卫星有限公司（以下简称深圳东方红）抓总研制。

 

[cirr]

搭载发射鸿雁星座首颗试验星

军报记者酒泉12月29日电（李潇帆、记者邹维荣）2018年12月29日16时00分，我国在酒泉卫星发射中心用长征二号丁运载火箭（及远征三号上面级），成功将6颗云海二号卫星和搭载发射的鸿雁星座首颗试验星送入预定轨道。

云海二号卫星主要用于大气环境要素探测、空间环境监测、防灾减灾和科学试验等领域。鸿雁星座是航天科技集团有限公司研制的全球低轨卫星移动通信与空间互联网系统，此次搭载发射的首颗试验卫星主要用于开展低轨移动通信功能验证试验。这是长征系列运载火箭的第297次飞行。

 

[JSCh]

中国航天科技集团
上传于 8分钟前
来自 iPhone客户端
2018年宇航发射圆满收官，长征火箭37次发射全胜战绩创造历史

让我们一起回顾今年这37次的“长征腾飞”，携今天的荣耀，迎接新一年希望的曙光。

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC)
8 mins ago

2018 aerospace launches have successfully ended, and the Long March rocket made 37 successful launches to create history. Let us review the 37 "long march" of this year, and bring the glory of today to meet the dawn of the new year.

​

NOTE:
China in 2018 has actually done one more attempted orbital launch that fail to reach orbit.

It has done by China first private rocket company's first ever orbital launch attempt with a brand new designed rocket.

Let's wish that company called Landspace and few other private rocket companies, better luck with their new rocket in 2019!!

 

[onebyone]

Long March 2D concludes 2018 campaign with Hongyan-1 launch


A Chinese Long March-2D/YZ-3 (Chang Zheng-2D/YZ-3) rocket has conducted the final orbital launch of 2018 when it lofted the Hongyan-1 satellite from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Saturday. The launch took place at 08:00 UTC from the Launch Pad 94 of the LC43 Launch Complex.

Hongyan-1 is the first satellite of a constellation of more than 300 low-orbit satellites tasked with providing global communication services. The Hongyan constellation is being developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

Hongyan-1 will be placed on a 1,100-kilometer orbit to test L- and Ka-band communications technologies.

The Hongyan constellation is composed of more than 320 satellites, along with data processing centers, and will be built in three stages. The orbital group will consist of 54 main satellites, accompanied by another 270 smaller satellites for coordination of the system.





Six or nine satellites will be launched before the end of 2020 for network testing. The 54 larger first phase satellites will be placed in orbit by the year 2023 and the 270 smaller satellites will be placed into orbits to supplement the main satellites.

Once completed, the satellite communication network will take the place of the ground-based network and allow a mobile phones to be connected everywhere on the planet, either in a remote desert or at sea, according to CASC.
The project has drawn an investment of about 20 billion yuan (about 2.9 billion U.S. dollars) for its first phase, making it the largest investment for a single commercial aerospace program in China.

Notably, the “Hongyan” satellite constellation should not be confused with the “Hongyun” satellite constellation. The source of the confusion is that there are two Chinese LEO comsat constellation plans by CAST and CASIC respectively and their names are similar in Mandarin. The CAST satellite constellation is called Hongyan and the CASIC constellation is called Hongyun and the first test satellite was launched by a Long March-11 rocket on December 21 from Jiuquan.

In fact, the two names sound very similar in Mandarin when their meanings are very much unrelated: Hongyan means “Big Geese” while Hongyun means “Rainbow Clouds”.

At the time the identity of all the satellites launched on this mission – which included ride companions – with the primary payload.

The Long March-2D (LM-2D) launch vehicle is a two-stage rocket developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. With storable propellants is mainly used to launch a variety of low earth orbit satellites.

The development of LM-2D was started in February 1990. From 2002, to meet the demand of SSO satellites, the payload fairing of 3350mm in diameter and attitude control engine for the second stage have been successfully developed; and the discharge of remaining propellant and de-orbit of the second stage have been realized. This launcher is mainly used for launching LEO and SSO satellites.

It is characterized by high reliability, wide application and mature technology.

The LM-2D can launch a 1,300 kg cargo in a 645 km SSO. The rocket is 41.056 meters long and the first, second stages and payload fairing are all 3.35 meters in diameter.

The first stage is the same as the Long March-4.

The second stage is based on LM-4 second stage with an improved equipment bay. Lift-off mass is 232,250 kg, total length 41,056 meters, diameter 3.35 meters and fairing length 6.983 meters. At launch, it develops 2961.6 kN engine thrust.

The first stage has a 27.910 meter length with a 3.35 meter diameter, consuming 183,200 kg of N2O4 / UDMH (launch mass of the first stage is 192,700 kg). Equipped with a YF-21C engine capable of a ground thrust of 2,961.6 kN and a ground specific impulse of 2,550 m/s. Burn time is 170 seconds.

The second stage has a 10.9 meter length with a 3.35 meter diameter, launch mass of 39,550 kg and consuming 45,550 kg of N2O4 / UDMH. Equipped with a YF-24C cluster engine with a main engine vacuum thrust of 742.04 kN and a vernier engine with a vacuum thrust of 47.1 kN (specific impulses of 2,942 m/s and 2,834 m/s, respectively).

The LM-2D can use two types of fairings depending on the cargo. Type A fairing has a 2.90 meters diameter (total launch vehicle length is 37.728 meters) and Type B fairing with a diameter of 3.35 meters – total launch vehicle length is 41.056 meters.

