China Space Military：Recon, Satcom, Navi, ASAT/BMD, Orbital Vehicle, SLV, etc.

[JSCh]

China Focus: China's space satellites make quantum leap
Source: Xinhua | 2016-08-16 20:10:06 | Editor: huaxia

BEIJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- China plans to send more quantum communication satellites into orbit after the successful launch of the Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS) satellite, according to the chief scientist of the project.

Early Tuesday morning, the world's first quantum satellite, nicknamed "Micius" after an ancient Chinese scientist, lifted off from a Long March 2-D rocket. After three months of in-orbit testing, the satellite is designed to start "hack-proof" quantum communications by transmitting uncrackable keys from space to the ground.

Quantum communication is ultra-secure as a quantum photon can neither be separated nor duplicated. Accordingly, it is impossible to wiretap, intercept or crack information it transmits.

"If the new satellite operates well, China will follow up with projects Micius-2 and Micius-3," said QUESS chief scientist Pan Jianwei.

China is striving to set up the first-ever global quantum communication network by around 2030, through linking a satellite constellation consisting of dozens of quantum satellites and ground-based quantum communication networks, said Pan.

Based on this network, China will be able to establish a highly secure quantum Internet, a quantum communication industry, and a new generation of information security systems, scientists say.

Given that QUESS is a low-orbit satellite with limited coverage, it can only be used for satellite to ground quantum communication during the night to avoid sunlight interference. More quantum satellites will be needed to realize highly efficient quantum communication on a worldwide scale, Pan said.

By the end of the year, China will complete and put into operation the world's first secure quantum communication network, the Beijing-Shanghai network.

The 2,000 km network will be used for secure data transmission in the fields of the military, finance and government affairs.

So far, several banks in China have been the first users of quantum encryption.

However, scientist say that it will take another a decade or more for quantum communication to reach individuals. This will involve intensive efforts updating Internet infrastructure and the setting of industry standards.

Meanwhile, Chinese scientists expect more uses for quantum technology in the future, including quantum computers, devices used for energy storage and transfer, as well as for ultra-precise physical and medical measurements.

The successful launch of QUESS marks China taking a lead in the fierce global competition in quantum technology.

This March, the EU announced its initiative on quantum technology with an investment of 1 billion euros (about 1.1 billion U.S. dollars), which is scheduled to launch in 2018.

Pan said that China will push forward international cooperation on quantum information technology research. The first project will test transcontinental quantum communication between China and Austria, he added.

 

[JSCh]

APXS: New Type of Basalt Discovered on Lunar Surface
Aug 15, 2016

China's lunar rover Jade Rabbit (also known as Yutu), launched as part of the Chang'e-3 lunar mission in 2013, has stopped operations on August 3. The Active Particle-induced X-ray Spectrometer (APXS), the only scientific payload on the robot arm of the Yutu Rover for the Chang’E-3 mission, has contributed to a discovery of a new type of basalt not known in the current sample collection on the lunar surface. The results were presented on the 46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas, USA.

Since its successful landing on the Mare Imbrium in 2013, APXS has completed detection runs on two regions around the landing site three times. Seven major elements (magnesium, aluminum, silicon, potassium, calcium, titanium andiron) and four trace elements (chromium, strontium, ytterbium and zirconium) could easily be identified in the spectrum.

The release of the data has attracted the attention of research institutions worldwide. In collaboration with the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC), the Institute of Geology and Geophysics (IGG), the University of Notre Dame, the University of Nanjing (NJU) and Shandong University (SDU), scientists from the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) deduced the elements’ abundance from the APXS results.

The results showed that the CE-3 basalt can be classified as a mid-Ti, high-AL and low-K group based upon its chemical composition, which implies a type of basalt not found on the lunar surface before now. Meanwhile, joint observation with the Visible-Near Infrared Spectrometer (VNIS), panoramic camera and Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR) revealed the landing site to be a young multilayered terrane.

Developed by the Institute of High Energy Physics and the Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, for the Chang’E-3 mission, APXS is a vital tool to provide valuable data for geochemical research on the moon.

APXS uses the X-ray fluorescence mechanism to determine elemental abundances of both soil and rocks along the traverse of the rover. The eight radioactive sources in the instrument excite the characteristic X-rays of the samples, then the X-rays are detected by the high resolution sensor to accumulate a spectrum, which can be used to deduce the presence and abundance of elements on the moon.

