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China makes breakthrough in R&D of heavy-lift launch rocket
2017-03-04 17:01
CGTN Editor: Li Yan
China has officially started early explorations in the research and development of a heavy-lift launch vehicle. An important breakthrough has now been made in technical challenges of the rocket engine.
Research and development of the two kinds of high thrust engines is smoothly progressing, said Tan Yonghua, director of the Science and Technology Department, No.6 Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
Wu Yanhua, the deputy director of China National Space Administration, said China's heavy-lift launch vehicle will be named Long March 9, and its first flight is planned for around 2030.
Qin Xudong, director of the overall design department, No.1 Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said the main research project is known as "One Overall Three Big."
"One Overall" relates to the optimization of the overall system, "Three Big" refers to the design, manufacturing and testing of big-caliber rockets; 480 tons of high-thrust (big power) liquid oxygen and kerosene engines and 220 tons of high-thrust (big power) hydrogen and oxygen engine.
Compared to the five-meter diameter rocket Long March 5, heavy-lift launch vehicle Long March 9 is much more difficult to develop. It needs higher requirements, Qin Xudong indicated.
Tan Yonghua stated that the thrust of Long March 9 is designed to be greater than 3,000 tons, its carrying capacity at near-Earth orbit is more than 100 tons and its transferring capacity from the Earth to the Moon is greater than 50 tons, which meets the needs of a future manned lunar landing, Mars exploration and farther deep space exploration.
It is reported that world space powers have all restarted research and development of heavy-lift launch vehicles.
If Long March 9 can accomplish its first flight, the heavy-lift launch vehicle would likely become the world's largest carrying rocket.
http://www.ecns.cn/2017/03-04/247918.shtml
Thinking Big: China Hopes to Conduct 2nd Mission to Mars by 2030
By Staff Writers
Beijing (Sputnik) Mar 03, 2017
File image.
China is likely to conduct its second Mars mission, aimed at collecting soil samples for analysis, by 2030, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
CASC consultant Ye Peijian said China hoped to collect samples of Mars' soil and bring them back to Earth to conduct scientific analyses of the red planet's structure and environment as well as to measure the possibilities for construction on Mars by 2030, the Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday.
Ye added that such missions were likely to open possibilities for China's deep space exploration.
On December 27, the Chinese State Council Information Office (SCIO) said China was planning to conduct its first orbiting and roving exploration of Mars by 2020. A month later, China National Space Administration's (CNSA) Vice Director Wu Yanhua confirmed that China's space exploration agenda included two missions to Mars and one to Jupiter.
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/T..._Conduct_2nd_Mission_to_Mars_by_2030_999.html
China's 1st cargo spacecraft to make three rendezvous with Tiangong-2
Source: Xinhua
2017-03-04
BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- China's first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 is expected to dock with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab three times after its planned launch in April, sources said Saturday.
Tianzhou-1 will be sent into space from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province aboard a Long March-7 Y2 carrier rocket, according to a spokesperson of China's manned space program.
It is scheduled to refuel Tiangong-2 three times and carry out experiments and tests.
During the journey, Tianzhou-1 will orbit on its own for about three months and together with Tiangong-2 for about two months after their rendezvous.
At the end of the mission, Tianzhou-1 will leave the orbit and fall back to earth while Tiangong-2 will remain in orbit and continue its experiments.
The Tianzhou-1 mission will complete the second phase of the country's manned space program.
It will be crucial for China in achieving the final step of establishing a space station around 2022.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-03/04/c_136101226.htm
China to launch space station core module in 2018
By Staff Writers
Beijing (XNA) Mar 03, 2017
With the ISS set to retire in 2024, the Chinese space station will offer a promising alternative, and China will be the only country with a permanent space station.
China will launch a space station core module in 2018 as the first step in completing the country's first space outpost, according to a senior engineer with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC) on Thursday.
The core module of the space station, named "Tianhe-1" according to previous reports, will be launched on board a new-generation Long March-5 heavyweight carrier rocket, said Bao Weimin, director with CASC and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
It will be followed by a series of launches for other components of the space station, including two space labs, which will dock with the core module while in space, in the next four years or so, he said, adding that the space station will be completed around 2022.
