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

[Indus Falcon]

U.S. report details China’s work on anti-satellite weapons
Reuters
May 9, 2015

WASHINGTON – China has the most rapidly growing space program in the world and continues to develop lasers, satellite jammers and other weapons aimed at the space-based assets of adversaries, a U.S. report said on Friday.

China has also created a “vast ground infrastructure” to build, launch and control satellites, said the U.S. Defense Department’s annual report to Congress on military and security issues related to China.

The report marked the latest push by U.S. military officials to highlight increasing threats to U.S. satellite systems. Those concerns prompted the Obama administration to propose $5 billion in extra spending over the next five years to increase the security and resilience of U.S. military and spy satellites.

By October 2014, China had launched 16 spacecraft that expanded its satellite communications and surveillance capabilities, including the first satellite that provided very high-resolution imagery, the report said.

The report provided new details about China’s “counterspace” technologies. It said a launch in July 2014 had renewed concerns about China’s development of destructive space technologies despite public statements about the use of space for peaceful purposes.

“The U.S. government is providing more details on Chinese counterspace activities than they have in the past,” said Brian Weeden with the nonprofit Secure World Foundation. “The Pentagon is clearly increasingly alarmed about China’s growing space capabilities and counterspace capabilities.”

The July 2014 launch did not destroy a satellite or create space debris, but the report cited evidence that suggested it was a follow-up to a January 2007 test that destroyed a defunct weather satellite and created hundreds of pieces of space debris.

In May 2013, China also launched an object into space on a ballistic trajectory with a peak altitude of over 30,000 km (18,640 miles), putting it near geosynchronous orbit, where many nations have communications and Earth-sensing satellites, the report said.

The space vehicle re-entered Earth’s orbit after 9.5 hours, which was not consistent with traditional space-launch vehicles, ballistic missiles or rocket launches used for scientific research, but could indicate a counterspace mission.

China has not responded to queries from the U.S. government and other groups about the purpose and nature of the launch.

Chinese military writings continued to emphasize the necessity of “destroying, damaging, and interfering with the enemy’s reconnaissance … and communications satellites” to “blind and deafen the enemy,” the report said.


U.S. report details China's work on anti-satellite weapons | The Japan Times

 

[TaiShang]

Beidou navigation system aims for 'centimeters' accuracy
(People's Daily Online) May 20, 2015

Now that it is in place, the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System provides Chinese users with decimeter-accurate positioning information in most areas and centimeter-accurate positioning information in some specific regions. Ran Chengqi, the spokesman for the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, has announced that three or four satellites will be sent up into space in 2015. Ran also shoulders the responsibilities of director for the China satellite navigation system management office.

This started offering services to China and the neighboring countries in the Asia-Pacific region in December, 2012. As an important part of the national space information infrastructure, the Beidou satellite navigation system forms a complete industrial system that encompasses basic products, satellite terminals and services of positioning, navigation and time. China now possesses the key technological know-how around Beidou satellite location chips and modules which can compete against similar foreign products in terms of performance and price. The Beidou navigation system is widely used in sectors such as transportation, marine fisheries, hydrological monitoring, and phone-based navigation systems. To date, the Beidou navigation system has been accepted by the InternationalMaritime Organization as the third global satellite navigation system and has wonrecognition from the International Civil Aviation Organization and the 3rd GenerationPartnership Project.

At the end of March 2015, China successfully launched its first new-generation Beidou navigation satellite. Since then, the navigation system has been able to expand its services from regional to global users. It is planned that the global navigation system should be complete by 2020.

Ran Qirang said that the Beidou satellite navigation system will tap into opportunities brought by the Belt and Road Initiative, and will engender further cooperation with other satellites. He added that during the process, China will step up cooperation with researchers working with other satellite navigation systems, push the Beidou Global Navigation Satellite System into the global market, and promote this system as a well-known Chinese product across the globe.

