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

[JSCh]

China to launch first satellite to monitor global CO2 distribution
(People's Daily Online) 19:57, December 13, 2016

According to the China Meteorological Administration, China is set to launch its first satellite to monitor the distribution of carbon dioxide around the globe.

The satellite, to be launched in late December, will offer a means of measuring carbon dioxide on a global scale, and improving people’s knowledge about global carbon cycles. It will also provide reliable and stable predictions about climate change.

The satellite’s launch will not only prove China’s progress in greenhouse gas monitoring, it will also lift China's international discourse.

An employee from the Chinese Academy of Sciences explained that atmospheric carbon dioxide molecules can present characteristics of spectrum absorption for solar radiation, and the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will be inverted after the satellite measures spectral absorption lines.

The satellite will conduct an overall examination of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere every 16 days. Data from that analysis will be transmitted to the ground station, and an examination report on carbon dioxide emissions in different seasons and regions will then be produced.

 

[onebyone]

Space Exploration Plans Unveiled
Author：
Update time： 2016-12-05

The Chinese Academy of Sciences' National Space Science Center has officially unveiled five space exploration plans to be accomplished during the 13th Five Year Plan period (2016-20).

These include an Einstein Probe satellite that will carry two X-ray telescopes of differing sensitivities to search for black holes, gravitational waves, gamma-ray bursts and other phenomena; an Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory to study the relationships between solar magnetic fields, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections; a Water Cycle Observation Mission to improve scientists' understanding of the spatial and temporal distribution of the water cycle and related physical processes, as well as how the water cycle responds to global changes; the Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere Coupling Small Satellite Constellation Exploration Plan, comprised of four small satellites in different orbits that will traverse the polar regions at the same time but at different altitudes, in order to study the outflow of ions from the ionosphere to the magnetosphere; and the Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer, a joint project between the Chinese Academy of Sciences and European Space Agency to study the interaction between Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind, while simultaneously monitoring the magnetosphere's plasma environment.

The National Space Science Center also began soliciting research ideas from all space science-related institutes across China on Thursday. Researchers have until the end of December to make a submission.

After the first round of expert review, the ideas with the best prospects will receive grants from the center for up to six months of in-depth study to draw up detailed research plans. Some of these could then be chosen as candidates for the country's 14th Five Year Plan (2021-25) or 15 Five Year Plan (2026-30) on space exploration.



By CHENG YINGQI(chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2016-12-01

http://english.nssc.cas.cn/ns/headline/201612/t20161205_171613.html

 

[JSCh]

China's First Overseas Land Satellite Receiving Station Put into Operation
Date: 2016-12-15 　

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth (RADI) opened the China Remote Sensing Satellite North Polar Ground Station (CNPGS) on December 15th, 2016, near Kiruna, Sweden. Constructed and operated by RADI, the station is supported by China’s “National Major Project on High Resolution Satellites” to receive data transmitted from high-resolution Earth observation satellites. After two years of construction, CNPGS has been put into trial operation after an on-site inspection on Thursday. Representatives attended the inauguration ceremony of CNPGS, including TANG Yan, Deputy Director of the Center for Major Projects on High Resolution Satellites, LIU Jianbo, Deputy Director of RADI, and Leif Österbo, President of Satellite Management Services Division of the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC).

CHEN Yuming, Chinese Ambassador to Sweden, sent a congratulation letter, which said that CNPGS has laid a solid foundation for long-term cooperation of China and Sweden in science, technology and economic cooperation.

CNPGS is located at the Esrange Space Center, at 67o53’ north latitude, 21o04’ east longitude, 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle.

CNPGS is China's first land satellite receiving station constructed overseas. It has a special geographical advantage because polar-orbiting satellites fly over the station’s location due to their north-south orbital direction around Earth. CNPGS can greatly increase the transmission efficiency of satellite data, and can effectively improve China's capability to rapidly access global remote sensing data, which is of great significance for applications requiring rapid response such as natural disasters.

