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

[MarkusS]

I hope we can work out more cooperation between the chinese program and our ESA program. There is already some cooperation and i hope it gets bigger.

 

[JSCh]

Key test of Long March-7 planned
Updated: 2014-12-25 07:35

By Zhao Lei in Tianjin(China Daily USA)

Chinese engineers are nearing completion of the Long March-7 rocket and will soon test its compatibility with the launch site, the designers said.

"We will perform the compatibility test for the Long March-7 and the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in Hainan within a short time, and the rocket to be used in the test has been produced," said Tao Gang, general manager of the Tianjin Long March Launch Vehicle Manufacturing Co Ltd.

"The Long March-2 and Long March-3 families, the backbones of our launches, are scheduled to retire within the next 10 years, so the Long March-7 and Long March-5 will become the pillars of China's space program," he added.

Tao's company is a subsidiary of China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the leading space launch vehicle developer in China. It has been designated by the academy as the development and manufacturing base for China's heavy-lift rockets.

Four Long March-7 rockets have been made to date, and three of them are being used for static and thruster tests, said Zhang Beijun, a senior executive at the company.

The Long March-7 is a liquid-fueled, carrier rocket intended to launch China's first cargo spacecraft, which is under development.

The unmanned cargo vehicle will transport supplies to and refuel China's future manned space station. China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, one of the major undertakers of China's space activities, said the spacecraft will also retrieve waste from the station and then burn up with the waste when it re-enters the atmosphere.

Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China's manned space program, told Xinhua News Agency in an earlier report that the first launch of the Long March-7 and the cargo spacecraft will be around 2016, to serve the Tiangong-2 space laboratory, which is planned to be in orbit by the end of next year.

Ma Zhonghui, a China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology engineer who helped develop the Long March-7, said that the rocket has new engines and eco-friendly propellants.

"It can be widely used in commercial launch service," she said. "We have received a lot of orders from domestic users."

Ma said it has the advantage of being able to send payloads into a low Earth orbit or a sun-synchronous orbit, meaning the satellite will always appear to be in the same position relative to the sun.

Luo Xiaoyang, a high-ranking official of the academy, previously told China Daily that the Long March-7 is 53.1 meters long and 3.35 meters in diameter. Its launch weight will be about 593 metric tons.

It can put a 13.5-ton payload into low Earth orbit and a 5.5-ton payload into a sun-synchronous orbit, he said.

Lei Fanpei, chairman of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, said earlier this month in Beijing that in addition to the Long March-7, three other new types of rockets - including the Long March-5, a heavy-lift rocket that is more powerful than the Long March-7 - will also fly for the first time in the next two years.

zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn

Photograph taken on 26 Dec afternoon, showing truck carrying Long March 7 to Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in Hainan.

 

[Beast]

Isn't the rocket supposed to be ship by sea?

 

[JSCh]

Isn't the rocket supposed to be ship by sea?

Yes, made in Tianjin and transport to Hainan island by sea.
The truck is from port to launch center.
*****

China ends 2014 with Long March 3A launch of Fengyun-2G | NASASpaceFlight.com
December 30, 2014 by Rui C. Barbosa

The Chinese have closed out 2014 with the launch of the Fengyun-2G (Fengyun-2-8) geostationary meteorological satellite using a Long March 3A (Chang Zheng 3A) rocket. The launch took place at 01:02 UTC on Wednesday from Pad LC2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

Developed by the Shanghai Academy of Space Flight Technology (SAST) and China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), this meteorological satellite series has already seen the launch of five operational satellites.

One more satellite from the fleet is scheduled before the new Fengyun-4 satellites enters service, with the first launch of the next generation scheduled for December 2015.

*****

2014年12月31日，搭载风云二号08星的运载火箭在 西昌卫星发射中心点火发射。当日9时02分，我国在西昌卫星发射中心用长征三号甲运载火箭成功将风云二号08星发射升空，卫星顺利进入预定轨道。风云二号 08星是风云二号03批地球静止轨道气象卫星工程的第二颗业务应用卫星。风云二号08星和执行本次发射任务的长征三号甲运载火箭由中国航天科技集团公司负 责研制。这是长征系列运载火箭的第203次飞行。新华社记者 刘潺 摄

 

[JSCh]

With the launch this morning, conclude all the launches for 2014.
Below is the 2014 launch list for Long March family ONLY!!

