Chinese 'space shuttle bus' to make debut at Zhuhai Airshow

[bolo]

Japanese in Space: Hypersonic Flight: HYFLEX deserves a closer look

Here I am going to put up some excellent work by fellow space journalist and Japan space watcher Peter J. Brown in his blog Japanese in Space.

Back in 2010, in In Defense of Japan, From the Market to the Military in Space Policy Saadia and I pointed out some interesting context for Japan’s Hyflex program: You can read excerpts here on Google Books from our chapter on Launch Vehicles.

Wired Danger Room recently ran a piece on the USAF’s X-37B space plane (A Year Later, Mysterious Space Plane Is Still in Orbit), a program that is raising much attention in the military space community, for obvious reasons. But look at the picture; this is not a picture of the X-37B, though at a glance you might be forgiven for thinking it was…

As Peter points out, Japan actually had a robotic prototype space plane, Hyflex, that successfully demonstrated many of the precursor technologies of the X-37B all the way back in 1996, launched aboard the J-1 rocket. An interesting combination of technologies indeed.

If you want to find out more about the Hyflex program, please take a look at Peter’s article, which was also featured in another site I am a fan of, Japan Security Watch as USAF HTV-2 Recalls Japan’s HYFLEX Program. Please also note that Saadia and I were perhaps the first to point out the implications of the Hyflex program in In Defense of Japan, From the Market to the Military in Space Policy .

Congrats to the Japanese. When will Vietnam's indigenous space program put a man in space, bro?

 

[dray]

China will also be conducting further research on using upper stage aircraft to assist in the clean-up of old satellites by carrying them out of orbit to clear up space, the report said.

Good, we will help China in its effort by putting a Puncture (Repair) vehicle in the orbit to puncture repair the "Bus", just in case.

 

[GeHAC]

I often wonder why Japan, this supposedly advance country, never does any space exploration. Anything they do is often through international forum or joint with the USA. A serious question, is the US prohibited Japan from exploring space or something?

Their observe and control ability is not really good.But,actually international cooperation on this is very active.Our manned and lunar space mission also cooperate with ESA since Shenzhou VII.
Currently，Japanese H2 series rockets has a little better carrying capacity than CZ-3C and that's why they can do more deep space exploration.But their won't be in the lead for long after launching of CZ-7 and CZ-5 next year.

 

[GeHAC]

Good, we will help China in its effort by putting a Puncture (Repair) vehicle in the orbit to puncture repair the "Bus", just in case.

Too confident with your ISRO,lolBuild up your own aerospace tracking,telemetry and command network first.

 

[BoQ77]

I often wonder why Japan, this supposedly advance country, never does any space exploration. Anything they do is often through international forum or joint with the USA. A serious question, is the US prohibited Japan from exploring space or something?

xunzi, look for Hayabusa mission. They start to talk about Hayabusa 2 mission

GeHac: could you tell more detail about Chinese space shuttle bus program?
Is it not same as X-37 or Hope-X space shuttle bus program ?

I just want to bring some similar programs in the past and ongoing for more materials to discuss. @Hu Songshan

Chinese really wanna putting ad, but not discussion ?

For you, xunzi

 

[BoQ77]

Congrats to the Japanese. When will Vietnam's indigenous space program put a man in space, bro?

We have little money, and after Vietnamese astronaut become the 1st Asian into space in 1980, we are satisfied and come back to everything on earth.

 

[cirr]

Space plan on display at Airshow China

By Jiang Jie in Zhuhai

Source:Global Times

Published: 2014-11-12 1:28:02


China revealed ambitious plans for continuing space exploration at the 10th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong rovince, whose opening ceremony on Tuesday sparked widespread public excitement at the debut of several hotly-anticipated aircraft.

Much of the attention centered was on a life-sized model of China's Mars rover. China has committed to orbiting, landing and returning a probe from Mars by 2020, according to information on the country's Mars exploration program presented at the exhibition, also known as Airshow China.

The Mars rover's design is similar to China's moon rover Yutu, although somewhat larger in size. The 2-meter-long model was on display together with a model of a capsule that will carry the vehicle into Mars's atmosphere. "Our current concept has six wheels, like Yutu (Jade Rabbit), but will be larger and better at crossing obstacles," Jia Yang, leader of the team that developed Yutu, told Xinhua.