CNPGS is the first engineering application of the three-band antenna in China. It is capable of receiving all-weather, all-time, and multi-resolution satellite data, and is compatible with follow-up Ka-band receiving requirements. The construction of CNPGS broke through a large number of key technologies, including a large-scale three-axis antenna structure system that is light, modular, low-temperature, easily disassembled, unmanned, and capable of remote fault diagnosis and maintenance. Through the completion of CNPGS, China's technology related to the receiving station has reached an internationally advanced level.

Inauguration Ceremony.

China Remote Sensing Satellite North Polar Ground Station.

Ground stations located in Beijing, Sanya, Kashgar, Kunming, and Kiruna.

Antenna of CNPGS.
​

China's First Overseas Land Satellite Receiving Station Put into Operation ---- Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth,Chinese Academy of Sciences

 

[TaiShang]

Satellite navigation network eyes more civilian roles

By Ouyang Shijia (China Daily) December 17, 2016

A stand illustrates the Beidou Navigation Satellite System at an expo in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The Global Navigation Satellite System and Location-based Services Association of China said on Friday that it plans to expand the civilian applications for the country's self-developed global satellite navigation network - a "sat nav" rival to the US Global Positioning System - called the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, or BDS.

The association said it would hold a series of activities, including demonstrations and conferences, starting January. These will involve industry experts, interested companies and other stakeholders, in a move to seek new business for civilian use of the system's location-based services.

"Now we have already built the system connecting hundreds of cities in China, the next step will be to promote and boost the development of the Beidou's civilian use and to prosper," said Miao Qianjun, secretary-general of association.

The BDS Precise Service System, a joint effort between the association and the China Location Network Services Alliance, can currently provide services in 317 cities in China, with applications including the supply of electric power, water, and intelligent transportation.

The association said the system offered precise positioning, accurate timing and communications services.

Min Yiren, deputy director general of the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation of China, said that in the information age, the association should support Beidou's development in various industries.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Beidou will be able to provide positioning accuracy of less than 10 meters and a timing accuracy of 20 nanoseconds - making it a potentially strong challenger to the dominant GPS sat nav system developed by the United States.

By the end of 2015, Beidou's market hit 42 billion yuan ($6.03 billion). However, compared with GPS, which accounts for 90 percent of the whole market in the globe, Beidou's market size is still too small.

 

[onebyone]

TanSat to launch on December 21.

Launch planned around 19:15 UTC on December 21
A3205/16 - A TEMPORARY RESTRICTED AREA ESTABLISHED BOUNDED BY:N351156E0984149-N351536E0982237-N354435E0983047-N353936E0985638, BACK TO START.VERTICAL LIMITS:GND-UNL. GND - UNL, 21 DEC 19:11 2016 UNTIL 21 DEC 19:38 2016. CREATED: 16 DEC 07:44 2016

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=40297.0

 

[cirr]

In-orbit tests of the world's first magnetic-focusing Hall thruster successfully conducted onboard the SJ-17 satellite

世界首套磁聚焦霍尔电推进系统成功在轨验证

科技日报北京12月16日电 (李苹洁 记者陈瑜)记者16日从中国航天科技集团公司五院502所获悉,该所研制的磁聚焦霍尔电推进系统在实践十七号卫星上完成了全部在轨飞行验证工作,这是世界上第一套完成在轨飞行验证的磁聚焦霍尔电推进系统。

航天器的轨道转移和位置保持绝大多数应用的是化学推进系统,化学推进剂的种类和携带量限制了航天器的性能、寿命和飞行速度。上世纪60年代开始,性能更高的电推进技术成为国际研究的热点。目前,各国公布的未来空间任务表明,更多的电推力器将被用于空间探测器的主推进系统,为航天器提供源源不断的动力。

宇航推进系统性能指标主要体现为比冲,比冲越大,推进技术性能越高。此次,我国在轨验证的电推进系统为第二代磁聚焦霍尔推进技术,其推力密度高、结构简单、可靠度高。经在轨性能标定、单次8小时连续点火、20次开关机试验、50小时在轨点火等工况考核,该产品比冲较国际上同功率霍尔电推力器高出近20%,性能指标达到该类推力器的最高水平,标志着我国具备自主研制第二代更高性能霍尔电推进系统的能力。

据了解,相比我国目前广泛应用的化学推进系统,磁聚焦霍尔电推进技术比冲高出6倍以上,对于同样的宇航任务,电推进消耗的推进剂约为化学推进的1/6,甚至更少。未来,我国新型高轨卫星平台以及深空探测任务采用磁聚焦霍尔电推进技术后,航天器所携带的推进剂重量将从数吨降至数百千克,可显著提升航天器有效载荷、延长航天器在轨寿命、降低航天器发射成本。

http://www.stdaily.com/index/yao ... ontent_486261.shtml

@Bussard Ramjet India?