ID Vehicle Date Site Results
189 LM-2C* 31/03/2014 JSLC success
190 LM-4C 9/08/2014 JSLC success
191 LM-4B 19/08/2014 TSLC success
192 LM-2D 4/09/2014 JSLC success
193 LM-4B 8/09/2014 TSLC success
194 LM-2C* 28/09/2014 JSLC success
195 LM-4C 20/10/2014 TSLC success
196 LM-3C* 24/10/2014 XSLC success
197 LM-2C* 27/10/2014 JSLC success
198 LM-2C* 15/11/2014 TSLC success
199 LM-2D 20/11/2014 JSLC success
200 LM-4B 7/12/2014 TSLC success
201 LM-4C 11/12/2014 JSLC success
202 LM-4B 27/12/2014 TSLC success
203 LM-3A 31/12/2014 XSLC success

100% success!!

 

[cirr]

Here is looking forward to another year of successful launches in 2015.

Some 30 successful launches。

 

[JSCh]

Breaking News Special New Year Edition
Thursday / 1 January 2015
Moon-Based Telescope Observation Of M101 Spiral
Is First Galaxy Imaged From The Moon

Great Astronomy From The Moon Potential Confirmed By China Chang’e-3 Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope LUT Observations On 2 December At Beginning Of Lunar Day 13; Iconic 2014 Photo To Be Refined Further By NAOC Astronomers In Beijing, In Collaboration With ILOA And UHH, CFHT Lunar Astronomy Team On Hawai`i Island USA, Introducing Bright, Robust New Year 2015

Image Credit: National Astronomical Observatories of China & International Lunar Observatory Association; University of Hawaii Hilo, Canada France Hawaii Telescope

Breaking News Special New Year EditionThursday / 1 January 2015 | Lunar Enterprise Daily

 

[JSCh]

工作人员查看正在建造的长征五号火箭整流罩（2014年12月12日摄）。新华社记者岳月伟摄
Stuff viewing the rocket fairing of the under-construction Long March 5 (photo taken 12-12-2014)

Booster of Long March 5 (photo taken 12-12-2014)

 

[JSCh]

Reporter has heard from SASTIND that Chang'e-5T1's service module has arrived at Earth-Moon Lagrange Point 2(EM-L2) Lissajous orbit on 27th Oct. 2014. On 28th Oct, it perform the first ever EM-L2 orbit maintenance maneuver, currently the extended/secondary mission is progressing smoothly.
============================================================
Service module of China's returned lunar orbiter reaches L2 point - China - Chinadaily.com.cn
(Xinhua) Updated: 2014-11-29 15:56

探月工程三期再入返回飞行器服务舱已完成环绕地月系统拉格朗日-2点（简称地月L2点）的拓展试验任务，于2015年1月4日23时实施逃逸机动，飞离地月L2点，计划1月中旬飞回月球轨道继续为嫦娥五号任务开展在轨验证试验。

SASTIND has reported on its website that Chang'e 5T1's service module has left EM-L2 orbit on 4th Jan 2015 23 pm. And would proceed to enter into lunar orbit in mid January to continue performing path finding experiment for Chang'e 5 lunar sample return mission.

 

[Keel]

The Moon and the Earth and then changing positions

Fantastic shots taken during Chang'e 5T1's mission (Credits to @bobsm and @JSCh 's postings respectively @ #623 and 635 above)

 

[cirr]

Long March-5（CZ-5）rocket's fairing：

TS-6 ion propulsion system：

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

Long March-5（CZ-5）rocket's fairing：

TS-6 ion propulsion system：

Too bad it is going to be postponed to 2016 for the maiden flight.

Since it is only our first heavy rocket, so it is better to be more prudent than to rush for the advance.

 

[SOHEIL]

postponed to 2016

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

Well, this is science, no any rush.

 

[terranMarine]

Well, this is science, no any rush.

better be save than sorry for failed launch, afterall space programs are very costly. It's not a space race so i'd rather see it succeed later than having to rush it.