Assembly of the core module has already been completed and tests are currently under way, said Bao, who is in Beijing for the annual session of China's top political advisory body.
Earlier reports said the new Chinese space station will initially be much smaller than the current International Space Station (ISS), which weighs 420 tonnes, but could be expanded for future scientific research and international cooperation.
With the ISS set to retire in 2024, the Chinese space station will offer a promising alternative, and China will be the only country with a permanent space station.
Bao said the Chinese outpost will function in orbit for "dozens of years," and that it had been specially designed to be able to handle space debris.
"For the big pieces (of space debris), we could conduct evasive maneuvers, and for those measuring less than 10 cm in size, we just take the hit," Bao said, adding that all key parts of the space station will be serviceable and replaceable.
He went on to say that the next five years will see some exciting advances in China's space program.
In particular, the Long March-5 launch missions have been scheduled this year, including one that will take the Chang'e-5 lunar probe to the Moon in November and return with lunar samples.
Long March-5 is a large, two-stage rocket with a payload capacity of 25 tonnes to low-Earth orbit and 14 tonnes to geostationary transfer orbit, the largest of China's carrier rockets. Its carrying capacity is about 2.5 times that of the current main model Long March carrier rockets.
The rocket will also be used in China's planned Mars probes, and possibly future missions to Jupiter and other planets within the solar system, Bao said.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/China_to_launch_space_station_core_module_in_2018_999.html
China Focus: Riding an asteroid: China's next space goal
2017-03-02 07:20:35
By Xinhua writer Yu Fei
BEIJING， March 2 (Xinhua) -- After sending a probe to Mars in 2020， China plans to explore three asteroids and land on one of them to conduct scientific research， according to a Chinese asteroid research expert.
The "China's Space Activities in 2016" white paper， issued by the Information Office of the State Council recently， also mentioned asteroid exploration in outlining the major tasks of the country's space industry in the next five years.
Ji Jianghui， a researcher at the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a member of the expert committee for scientific goal argumentation of deep space exploration in China， took part in expert discussions on the main scientific goals of China's deep space exploration in the next two decades.
The committee basically decided to conduct expeditions to asteroids and then Jupiter and its moon system after the Mars expedition.
"The experts' plan is to fly a probe by an asteroid， to fly side by side with an asteroid for a period， and to land on a third one to conduct in situ sampling analysis on the surface，" said Ji.
So far， only the United States and Japan had landed probes on asteroids. Japanese probe Hayabusa 1 landed on the asteroid Itokawa， and brought samples back to Earth.
"China will send the Chang'e-5 lunar probe to the moon and bring samples back in 2017. If that mission succeeds， it would mean China， like Japan， would be able to bring back samples from asteroids to study in labs on Earth in the future，" said Ji.
Scientists would give priority to detecting near-Earth asteroids to analyze their probability of colliding with Earth.
At the same time， they are eager to study the formation and evolution of asteroids， which might shed light on the origins of the solar system， as well as the origins of life and water on Earth.
Chinese scientists plan to fly a probe side by side with an asteroid called Apophis for a period to conduct close observation， and land on the asteroid 1996 FG3. The probe is also expected to conduct a fly-by of an asteroid to be selected according to the launch time. The whole mission would last around six years， said Ji.
THREATS FROM SPACE
Discovered in 2004， Apophis is about the size of two football fields， with its longest diameter at about 394 meters. Analysis shows it will come very close to Earth in 2029， missing our planet by some 30，000 kilometers. The distance， a hair's breadth in astronomical terms， is within the orbit of the moon， and even closer than some man-made satellites. It will be the closest asteroid of its size in recorded history. The asteroid is supposed to come around Earth again in 2036.
Apophis was believed to pose a big threat to Earth when it was first discovered. More than 100 scientific groups around the globe are studying it. Further study has shown it has only a 1-in-a-million chance of hitting the Earth in 2029.
Although we don't have to worry about Apophis for the time being， scientists estimate there are about 300，000 near-Earth objects with a diameter over 40 meters， and only 3 percent of them have been discovered. An international asteroid warning network was set up in December 2013 to monitor potential threats.