Other popular models on display included the FT-1 solid launch vehicle, a highly mobile rocket booster that can rapidly launch small satellites weighing less than 300 kilograms. Another focus of public attention was the Long March CZ-7 rocket, a new generation of heavy lifting rocket. The CZ-7 will have the ability to boost 6.5 tons worth of material into space, and will be used to build a space station suitable for long-term habitation. Aside from the models on display, the air show also saw a number of aircraft purchasing deals. The transportation authority of the Republic of Congo Tuesday announced the purchase of three ARJ21-700 jets, China's first homegrown regional passenger jet, and a featured model at Airshow China. It marked the first African purchase of ARJ21-700 jets from manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China.

Republic of Congo government representatives pointed out at a press conference on Tuesday that the design and manufacturing of ARJ21-700 jets have met global standards for airworthiness, and that the jet's adaptability and range make it well-suited to African markets.

 

[Keel]

" Much of the attention centered was on a life-sized model of China's Mars rover. China has committed to orbiting, landing and returning a probe from Mars by 2020, according to information on the country's Mars exploration program presented at the exhibition, also known as Airshow China.

The Mars rover's design is similar to China's moon rover Yutu, although somewhat larger in size. The 2-meter-long model was on display together with a model of a capsule that will carry the vehicle into Mars's atmosphere. "Our current concept has six wheels, like Yutu (Jade Rabbit), but will be larger and better at crossing obstacles," Jia Yang, leader of the team that developed Yutu, told Xinhua."

We are going to Mars in our own launching vehicle and we need to build a better tracking network
Only about 5 - 6 more years to go before we are witnessing another milestone set by CNSA

 

[BoQ77]

Oh yes. We know that China don't want to behind Indian in Mars exploration.

ZHUHAI, Guangdong, Nov. 11 (Xinhua)
China has not announced an official plan for a Mars probe, but Ouyang Ziyuan, a lead scientist in China's moon probe mission, has said China plans to land a Mars rover around 2020, collect samples and bring them back around 2030.
.............
Forty-three probes have been sent to Mars since 1960, of which 19 succeeded.

 

[Keel]

China plans to land rover on Mars by 2020
Published time: June 26, 2014 02:29
Get short URL

Reuters/Ali Jarekji

China, SciTech, Space
China is planning to land a rover on Mars by 2020 and bring back samples from the Red Planet a decade later, according to a top scientist with the country’s Lunar Exploration Program.

The Mars probe will be launching an orbiter and a landing rover, Ouyang Ziyuan of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and one of the chief scientists of China’s Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP) said on Monday at the 22nd International Planetarium Society Conference in Beijing, with 35 other member countries in attendance.

The central goal of the mission is to explore extraterrestrial activity and research the planet’s environment, Ouyang explained. "The mission will also mark the beginning of China’s deeper voyages into outer space,” the Shanghai Daily quoted him as saying.

Ouyang presented a timetable for the mission – to land the rover by 2020 and collect samples from the Red Planet a decade later.

China is also planning to conduct further space explorations, including looking for signs of life on other planets.

China’s Mars program began in 2009 in cooperation with Russia. However, the Chinese probe Yinghuo-1, which was carried by the Russian spacecraft Fobos-Grunt, crashed shortly after lift-off in 2011. Following the accident, China continued with its own Mars probe.

Just last month, a Chinese team emerged from a sealed capsule, in which they subsisted on mealworms and plants for over three months in a study designed to determine if the high-protein diet could be used in lengthy space travel.

Read more: Chinese space team survives on worm diet for 105 days

In 2013, China landed the unmanned lunar rover Yutu (Jade Rabbit) on the Moon as part of its Chang’e-3 mission. By 2017, the Chinese plan to bring back rock samples from the Moon.

Also, by 2020 – the year the International Space Station is scheduled to be retired – Beijing plans to operate a comparable, full-manned orbital lab of its own.

 

[bolo]

We have little money, and after Vietnamese astronaut become the 1st Asian into space in 1980, we are satisfied and come back to everything on earth.

So vietnamese are claiming they used their own technology to put a Vietnamese to space on a NASA shuttle. Not surprised as you claim Chinese achievements as Vietnamese.