Because of its ability to identify and quantify element abundances, X-ray spectrometers are widely used for in-situ detection in extra-planetary missions. For example, APXS instruments were applied in the science payloads package for all the NASA Mars missions as geochemistry tools.

The IHEP research group dedicated several years to the functional design and performance verification of the instrument. This ensured the APXS was able to complete its in-situ detection mission and to guarantee the safety of the sensor, including protection against extremely low temperature during period of the moon night, and touching the security. The APXS was designed to have three work patterns which included the detecting pattern, the calibration pattern and the warm up pattern. The energy resolution of APXS is 135 eV@5.9 keV, which is the best resolution of any such similar instrument by far.

Research based on the CE-3 data is still underway. It is hoped that APXS instruments could play a role in further space missions such as lunar projects, Mars projects, asteroid projects, comet missions and so on, and to discover more mysteries in the geochemistry of extraterrestrial bodies.

The sensor head, radioactive heat unit and inflight calibration target of APXS (Image by IHEP)​

 

[JSCh]

More science satellites on the drawing board
By Zhao Lei in Jiuquan, Gansu (China Daily) Updated: 2016-08-17 07:35

Chinese space scientists are planning to develop several satellites in the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), according to senior researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

"We have started preliminary research on four space-based scientific projects - the Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer, Water Cycle Observation Satellite, Einstein Probe and as the Magnetosphere, Ionosphere and Thermosphere Program," said Gong Jiancun, deputy director of the academy's National Space Science Center.

"Our center is submitting these projects to the government for review and approval," he added, noting that the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope developed by the academy will be sent into space before the end of this year to explore black holes and the rules of physics in extreme environments.

He made the remarks on Monday before the launch of the country's first quantum experiment satellite, the third science satellite the Chinese Academy of Sciences has sent skyward since December, when it lifted the nation's first science satellite, the Dark Matter Particle Explorer Satellite.

Wu Ji, director of the National Space Science Center, previously told People's Daily that scientists at the center are urging the government to allocate more funds and to adopt favorable policies for science satellite projects.

"NASA in the United States spends about $5 billion every year to develop science satellites, and the European Space Agency spends 2 to 3 billion euros ($2.3 to 3.4 billion) on science satellite programs annually," he was quoted as saying.

"By comparison, China had no science satellite until the end of last year."

He suggested the government include science satellite projects in the National Key Science and Technology Program for long-term planning and receive stable financial support, the report said.

 

[JSCh]

First data from quantum satellite "Micius" received
Source: Xinhua | 2016-08-18 20:56:56 | Editor: huaxia

File photo taken on July 27, 2016 shows technical staff install solar wing for the experimental quantum communication satellite at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwest China's Gansu Province. The world's first quantum communication satellite, which China is preparing to launch, has been given the moniker "Micius," after a fifth century B.C. Chinese scientist, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced Monday. According to CAS, the quantum satellite will conduct experiments on high-speed quantum key distribution between the satellite and ground stations, as well as explore quantum teleportation for the first time in the world. (Xinhua)

BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The first batch of data from the world's first quantum satellite was received by Chinese scientists, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said Thursday.

The data was received on Wednesday by the China Remote Sensing Satellite Ground Station (RSGS), located in Miyun on the outskirts of Beijing, at 11:56 a.m.

The 202 MB of data was in good quality and was transferred to China's National Space Science Center.

China launched world's first quantum communication satellite on Tuesday. It is nicknamed "Micius," after a fifth century B.C. Chinese philosopher and scientist.

The satellite is designed to establish "hack-proof" quantum communications by transmitting uncrackable keys from space to the ground, and provide insights into the strangest phenomenon in quantum physics -- quantum entanglement.

RSGS is responsible for establishing satellite reception for China's space sciences and has already built a network for near-earth satellite reception.

Apart from the receiving station in Miyun, a station in Kashgar, northwestern China, and one in Sanya, southern China, will also track and receive data from "Micius" in the future.

 

[Beyonder]

China unveils its Mars 2020 probe and science goals
http://gbtimes.com/china/china-unveils-its-mars-2020-probe-and-science-goals

China has released images of its orbiter, lander and rover for its ambitious 2020 Mars mission, along with details of the scientific instruments to be sent to the Red Planet.

Chief architect of the mission, Zhang Rongqiao, told a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday that the mission will be complex and ambitious, including an orbiter, lander and rover.