As a member of the warning network， China's Purple Mountain Observatory， discovered three new near-Earth asteroids -- 2017 BK3， 2017 BM3 and 2017 BL3 -- in January this year， and 2017 BL3 poses a potential threat to Earth， said Ji.
"In order to cope with the potential threat of the near-Earth objects， we need not only ground-based telescopes to form a monitoring and warning system， but also space probes to conduct close investigations of the asteroids to study their physical characteristics， interior structure and content，" Ji said.
China's asteroid exploration will help scientists better understand the basic features of the near-Earth objects， and seek effective measures to deal with the possibility of a collision， said Ji.
ORIGINS OF LIFE?
Some scientists believe asteroid 1996 FG3 might hide the secret of the origins of life on Earth.
At present， there are two main theories about the origins of life. One is that life was conceived on Earth itself， and the other is that life originated in outer space. Scientists have discovered many meteorites containing organic compounds， which are believed to be related to the origins of life.
Many asteroids also contain water. And some scientists believe the water on Earth might have been brought by asteroids or comets.
"Scientists have conducted many ground-based astronomical observations on asteroid 1996 FG3. Spectral analysis shows that it is a carbonaceous asteroid， and it's very likely that it contains organic components which are needed for the origins of life，" Ji said.
China has already conducted a fly-by observation of an asteroid named Toutatis.
On Dec. 13， 2012， China's second lunar probe， Chang'e-2， after successfully completing its mission， rendezvoused with Toutatis at a distance of 770 meters， as the space rock， bigger than a city block， swept by Earth at a distance of around 7 million kilometers.
It was the world's first close fly-by observation of Toutatis. The probe took high-resolution images providing a number of discoveries.
Ji and his collaborators conducted intensive research， finding the ginger-root-shaped asteroid is about 4，750 meters long and 1，950 meters wide. They studied how it rotated in space.
The research also revealed new insights into the geological features and formation of the asteroid， showing it was essentially rubble and that the impact craters on its surface could be 1.6 billion years old.
http://english.sina.com/news/2017-03-02/detail-ifyazwha3562033.shtml
、
China Moon Exploration: Chang’e-5 Lunar Probe Detailed
2017-03-04 17:01
CGTN Editor: Li Yan
China has officially started early explorations in the research and development of a heavy-lift launch vehicle. An important breakthrough has now been made in technical challenges of the rocket engine.
Research and development of the two kinds of high thrust engines is smoothly progressing, said Tan Yonghua, director of the Science and Technology Department, No.6 Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
Wu Yanhua, the deputy director of China National Space Administration, said China's heavy-lift launch vehicle will be named Long March 9, and its first flight is planned for around 2030.
Qin Xudong, director of the overall design department, No.1 Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said the main research project is known as "One Overall Three Big."
"One Overall" relates to the optimization of the overall system, "Three Big" refers to the design, manufacturing and testing of big-caliber rockets; 480 tons of high-thrust (big power) liquid oxygen and kerosene engines and 220 tons of high-thrust (big power) hydrogen and oxygen engine.
Compared to the five-meter diameter rocket Long March 5, heavy-lift launch vehicle Long March 9 is much more difficult to develop. It needs higher requirements, Qin Xudong indicated.
Tan Yonghua stated that the thrust of Long March 9 is designed to be greater than 3,000 tons, its carrying capacity at near-Earth orbit is more than 100 tons and its transferring capacity from the Earth to the Moon is greater than 50 tons, which meets the needs of a future manned lunar landing, Mars exploration and farther deep space exploration.
It is reported that world space powers have all restarted research and development of heavy-lift launch vehicles.
If Long March 9 can accomplish its first flight, the heavy-lift launch vehicle would likely become the world's largest carrying rocket.
http://www.ecns.cn/2017/03-04/247918.shtml
Thinking Big: China Hopes to Conduct 2nd Mission to Mars by 2030
By Staff Writers
Beijing (Sputnik) Mar 03, 2017
China is likely to conduct its second Mars mission, aimed at collecting soil samples for analysis, by 2030, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
CASC consultant Ye Peijian said China hoped to collect samples of Mars' soil and bring them back to Earth to conduct scientific analyses of the red planet's structure and environment as well as to measure the possibilities for construction on Mars by 2030, the Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday.