 

[bobsm]

China aims to be first to land on 'dark side' of moon
2015-05-21 08:51chinadaily.com.cn/Agencies
Editor: Si Huan

China is planning to land its Chang'e-4 probe on the moon's "dark side", which has never before been explored, Wu Weiren, the chief engineer for China's Lunar Exploration Program told Chinese Central Television.

"We probably will choose a site on which it is more difficult to land and more technically challenging…Our next move will probably see some spacecraft land on the far side of the moon," Wu said.

The "dark" side of the moon is not actually dark — it receives just as much sunlight as the hemisphere that can be seen from Earth.

The reason that the dark, or far, side of the moon, never faces Earth is a phenomenon known as "tidal locking." Over the course of millions of years the Earth's gravity slowed the moon's rotation, matching it to the speed of its orbit.

The Soviet probe Luna 3 was first to photograph the dark side in 1959 and astronauts on the Apollo 8 mission were the first humans to see it. Since then, it's been photographed by various probes, most recently the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

China's lunar exploration program, named after the mythological moon goddess Chang'e, is divided into three stages: orbiting, landing and return.

China launched its first lunar probe, Chang'e-1, on Oct 24, 2007, from the southwestern Sichuan province. The probe ended its 16-month mission on March 1, 2009, when it crashed into the moon's surface. The second probe, Chang'e-2, was launched the following year.

Chang'e 3, launched in 2013, marked the completion of the second stage of the country's lunar program. It landed on the moon and was the first spacecraft to do so safely since the Soviet probe Luna 23 in 1976.

Chang'e-4, set to launch in 2020, will orbit the moon before sending a rover to the surface — possibly on the so far unexplored far side for the first time.

 

[Beast]

China aims to be first to land on 'dark side' of moon
2015-05-21 08:51chinadaily.com.cn/Agencies
Editor: Si Huan

China is planning to land its Chang'e-4 probe on the moon's "dark side", which has never before been explored, Wu Weiren, the chief engineer for China's Lunar Exploration Program told Chinese Central Television.

"We probably will choose a site on which it is more difficult to land and more technically challenging…Our next move will probably see some spacecraft land on the far side of the moon," Wu said.

The "dark" side of the moon is not actually dark — it receives just as much sunlight as the hemisphere that can be seen from Earth.

The reason that the dark, or far, side of the moon, never faces Earth is a phenomenon known as "tidal locking." Over the course of millions of years the Earth's gravity slowed the moon's rotation, matching it to the speed of its orbit.

The Soviet probe Luna 3 was first to photograph the dark side in 1959 and astronauts on the Apollo 8 mission were the first humans to see it. Since then, it's been photographed by various probes, most recently the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

China's lunar exploration program, named after the mythological moon goddess Chang'e, is divided into three stages: orbiting, landing and return.

China launched its first lunar probe, Chang'e-1, on Oct 24, 2007, from the southwestern Sichuan province. The probe ended its 16-month mission on March 1, 2009, when it crashed into the moon's surface. The second probe, Chang'e-2, was launched the following year.

Chang'e 3, launched in 2013, marked the completion of the second stage of the country's lunar program. It landed on the moon and was the first spacecraft to do so safely since the Soviet probe Luna 23 in 1976.

Chang'e-4, set to launch in 2020, will orbit the moon before sending a rover to the surface — possibly on the so far unexplored far side for the first time.

2020? Are they sure of the deadline?

 

[bobsm]

2020? Are they sure of the deadline?

Yeah, just search other reports, with most point to "before 2020". It could be just a mistake.

 

[Beast]

Yeah, just search other reports, with most point to "before 2020". It could be just a mistake.

Chang er 4 is planned to be launched in 2017. It cannot be later anymore. All due to the stupid progress of CZ-5 which is snail crawl. Government shall pump unlimited money and resources to speed up CZ-5. Almost all planned space project revolved around CZ-5 heavy rocket. CZ-5 delayed all other Chinese space projects will delayed.

 

[Kinetic]

Two questions. What is the largest communication satellite China made till now in terms of transponders? And how many Ka band and high bandwidth mutimedia satellites china launched?

Thanks.

