Crash course in saving the Earth: Chinese simulation stops asteroid strike without using nukes
29 May 2020
Chinese scientists have come up with an ingenious alternative to nuclear obliteration for neutralising the threat of potentially Earth-shattering asteroids - staging a cosmic collision to knock the offending rocky mass off course. While NASA has long advocated the use of nuclear weapons to neutralise the threat of so-called potentially hazardous asteroids, detonating a warhead in space is not without its problems or controversy. The alternative, according to a team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is to send an unmanned spacecraft out to meet the incoming threat and deflect it out of harm’s way.
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CZ-2D from Jiuquan - Another double Launch
31 May 2020
China launched on 31 May at 16:53 h (Beijing Time) on board a CZ-2D the Gaofen-9 and HEAD-4 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwest of the country. The satellites were successfully placed in orbit.
As an optical remote sensing satellite, Gaofen-9 is capable of providing photographs with a resolution of about one meter.
It will be used in land surveys, urban planning, road network design and crop yield estimates, as well as disaster relief. It can also serve projects along the Belt-and-Road region.
The other satellite, HEAD-4, was developed by Beijing-based HEAD Aerospace Technology Co. Ltd. It can carry out on-orbit information collection, including that on ships and aircraft, and the Internet of Things.
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China’s Cislunar Space Ambitions Draw Scrutiny
29 May 2020
Mandy Mayfield is looking for National Defence Magazine at the different evaluations of China's lunar ambitions by US analysts: "Some members of the space community are sounding the alarm as China indicates it may seek to establish a commanding position in cislunar space, to include the area near the Moon’s orbit. Experts say China’s ambitious plans raise important questions about the national security implications of cislunar space..." Mandy Mayfield is asking Rep. Doug Lamborn, Brian Weeden and Dean Cheng to explain their views on the topic.
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China launches two new technology experiment satellites
30 May 2020
On 30 May at 04:13 BJT (29 May, 20:13 UTC), the Long March 11 launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre two technology test satellites "G" and "H". The satellites successfully entered the planned orbit. The new technology test satellites G and H are mainly used for in-orbit testing of new Earth observation technology. The mission is the 332th flight of the Long March series, and it was also the first time that the long Chang Zheng 11 was launched from Xichang.
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footage from the launch and the mission control and operations centre - or here