The lander will carry a gasbag, a parachute and reverse thrust engines in order to achieve a safe landing, while factors such as the long-distance data transmission delay means that the rover will have a high autonomy.

The science goals include studying the Martian topography, soil, environment, atmosphere and water ice, as well as the planet's internal structure and search for possible signs of life.

The mission will launch on a Long March 5 rocket from the new Wenchang spaceport on the island province of Hainan in summer 2020.

Above: China's Mars 2020 lander using thrusters for landing (Xinhua).

After around seven months and 400m kilometres, the mission will attempt to enter Mars orbit and achieve the orbiting, landing and roving aspects of the mission.

Dr Wu Ji, director of the National Space Science Centre in Beijing which develops space science payloads, revealed to gbtimes in February that the orbiter will have on board space particle detectors and cameras capable of detecting methane – the presence of which may indicate biological processes occurring on Mars.

The rover will carry a ground penetrating radar that could reveal a much about the past and present of Mars.

China's 2020 lander, rover and deployment system (Xinhua).

The same instrument allowed China’s Yutu rover to image around 400m below the lunar surface, making intriguing discoveries about the composition and history of the Moon, such as evidence of volcanic floods.

Above: Artist impression of China's 2020 Mars rover.
China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) has also opened a public competition for a name and an iconic logo for the mission.

While China's 2020 mission is ambitious, Zhang said that it will also be a demonstration of technology needed for an unprecented Mars sample return mission around 2030.

From the Moon to Mars
China has already successfully put a lander and rover on the Moon in late 2013, but a landing on the Red Planet poses greater challenges, as it involves great speeds than a lunar mission, a thin but significant atmosphere, different gravity and an active planetary surface.

Ye Peijian, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, says the probe is being developed by the team that completed the 2013 Chang'e-3 lunar lander mission.

While this will be China's first attempt at an independent mission to Mars, China first attempted to reach the Red Planet with Yinghuo-1 on the back of Russia’s exciting Phobos-Grunt mission to return samples from one of the moons of Mars in 2011, but the spacecraft failed to leave Earth orbit.

The country was then stung by the success of neighbours and fellow emergent Asian space power India, when it successfully inserted its ‘Mangalyaan’ probe into orbit around Mars in 2014.

China’s 2020 mission will share the optimal launch window for Mars missions, which occurs roughly every two years, with Nasa’s 2020 Mars mission, a Japan-launched mission for the United Arab Emirates and perhaps also the second European-Russian ExoMars mission.

 

[Beyonder]

China unveils its Mars 2020 probe and science goals
http://gbtimes.com/china/china-unveils-its-mars-2020-probe-and-science-goals

China has released images of its orbiter, lander and rover for its ambitious 2020 Mars mission, along with details of the scientific instruments to be sent to the Red Planet.

Chief architect of the mission, Zhang Rongqiao, told a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday that the mission will be complex and ambitious, including an orbiter, lander and rover.

The lander will carry a gasbag, a parachute and reverse thrust engines in order to achieve a safe landing, while factors such as the long-distance data transmission delay means that the rover will have a high autonomy.

The science goals include studying the Martian topography, soil, environment, atmosphere and water ice, as well as the planet's internal structure and search for possible signs of life.

The mission will launch on a Long March 5 rocket from the new Wenchang spaceport on the island province of Hainan in summer 2020.

Above: China's Mars 2020 lander using thrusters for landing (Xinhua).

After around seven months and 400m kilometres, the mission will attempt to enter Mars orbit and achieve the orbiting, landing and roving aspects of the mission.

Dr Wu Ji, director of the National Space Science Centre in Beijing which develops space science payloads, revealed to gbtimes in February that the orbiter will have on board space particle detectors and cameras capable of detecting methane – the presence of which may indicate biological processes occurring on Mars.

The rover will carry a ground penetrating radar that could reveal a much about the past and present of Mars.

China's 2020 lander, rover and deployment system (Xinhua).

The same instrument allowed China’s Yutu rover to image around 400m below the lunar surface, making intriguing discoveries about the composition and history of the Moon, such as evidence of volcanic floods.

Above: Artist impression of China's 2020 Mars rover.
China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) has also opened a public competition for a name and an iconic logo for the mission.

While China's 2020 mission is ambitious, Zhang said that it will also be a demonstration of technology needed for an unprecented Mars sample return mission around 2030.