 

[qwerrty]

Two questions. What is the largest communication satellite China made till now in terms of transponders?
Thanks.

Chinasat 11
launched on 1 May 2013
Model (bus): DFH-4 Bus
19 Ku-band and 26 C-band transponders
SatBeams - Satellite Details - Chinasat 11

APStar-9
will be launched in October 2015
32 C-band transponders, 14 Ku-band transponders
Model (bus): DFH-4 Bus
APStar 9

how many Ka band and high bandwidth mutimedia satellites china launched?
Thanks.

find out yourself
List of Long March launches - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


communication satellites/platforms

 

[Bussard Ramjet]

China ranked fourth among world space powers: report_News_Icrosschina



China’s space capabilities are ranked the fourth in the world, and the gap between the leading powers is narrowing, according to a report issued recently by a Chinese research organization.

China is at a crucial period developing from a major power to a great power in space, says an evaluation by the Beijing Institute of Space Science and Technology Information, affiliated to the China Academy of Space Technology.

A Long March 3A rocket carrying meteorological satellite Fengyun-II 08 blasts off from the launching pad at Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 31, 2014. By Liu Chan Xinhua/China Features



Last year saw a record 92 launches around the world, with 262 spacecraft put into orbit. The institute for the first time evaluated the space capabilities of 20 countries and regions across six aspects: strategy, product systems, infrastructure, industrial scale, innovation and international influence.

It rated the United States, Europe, Russia, China, Japan and India as the leading powers in space.

The United States’ status as the only super power in space is unshakable, but the gap between the United States and its followers is narrowing, says the report.

Europe and Russia are ranked as the next two great powers. With its technological advantages and alliances with the United States, Europe has made a giant leap in its space capability. Russia has curbed its decline, showing signs of recovery thanks to its medium and long-term plans and reform of its space industry, the report says.

An artist impression of Rosetta lander Philae on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. AFP



China, Japan and India are major powers in space. Pursuing an independent development path, China has made remarkable accomplishments in space technology, showing strong momentum and potential. Driven by technological innovation, active international cooperation and an alliance with the United States, Japan has made rapid developments.

India became the first Asian country to successfully send a probe to Mars in 2014, marking a breakthrough in its space capability, says the report.

Scientists and officials of Indian Space Research Organisation pose for photos as they celebrate the success of Mars Orbiter Mission (MoM) on Sept. 24, 2014. Xinhua/China Features



The report also mentions emerging countries in space represented by Canada and the Republic of Korea, which closely follow China, Japan and India.

Space has become a “high frontier” as nations jostle for political, economic, military and science and technological advantages. Driven by the needs of national security and economic interests, more countries are vying to flex their muscles in space, says the report.

I must say I like Chinese humility. They have created a report that quite accurately, and to some extent modestly, judges Chinese space capabilities.

Yet, I agree, China is number 4 overall in space research.

 

[Kinetic]

Chinasat 11
launched on 1 May 2013
Model (bus): DFH-4 Bus
19 Ku-band and 26 C-band transponders
SatBeams - Satellite Details - Chinasat 11

APStar-9
will be launched in October 2015
32 C-band transponders, 14 Ku-band transponders
Model (bus): DFH-4 Bus
APStar 9




find out yourself
List of Long March launches - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


communication satellites/platforms

Thanks a lot for the info. So china launched satellite with 45 transponders and do not have any Ka band satellite.

 

[bobsm]

China Exclusive: China plans to launch dark matter probe

English.news.cn 2015-05-30 14:55:21

SHANGHAI, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists are planning to launch a dark matter probe satellite by the end of this year, researchers with the project announced on Friday.

The dark matter particle explorer (DAMPE) satellite will observe the direction, energy and electric charge of high-energy particles in space in search of dark matter, said Chang Jin, chief scientist of the project, at a press briefing held by the Shanghai Engineering Center for Microsatellites (SECM).

All key components of the satellite have been tested and are functioning well, and it is expected to launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center by the end of this year, the SECM said.

The satellite is designed to function for three years.