Ye added that such missions were likely to open possibilities for China's deep space exploration.
On December 27, the Chinese State Council Information Office (SCIO) said China was planning to conduct its first orbiting and roving exploration of Mars by 2020. A month later, China National Space Administration's (CNSA) Vice Director Wu Yanhua confirmed that China's space exploration agenda included two missions to Mars and one to Jupiter.
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/T..._Conduct_2nd_Mission_to_Mars_by_2030_999.html
China's 1st cargo spacecraft to make three rendezvous with Tiangong-2
Source: Xinhua
2017-03-04
BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- China's first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 is expected to dock with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab three times after its planned launch in April, sources said Saturday.
Tianzhou-1 will be sent into space from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province aboard a Long March-7 Y2 carrier rocket, according to a spokesperson of China's manned space program.
It is scheduled to refuel Tiangong-2 three times and carry out experiments and tests.
During the journey, Tianzhou-1 will orbit on its own for about three months and together with Tiangong-2 for about two months after their rendezvous.
At the end of the mission, Tianzhou-1 will leave the orbit and fall back to earth while Tiangong-2 will remain in orbit and continue its experiments.
The Tianzhou-1 mission will complete the second phase of the country's manned space program.
It will be crucial for China in achieving the final step of establishing a space station around 2022.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-03/04/c_136101226.htm
China to launch space station core module in 2018
By Staff Writers
Beijing (XNA) Mar 03, 2017
China will launch a space station core module in 2018 as the first step in completing the country's first space outpost, according to a senior engineer with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC) on Thursday.
The core module of the space station, named "Tianhe-1" according to previous reports, will be launched on board a new-generation Long March-5 heavyweight carrier rocket, said Bao Weimin, director with CASC and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
It will be followed by a series of launches for other components of the space station, including two space labs, which will dock with the core module while in space, in the next four years or so, he said, adding that the space station will be completed around 2022.
Assembly of the core module has already been completed and tests are currently under way, said Bao, who is in Beijing for the annual session of China's top political advisory body.
Earlier reports said the new Chinese space station will initially be much smaller than the current International Space Station (ISS), which weighs 420 tonnes, but could be expanded for future scientific research and international cooperation.
With the ISS set to retire in 2024, the Chinese space station will offer a promising alternative, and China will be the only country with a permanent space station.
Bao said the Chinese outpost will function in orbit for "dozens of years," and that it had been specially designed to be able to handle space debris.
"For the big pieces (of space debris), we could conduct evasive maneuvers, and for those measuring less than 10 cm in size, we just take the hit," Bao said, adding that all key parts of the space station will be serviceable and replaceable.
He went on to say that the next five years will see some exciting advances in China's space program.
In particular, the Long March-5 launch missions have been scheduled this year, including one that will take the Chang'e-5 lunar probe to the Moon in November and return with lunar samples.
Long March-5 is a large, two-stage rocket with a payload capacity of 25 tonnes to low-Earth orbit and 14 tonnes to geostationary transfer orbit, the largest of China's carrier rockets. Its carrying capacity is about 2.5 times that of the current main model Long March carrier rockets.
The rocket will also be used in China's planned Mars probes, and possibly future missions to Jupiter and other planets within the solar system, Bao said.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/China_to_launch_space_station_core_module_in_2018_999.html
China Focus: Riding an asteroid: China's next space goal
2017-03-02 07:20:35
By Xinhua writer Yu Fei
BEIJING， March 2 (Xinhua) -- After sending a probe to Mars in 2020， China plans to explore three asteroids and land on one of them to conduct scientific research， according to a Chinese asteroid research expert.
The "China's Space Activities in 2016" white paper， issued by the Information Office of the State Council recently， also mentioned asteroid exploration in outlining the major tasks of the country's space industry in the next five years.
Ji Jianghui， a researcher at the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a member of the expert committee for scientific goal argumentation of deep space exploration in China， took part in expert discussions on the main scientific goals of China's deep space exploration in the next two decades.