From the Moon to Mars
China has already successfully put a lander and rover on the Moon in late 2013, but a landing on the Red Planet poses greater challenges, as it involves great speeds than a lunar mission, a thin but significant atmosphere, different gravity and an active planetary surface.

Ye Peijian, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, says the probe is being developed by the team that completed the 2013 Chang'e-3 lunar lander mission.

While this will be China's first attempt at an independent mission to Mars, China first attempted to reach the Red Planet with Yinghuo-1 on the back of Russia’s exciting Phobos-Grunt mission to return samples from one of the moons of Mars in 2011, but the spacecraft failed to leave Earth orbit.

The country was then stung by the success of neighbours and fellow emergent Asian space power India, when it successfully inserted its ‘Mangalyaan’ probe into orbit around Mars in 2014.

China’s 2020 mission will share the optimal launch window for Mars missions, which occurs roughly every two years, with Nasa’s 2020 Mars mission, a Japan-launched mission for the United Arab Emirates and perhaps also the second European-Russian ExoMars mission.

Writer failed to mention planned 2 Red Dragon Mission of SpaceX in 2020! Exciting times....

 

[qwerrty]

 

[onebyone]

Gaofen-10 (GF-10) - CZ-4B - TSLC - August 30, 2016 (~18:50 UTC)

Well, it looks like that this one is launching on August 30 GMT time...... (wee hours of the night on the 31st local time)

A2154/16 - A TEMPORARY RESTRICTED AREA ESTABLISHED BOUNDED BY: N302834E1090528-N302143E1094207-N292852E1092859-N293535E1085237 BACK TO START. VERTICAL LIMITS:GND-UNL. GND - UNL, 30 AUG 18:46 2016 UNTIL 30 AUG 19:11 2016. CREATED: 24 AUG 07:37 2016

Can someone check what launcher does this drop zone corresponds to? There are rumors that a CZ-2C will be used.

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=40679.0

 

[onebyone]

Well, this fairing drop zone (in red) seems close to the fairing drop zone for CZ-4C used for FY-3B (in green)
Fairing for CZ-2C (used for YG-18) was recovered to the South

 

[JSCh]

Thursday, August 25, 2016, 15:05
China hi-res SAR satellite sends back pictures
By Xinhua

The first batch of pictures transmitted back from Gaofen-3 have been released. Photo above shows the image of Xiamen city acquired by the satellite. (Photo / Xinhua)

BEIJING - China on Thursday published the first pictures transmitted back to earth from Gaofen-3, the country's first C-band high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite with a resolution of one meter.

The State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) published images of the Beijing Capital International Airport, Xiamen city of Fujian Province, the northern port of Tianjin, China's fourth-largest freshwater lake Hongze and the Yellow Sea, which were taken by the satellite.

These images were captured using different imaging modes and all appear to be clear, according to the SASTIND.

The Gaofen-3 satellite was launched on Aug 10 and started to take pictures and send them back from Aug. 15.

The data was received by ground stations and processed by the China Center For Resources Satellite Data and Application.

As of Wednesday, Gaofen-3 has obtained and processed as much as 2.15TB of data.

SASTIND said that tests on ground-based systems will be finished by December and then application tests will begin.

Major users of the satellite's application services include the State Oceanic Administration, Ministry of Civil Affairs, Ministry of Water Resources and China Meteorological Administration.

Gaofen-3 has all-weather, 24-hour earth observation capability, and will provide China with new technologies for ocean environment monitoring, maritime rights protection, disaster monitoring and evaluation, meteorological research, monitoring of water conservation facilities, and water resource management, according to SASTIND.

 

[cirr]

Ok, success!

 

[indiatester]

Ok, success!

What is that?

 

[Beast]

 

[cirr]

Key component(aluminium alloy ring of over 10m in diametre) successfully manufactured for next generation heavy duty carrier rocket

http://www.cq.xinhuanet.com/2016-08/28/c_1119466654.htm

@Bussard Ramjet

 

[Beast]

Key component(aluminium alloy ring of over 10m in diametre) successfully manufactured for next generation heavy duty carrier rocket

http://www.cq.xinhuanet.com/2016-08/28/c_1119466654.htm

@Bussard Ramjet

Given such rate, I think 2020-2022. CZ-9 will be completed and ready for first flight. China may skip Manned lunar landing and straight goes into Manned Mars Mission to beat US target of 2030 landing.