The probe, the first satellite in a program consisting of five research satellites, will also be used to study the origin of cosmic rays and observe high-energy gamma rays.

At the press briefing, Chang said DAMPE will have the widest observation spectrum and highest energy resolution of any dark matter probe in the world.

Dark matter is one of the most important mysteries of physics. Scientists believe in its existence based on the law of universal gravitation, but have never directly detected it.

Accounting for over a quarter of the universe's mass-energy balance, it can only be observed indirectly through its interaction with visible matter.

Many scientists, such as Nobel prize winner in physics Yang Zhenning, believe that development of dark matter theory may help people understand phenomena that can't be explained with current knowledge, triggering "revolutionary progress" in physics.

The space study program also plans to launch three more satellites within the next two years, including one retrievable scientific research satellite, one for quantum science experiments, as well as a hard X-ray telescope for black hole and neutron star studies.

SECM is a non-profit organization established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Shanghai Municipal Government.

 

[TaiShang]

Beidou system to aid Belt and Road

2015-06-02

A model of an unmanned vessel equipped with the Beidou navigation system is displayed at the 9th China-Asean Expo in Nanning in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in September. (Photo: Zhang Ailin/Xinhua)


Chinese satellite platform provides functionality that will meet needs around globe, top designer says

The Beidou Navigation Satellite System will help China carry out the Belt and Road Initiative, according to senior project officials.

Yang Changfeng, chief designer of the Beidou system, told China Daily that the Belt and Road Initiative have created a perfect platform and opportunity for the Beidou system to promote itself globally.

"The central government has included the system in the initiative's strategic plan, with top leaders repeatedly asking us to speed up the internationalization of Beidou to serve the development of China and other nations," Yang said.

The Belt and Road Initiative, a development strategy proposed by China in 2013, refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt, which will link China with Europe through Central and Western Asia, and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, stretching from southern China to Southeast Asia, and even to Africa.

"To date, the Beidou system has covered most parts of the Asia-Pacific region as well as countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road," Yang said.

"It will offer Beidou-based navigation or positioning services to these nations in terms of cross-border transportation, fishing management, customs clearance and modern agriculture."

Ran Chengqi, director of the China Satellite Navigation Office, which oversees the Beidou project, said China is cooperating on satellite navigation with a host of countries, including Australia, Indonesia, Pakistan and Singapore.

"We are helping some countries in Southeast and South Asia plan for their ground applications of the Beidou system. We are also helping them build infrastructure so they can better use the system," he said.

China launched the first Beidou satellite in 2000. The system began providing positioning, navigation, timing and short-message services to civilian users in China and surrounding countries in the Asia-Pacific region in December 2012. The system now has 16 satellites.

Beidou is the fourth navigation satellite system in the world after the United States' GPS, Russia's GLONASS and the European Union's Galileo.

The latest satellite in Beidou's space network was put into orbit on March 30, marking the first step in expanding the network from a regional service to global coverage. The new-generation Beidou satellite has begun to test the new navigation signaling mechanism and intersatellite links.

China will launch up to four satellites for the Beidou network before the end of this year. The new-generation satellite has a longer life - at least 10 years compared to eight years for the old model. It also has higher accuracy - 2.5 meters rather than 10 meters.

According to the government's plan, the Beidou system will have 35 satellites by 2020, five of which will be in geostationary orbit.

Huge market

In 2013, the State Council published a long-term development plan for the satellite navigation industry, promising to boost Beidou's application in the civil sector. Under the plan, it is estimated that the market value of the Beidou-based service will reach 400 billion yuan ($64.4 billion) by 2020.

However, the system's current share of the domestic satellite navigation and positioning market is less than 10 percent, according to official statistics. The China Satellite Navigation Office hopes that Beidou will have at least a 30 percent market share in 2020.

Having realized the huge potential of Beidou-based service and devices, Chinese enterprises are pouring in investment to tap the market.

Huawei, one of the global telecom giants, has launched several mobile phones that have Beidou-based apps. Chinese carmakers also mount Beidou devices on about 200 types of cars.