Launch profile of the Long March-2D starts with engine ignition at 1.2 seconds before lift-off. Pitch over maneuver happens at 12 seconds into the flight and the end of the first stage ignition occurs at two minutes 33 seconds. Stage separation and second stage ignition occur one second latter. At 3 minutes 34 seconds the two parts of the fairing separate from the second stage.

Second stage main engine cut-off takes place at 4 minutes 21 seconds and second stage Vernier engines cut-off takes place at 9 minutes and 10 seconds. Nominally payload separation takes place three seconds later.
The first launch of the LM-2D was on August 9th, 1992 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center orbiting the Fanhui Shei Weixing FSW-2-1 (22072 1992-051A) recoverable satellite.

The LM-2D can use the Yuanzheng-3 (YZ-3) upper stage. This is capable of restarting more than 20 times, and operating for more than 48 hours. It is equivalent to mainstream upper stages in the world in terms of performance, such as restart times, in-orbit operation time, independent digital control system, and adaptable behavior for various tasks.

The Yuanzheng-3 upper stage was developed to meet the urgent needs for launch vehicles brought by the growth of small satellites, satellite constellations, electric propulsion platforms, etc.

The YZ-3 can also be used on the Long March-4B launch vehicle.

The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, in Ejin-Banner – a county in Alashan League of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region – was the first Chinese satellite launch center and is also known as the Shuang Cheng Tze launch center.

The site includes a Technical Centre, two Launch Complexes, Mission Command and Control Centre, Launch Control Centre, propellant fuelling systems, tracking and communication systems, gas supply systems, weather forecast systems, and logistic support systems.

This mission was the final launch of the year, with China launching more orbital rockets than any other country in 2018. The final launch of the year was China’s 39th, beating usual powerhouses Russia and the USA, although very few were flagship level missions – which was a parameter once again dominated by the United States, while the Russians are currently the planet’s main provider of human space launches.


https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/12/long-march-2d-20-hongyan-1-launch/

https://twitter.com/x/status/1078934344138395648

 

[cirr]

So year 2018 concludes with 39 launches: 38 successes and 1 failure.

China launches six Yunhai-2 satellites for atmospheric environment research

Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-29 20:20:57|Editor: ZX

JIUQUAN, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- China successfully sent six atmospheric environment research satellites and a test communication satellite into orbit Saturday.

They were launched by a Long March-2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 4:00 p.m.

The six Yunhai-2 satellites will be used to study atmospheric environment, monitor space environment, prevent and reduce disasters, and conduct scientific experiments.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-12/29/c_137707281.htm

 

[JSCh]

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC)
8 mins ago

2018 aerospace launches have successfully ended, and the Long March rocket made 37 successful launches to create history. Let us review the 37 "long march" of this year, and bring the glory of today to meet the dawn of the new year.

​

NOTE:
China in 2018 has actually done one more attempted orbital launch that fail to reach orbit.

It has done by China first private rocket company's first ever orbital launch attempt with a brand new designed rocket.

Let's wish that company called Landspace and few other private rocket companies, better luck with their new rocket in 2019!!

One more successful launch by China in 2018 that does not belong to the Long March series of rocket is by Kuaizhou-1A rocket made by CASIC.

China launches Centispace-1-s1 satellite
Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-29 18:49:14|Editor: ZX

China launches its Centispace-1-s1 satellite on a Kuaizhou-1A rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, at 12:13 p.m. Sept. 29, 2018. (Xinhua/Yang Xiaobo)

JIUQUAN, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- China launched its Centispace-1-s1 satellite on a Kuaizhou-1A rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 12:13 p.m. Saturday.

This is the second commercial launch by the Kuaizhou-1A rocket. The first launch in January 2017 sent three satellites into space.

The Kuaizhou-1A was developed by a rocket technology company under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC). It is a low-cost solid-fuel carrier rocket with high reliability and a short preparation period, designed to launch low-orbit satellites weighing under 300 kg.

The Centispace-1-s1 was developed by Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It is a technology experiment satellite for the low-orbit navigation enhancement system being developed by Beijing Future Navigation Technology Co. Ltd.

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积跬步，至千里，向日葵一号卫星引领低轨导航增强新时代 - 中科院微小卫星创新研究院
Centispace-1 satellite lead new era of low orbit navigation enhancement - Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences


Translation:
Beijing Future Navigation Technology Co., Ltd. invested and initiated a project plan of 120 low orbit microsatellites constellation for an integrated communication and navigation enhancement system (CentiSpace). Centispace-1 is the pilot technology verification microsatellite. The whole microsatellite weighs about 97 kilograms and runs in a sun-synchronous orbit with a height of about 700 kilometers. Its main purpose is to verify the microsatellite platform technology, verify laser inter-satellite link technology for microsatellites constellation, survey of global electromagnetic interference of the communication bands, test special microsatellite specific communication technologies, verify precision of on-board miniaturized high-precision GNSS, and high precision orbit determination technology.

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[JSCh]

Top to bottom, launch picture of LM-2D, Hongyan satellite, YuanZheng-3 upper stage and big red screen for Success!!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1078988446872432640

 

[JSCh]

China to launch first rocket for commercial missions in 1st half of 2019
CGTN
Published on Dec 29, 2018

China will launch the first rocket for commercial missions in the first half of 2019, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The rocket, Jielong (Smart Dragon) No.-1 Solid Propellant Launch Vehicle, will take on China's first commercial mission. China plans to develop two types of rockets for commercial purposes – the Jielong series and the Tenglong series, according to Tang Yagang, president of Chinarocket Co. Ltd. under the CASC.