The committee basically decided to conduct expeditions to asteroids and then Jupiter and its moon system after the Mars expedition.
"The experts' plan is to fly a probe by an asteroid， to fly side by side with an asteroid for a period， and to land on a third one to conduct in situ sampling analysis on the surface，" said Ji.
So far， only the United States and Japan had landed probes on asteroids. Japanese probe Hayabusa 1 landed on the asteroid Itokawa， and brought samples back to Earth.
"China will send the Chang'e-5 lunar probe to the moon and bring samples back in 2017. If that mission succeeds， it would mean China， like Japan， would be able to bring back samples from asteroids to study in labs on Earth in the future，" said Ji.
Scientists would give priority to detecting near-Earth asteroids to analyze their probability of colliding with Earth.
At the same time， they are eager to study the formation and evolution of asteroids， which might shed light on the origins of the solar system， as well as the origins of life and water on Earth.
Chinese scientists plan to fly a probe side by side with an asteroid called Apophis for a period to conduct close observation， and land on the asteroid 1996 FG3. The probe is also expected to conduct a fly-by of an asteroid to be selected according to the launch time. The whole mission would last around six years， said Ji.
THREATS FROM SPACE
Discovered in 2004， Apophis is about the size of two football fields， with its longest diameter at about 394 meters. Analysis shows it will come very close to Earth in 2029， missing our planet by some 30，000 kilometers. The distance， a hair's breadth in astronomical terms， is within the orbit of the moon， and even closer than some man-made satellites. It will be the closest asteroid of its size in recorded history. The asteroid is supposed to come around Earth again in 2036.
Apophis was believed to pose a big threat to Earth when it was first discovered. More than 100 scientific groups around the globe are studying it. Further study has shown it has only a 1-in-a-million chance of hitting the Earth in 2029.
Although we don't have to worry about Apophis for the time being， scientists estimate there are about 300，000 near-Earth objects with a diameter over 40 meters， and only 3 percent of them have been discovered. An international asteroid warning network was set up in December 2013 to monitor potential threats.
As a member of the warning network， China's Purple Mountain Observatory， discovered three new near-Earth asteroids -- 2017 BK3， 2017 BM3 and 2017 BL3 -- in January this year， and 2017 BL3 poses a potential threat to Earth， said Ji.
"In order to cope with the potential threat of the near-Earth objects， we need not only ground-based telescopes to form a monitoring and warning system， but also space probes to conduct close investigations of the asteroids to study their physical characteristics， interior structure and content，" Ji said.
China's asteroid exploration will help scientists better understand the basic features of the near-Earth objects， and seek effective measures to deal with the possibility of a collision， said Ji.
ORIGINS OF LIFE?
Some scientists believe asteroid 1996 FG3 might hide the secret of the origins of life on Earth.
At present， there are two main theories about the origins of life. One is that life was conceived on Earth itself， and the other is that life originated in outer space. Scientists have discovered many meteorites containing organic compounds， which are believed to be related to the origins of life.
Many asteroids also contain water. And some scientists believe the water on Earth might have been brought by asteroids or comets.
"Scientists have conducted many ground-based astronomical observations on asteroid 1996 FG3. Spectral analysis shows that it is a carbonaceous asteroid， and it's very likely that it contains organic components which are needed for the origins of life，" Ji said.
China has already conducted a fly-by observation of an asteroid named Toutatis.
On Dec. 13， 2012， China's second lunar probe， Chang'e-2， after successfully completing its mission， rendezvoused with Toutatis at a distance of 770 meters， as the space rock， bigger than a city block， swept by Earth at a distance of around 7 million kilometers.
It was the world's first close fly-by observation of Toutatis. The probe took high-resolution images providing a number of discoveries.
Ji and his collaborators conducted intensive research， finding the ginger-root-shaped asteroid is about 4，750 meters long and 1，950 meters wide. They studied how it rotated in space.
The research also revealed new insights into the geological features and formation of the asteroid， showing it was essentially rubble and that the impact craters on its surface could be 1.6 billion years old.
http://english.sina.com/news/2017-03-02/detail-ifyazwha3562033.shtml
China Moon Exploration: Chang’e-5 Lunar Probe Detailed