Li Kang, sales director at Wuhan Exsun Beidou Space Technology Co in Hubei province, said the company has benefitted from the government support for the Beidou-based service.

"Transportation authorities have ordered that all heavy-duty trucks and long-distance buses must have a positioning device compatible with the Beidou system.

"Meanwhile, following government instructions and financial assistance, nearly all fishing boats in China have installed Beidou equipment," he said. "We are witnessing the formation of a vast Beidou service market, which in turn will provide many business opportunities for us." Beidou allows users to send short text messages to another Beidou device, he added, unlike the US GPS.

Wang Yiwei, manager of development planning at CETC Satellite Navigation Operation and Service Co in Hebei province, said Beidou's text messaging function is very popular among fishermen and disaster rescue workers in China.

"Many places where they work have no telecommunication signals, so the Beidou device is the only way they can reach the outside," he said. "Compared with the expensive satellite phone service, Beidou's text messaging is free of charge and allows the user to send up to 60 Chinese characters."

Wide application

Wang Chang, general manager at Shanghai ComNav Technology Co, a Beidou device manufacturer, said his company invented Beidou-based positioning equipment that can be installed on planters and crop harvesters.

"Farming vehicles equipped with the device will be able to automatically operate without human control, which means high efficiency. That is very useful on large farms," he said.

Li Jian, general manager at Shanghai West Hongqiao Navigation Industry Development Co, suggested that the government should introduce more favorable policies for Beidou-based equipment and services to encourage more industries and people to use them and help enterprises reduce their production costs.

"The high cost of a Beidou device is a major obstacle. The prices of some Beidou equipment are several times higher than those for GPS," he said.

Ran said that to promote Beidou overseas, China has been making every effort to turn the Beidou network into a universal platform.

"The International Maritime Organization included our Beidou system in the Worldwide Radionavigation System in November, after GPS and GLONASS," he said.

"We are now pushing ahead with the airworthiness certification for Beidou's airborne equipment, hoping it can be accepted by the International Civil Aviation Organization within five years," he said.

A Transport Ministry official, who did not want to be named, said inclusion of Beidou in the Worldwide Radionavigation System was an important step in the system's adoption by the global maritime sector, as the IMO stipulates that its members' ships must carry a satellite navigation receiver.

"With the IMO's support, it will be much easier for the Beidou system to be adopted by foreign shipping companies," she added.

Li Yue, director of the 20th Institute of the China Electronics Technology Group Corp, said the institute, which specializes in navigation technology, has invested heavily in development of an indigenous ground-based augmentation system that is essential for airport navigation operations.

"Our system is being tested at several domestic airports, and the initial results are satisfying," he said. "We plan to put it to the market by the end of this year. We are also working on the Beidou-based airborne equipment, hoping it can be used on China's domestically developed airliners."

 

[TaiShang]

BeiDou — another global navigation system on the rise
June 05, 2015

file photo (Photo/cankaoxiaoxi.com)

All you need is a BeiDou terminal device the size of a name card, and you have access to immediate localization and SOS services; put a BeiDou chip on a truck carrying dangerous items like explosives, and its accurate location can be tracked with real-time monitoring. At the recent China Satellite Navigation Conference (CSNC 2015) in Xi'an,BeiDou terminal products were an eye-opener.

With the upgrading of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, BeiDou is now developing rapidly.

Based on the goals of the Mid-term and Long-term Development Plan of National Navigation Satellite Industry, China's navigation satellite industry will be worth over 400 billion yuan by 2020.

The sales volume of domestic satellite navigation products in 2012 was 4 billion yuan, and rose to 10 billion yuan in 2013 with a growth rate of 150 percent. In terms of terminals, the shipment volume rose from 2.3 billion sets in 2012 to 10.7 billion in 2013. The shipment volume of domestic BeiDou chips was 10 billion.