 

[JSCh]

14th Dec, Kuaizhou 1A getting ready. Launch date said to be at 31st Dec.

 

[cirr]

There are still 11 days left in year 2016 with 4 launches to go.

14th Dec, Kuaizhou 1A getting ready. Launch date said to be at 31st Dec.

 

[samsara]

There are still 11 days left in year 2016 with 4 launches to go.

So how many launches China has in total throughout the 2016? I once read that in 2016 China has more launches than Russia.

 

[onebyone]

Long March-11 first launch - Jiuquan - September 25, 2015 (01:41 UTC)

 

[艹艹艹]

http://www.gpsdaily.com/reports/Rus...ronization_of_GLONASS_BeiDou_Systems_999.html
Russia, China Making Progress in Synchronization of GLONASS, BeiDou Systems
by Staff Writers
Moscow (Sputnik) Dec 21, 2016

Russia and China have achieved a significant progress in the synchronization of GLONASS and BeiDou navigation systems, Roscosmos head Igor Komarov said Monday.

"We have achieved a considerable progress in the field of cooperation... on the harmonization and synchronization of GLONASS and BeiDou systems. All contracts have been signed, and the work is proceeding.

There are prospects, there is great interest on the part of the partners in different fields: the engines, the joint development of launch vehicles, manned space programs, conducting of experiments at the low-Earth orbit," Komarov told Kommersant newspaper in an interview.

In May 2015, China and Russia signed the BeiDou-Glonass system compatibility and interoperability cooperation agreement, marking a new stage of navigation cooperation between the two countries.

 

[TaiShang]

Russia and China have achieved a significant progress in the synchronization of GLONASS and BeiDou navigation systems, Roscosmos head Igor Komarov said Monday.

"We have achieved a considerable progress in the field of cooperation... on the harmonization and synchronization of GLONASS and BeiDou systems. All contracts have been signed, and the work is proceeding.

China- Russia cooperation is really becoming quite multi-leveled. So many critical systems are being integrated and major industrial projects are being launched.

Institutionally, too, China and Russia are working in many platforms from security-related to development-related.

The path-dependency set up by these early initiatives is as important as the initiatives themselves. We may call these (still) foundational work.

 

[Beast]

China- Russia cooperation is really becoming quite multi-leveled. So many critical systems are being integrated and major industrial projects are being launched.

Institutionally, too, China and Russia are working in many platforms from security-related to development-related.

The path-dependency set up by these early initiatives is as important as the initiatives themselves. We may call these (still) foundational work.

GLONASS most likely is just a back up to Beidou II system. Beidou II system will still achieved full independent by 2020. That means if all GLONASS is destroyed, Beidou II will still function globally.

 

[TaiShang]

GLONASS most likely is just a back up to Beidou II system. Beidou II system will still achieved full independent by 2020. That means if all GLONASS is destroyed, Beidou II will still function globally.

Definitely. Beidou will have global coverage by 2020, I guess, if the plan goes along as expected.

The cooperation is synchronization of the two systems; I think what this means is the two will have similar standards and configurations to work on each other's devises.

 

[Beast]

Definitely. Beidou will have global coverage by 2020, I guess, if the plan goes along as expected.

The cooperation is synchronization of the two systems; I think what this means is the two will have similar standards and configurations to work on each other's devises.

Its more like GLONASS benefit from Chinese beidou II. I still remember they have a massiv rocket failure launch which carries 3 satellites supposed to replace ageing GLONASS and no replacement is launch again to supplement those fail. And Russia declared it still cover worldwide. I highly doubt that. I can also bet the accuracy of GLONASS is bad and not very reliable.