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

[cirr]

Wenchang Launch Site are go：

Well，nearly。

 

[Beast]

The launch pad/center looks small. It suppose to launch the CZ-5 huge rocket,right?

 

[sweetgrape]

Pictures from CE 3

 

[xhw1986]

China's lunar probe observes stars, explores moon

Moon lander Chang'e-3 and rover "Yutu" of China's lunar probe mission have collected a large amount space observation and moon exploration data, a government authority said on Friday.

A moon-based optical telescope on the lander has been observing lights from many celestial objects at near ultraviolet wavelengths, and has detected 23 stars, said a statement from the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence.

After data analysis and processing, scientists have drafted an atlas of stars around the constellation Draco, the statement said.

Probe equipment on the rover Yutu (Jade Rabbit) is exploring the moon.

The probe radar has surveyed the moon's surface and collected two sets of data about the structure of lunar soil beneath the surface within 140 meters and 10 meters respectively, the statement said.

The panoramic camera and infrared spectrograph have sent back clear images of the moon's surface and data collected by a particle X-ray device has helped scientists identify 11 types of chemical elements such as magnesium, aluminum, calcium and yttrium on the moon, it added.

Data collected from observations of the plasmasphere over the Earth will provide more information about the impact of solar activities to the Earth, according to the statement.

These findings will provide information for scientists to better understand the terrain, geological structure, material composition and soil formation of the moon, the statement said.

 

[The_magnificent]

China's first lunar rover faces a "mechanical control abnormality" that could bring its mission on the moon to an early end. Official Chinese news sources have already begun warning of the possibility that the rover, named Jade Rabbit, may never wake up from a scheduled dormant period during the long lunar night.

The rover's lunar touchdown on 14 December 2013 made China just the third country in history to soft-land an object on the moon, following earlier missions launched by the former Soviet Union and the United States during the height of the space race. It also marked the first lunar landing since 1976. But Jade Rabbit's latest malfunction could mean an early end for the historic mission, according to Xinhua.

Few details about the rover's problems were immediately available. China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense merely attributed the problem to a "complicated lunar surface environment" and stated that repairs are ongoing.

Jade Rabbit's troubles emerged shortly before it entered a "sleep" state for its second lunar night on Saturday (25 January). The rover and its accompanying lander—part of China's Chang'e-3 lunar mission—had both already gone dormant for about two weeks one month ago during the first lunar night of the mission. If the rover fails to "wake up" within two weeks, China may decide to scrub the planned three-month mission for the robotic explorer.

Such risks for robotic space missions are nothing new. About half of all lunar missions have failed; by comparison more than half of all missions to Mars have foundered along the way. (See IEEE Spectrum's infographic illustrating past Mars missions.)

The plight of Jade Rabbit, known as Yutu in Chinese, has captivated netizens on China's most popular social media networks, according to Agence France-Presse. Searches for "Jade Rabbit lunar rover" on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter, topped the search list on Monday.

Chinese authorities have also taken an unusually transparent approach to discussing Jade Rabbit's problems compared with past space missions—a fact highlighted in the reporting of Chinese state media. The official news reports also emphasized the Chinese public's fascination with the ongoing mission.

"People not only hailed the authority's openness to the accident, but also expressed concern," Xinhua stated.

Xinhua also took the unusual step of publishing a "first-person account" from the rover that gave the robot a sense of personality and prepared the Chinese public for the possibility of the rover's demise. The account was based on a similar statement put out on an unverified social media account named "Jade Rabbit Lunar Rover," according to Agence France-Presse.

"Some parts of my body won't listen to their commands," the first-person account says. "Now my masters are hard at work thinking of ways to fix me... Even so, I know that it's possible I won't be able to endure this night."

Even if Jade Rabbit fails to wake up, it represents just one element of China's ambitious space program. Chinese taikonauts have already stayed aboard the nation's first orbital space lab, Tiangong-1. China also plans to launch Tiangong-2 in 2015, followed by the construction of a full-scale space station scheduled for completion in 2020. A report by the Chinese Academy of Sciences also laid out the possibility of manned missions to the moon.

The Jade Rabbit mission has also provided a solid dose of national pride that is helping to fuel the Chinese public's interest in space exploration. China's heightened focus on space exploration may have contributed in part to the popularity of "Gravity," Hollywood's latest space disaster film, which raked inmore than US $70 million at the Chinese box office last year.

China's "Jade Rabbit" Moon Rover Faces Premature End - IEEE Spectrum

 

[BCCItheGreat]

Whatever it did until now deserve to be praised...good job rabbit...

 

[The_magnificent]

Yes, Its unfortunate.

 

[Genesis]

China is in the crucial transitioning period from low quality to mid to high quality exporter. This is not good. Reputation takes decades to build, but can be destroyed in just one second.

This doesn't hurt our current image, because it already sucks, but it does delay by at least until the next successful project.

hopefully it's nothing

 

[SOHEIL]

Made in China

What is not made in china !!!

 

[Superboy]

There is a backup called Chang'e 4. Anyhow, China has successfully mastered the technique of soft landing on another celestial body with this mission. The lander still works. The lander has a very advanced extreme UV telescope.

The hostile temperatures on the Moon makes people realize what a paradise Earth is, and that all humanity should put aside its jingoistic differences and work together to make Earth a better place to live.

 

[Oldman1]

Made in China

What is not made in china !!!

Yeah you think the Chinese made parts in Spirit and Opportunity and Curiosity would helped China make a better rover.

 

[Kiss_of_the_Dragon]

Yeah you think the Chinese made parts in Spirit and Opportunity and Curiosity would helped China make a better rover.

And what you think?

 

[Oldman1]

And what you think?

I think you need to do better in rover design. If you can make the Opportunity, Spirit, and Curiosity, you can make a better rover than those. I mean its all Chinese made of course.

 

[SOHEIL]

Yeah you think the Chinese made parts in Spirit and Opportunity and Curiosity would helped China make a better rover.

Designing a perfect rover ... this is the problem !

 

[romia]

I think you need to do better in rover design. If you can make the Opportunity, Spirit, and Curiosity, you can make a better rover than those. I mean its all Chinese made of course.

how about ur US made first rover in space？US never failed in Space?We are all remember the two explosion of the space shuttle in the space history.Does those disaster represent the level of US space tech?
This is merely the first rover from China.Some country even cannot sent a man in space,look at the mirror before laughing at China,Okay?

made in china !!!

well,then as for rover where is made in Iran?buddy
we are certainly going to be a super power in space from failure and trying.
Who is 100% success in space explore.none in past,none in future.