At the same time, BeiDou has also been developing its market abroad. Just before the conference, China and Russia agreed on the harmonization of equipment standards for the Russian GLONASS satellite navigation system and China's BeiDou system. This is the first time that BeiDou has established cooperation with another "member" of the navigation system community under a government guarantee.

In November 2014, BeiDou became the third global satellite navigation system recognized by the International Maritime Organization, and 20 technical standards of BeiDou have passed the examination of International Mobile Communications Standardization Organization.

China Satellite Navigation Association will cooperate with China City Gas Association to promote the application of satellite navigation systems in the gas industry. By the end of September this year, Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei are expected to have a fully operational BeiDou system in their gas pipe network.

According to the goals in Mid-term and Long-term Development Plan of National Navigation Satellite Industry, in the next 7 years, China's satellite navigation industry will have a 22 percent compound growth rate, and BeiDou and its products - forecast to achieve a 67 percent compound growth rate – will be making a significant contribution.

@Beidou2020 , @Keel et al

 

[TaiShang]

CSNC 2015 Raises BeiDou, GNSS Profile in China

Inside GNSS, May/June 2015

More than 3,000 delegates converged on China’s ancient capital of Xi’an last week to infuse the sixth China Satellite Navigation Conference (CSNC) with an energy reflecting the nation’s robust GNSS program.

Organized by the Academic Exchange Center of the China Satellite Navigation Office (CSNO) under the slogan “Opening-up Connectivity Win-win” and vigorously supported by a dozen governmental and industry organizations, the event showcased the progress of predominately Chinese researchers, industry, and public officials in advancing the nation’s BeiDou Satellite System (BDS) and GNSS in general.

Located in north central Sha’anxi province, Xi’an (Western Peace, then known as Chang’an or Perpetual Peace) served as the imperial capital of Qin Shi Huang, who unified ancient China in 220 B.C., and nine succeeding dynasties. The city is also the site of the China Academy of Science National Time Service Center (NTSC), which monitors the offset between BeiDou system time and that of other GNSS systems, as well providing traceability of BeiDou system time to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). (Xi’an is also the hometown of China’s current President Xi Jinping, who visited the city with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the week of the conference.)

Technical sessions offered a panoply of GNSS research and test results, some of which revealed that GNSS applications in China still lag behind those in the United States and Europe, but it's a gap that won’t take years to close. Indeed, some presentations reflected ambitious accomplishments, such as the use of GPS and GLONASS to track the Chang'e 5-T1 flight launched last October that conducted atmospheric re-entry tests on the design service and return modules for China’s unmanned lunar exploration program.

Another intriguing paper explored applications of GNSS in construction and measurement of high-rise buildings, including monitoring (with GPS and accelerometers) of the modernistic China Central Television Headquarters in Beijing (known locally as the “hot pants” building) that examined issues regarding its structural integrity. Sihao Zhao, from Tsinghua University, presented results of simulations of using BeiDou and other GNSS signals for attitude determination of China’s manned space station now in the planning phase.

A large exhibition accompanying the conference featured more than 120 exhibitors, including large aerospace companies, national and regional governmental agencies and institutes that support the BeiDou program, as well as many established and emerging GNSS manufacturers. Comments from exhibitors as well as conference sessions on regulatory policies, standards, trade laws, and patents and intellectual property reflected the interest of both the national administration and many manufacturers to begin marketing their products outside China.

Although organized as an international event (and featuring simultaneous English translation in almost all sessions), CSNC 2015 still drew a primarily Chinese audience, including many young engineers. Required use of Chinese bank–issued credit cards for online registration and an English-language website lacking in some details probably constrained overseas attendance. But foreigners who reached the conference venue were well rewarded for their efforts.

Presentations and conversations at the conference also reflected progress in bilateral talks between China and the United States, and China and the European Union, despite continuing trade and political issues that concern their respective governments at a higher level. Another round of talks between BeiDou and U.S. officials will take place in Washington, D.C., in June.

 

[Place Of Space]

"China's navigation satellite industry will be worth over 400 billion yuan by 2020."

It has comprehensive application field, especially in transpotation and security.