20 January 2021
The Chang'e 5 orbiter is now flying toward Lagrange Point 1, which is located between the Earth and the sun, for extended scientific operations, said Pei Zhaoyu, deputy director of the China National Space Administration's Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center and spokesman for the Chang'e 5 mission. "We didn't set this task for the orbiter when we launched Chang'e 5," Pei said in Beijing on 18 January. "But we soon found that thanks to the outstanding performance of our carrier rocket, Chang'e 5 was placed exactly in its preset orbital position so there would be no need for extra correction maneuvers beside the originally planned ones, which meant the orbiter could save a lot of fuel."
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20 January 2021
China successfully launched the new Tiantong 1-03 mobile telecommunication satellite on board a Long March 3B from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on 20 January at at 00:25 a.m. (Beijing Time). The satellite entered the planned orbit successfully.
Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, the Tiantong 1-03 satellite will establish a mobile network with ground facilities to provide all-weather, all-time, stable and reliable mobile communication services such as voice, short message and data for users in China and its surrounding areas, the Middle East, Africa and other related regions, as well as most sea areas in the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean.
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20 January 2021
China will further optimize its meteorological observation and forecasting operations in the coming years, raising its meteorological capabilities to the most advanced global standards by 2035.
China raised its level of meteorological modernization during the period by setting up an integrated observation system consisting of around 70,000 ground observation stations, 216 radars and seven satellites. The system covers all county-level regions of the country.
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19 January 2021
CNSA has published a list of 10 preselected names, the outcome of a global naming campaign that run from 24 July to 16 August 2020. In October, a panel of 32 experts selected 10 semi-finalists after evaluating 39,808 submissions from 38 countries and regions. The participants ranged from 7 to 95 years old. The proposals reach from "Hongyi," which means having a broad and strong mind in Chinese, to "Qilin," a legendary animal, and to "Nezha," a beloved Chinese mythological figure.
Netizens at home and abroad can now take part in the poll running from 20 January (12:00 h) to 28 February (midnight) to help decide the name of the Mars rover. CNSA will pick the three most popular names based on public voting and the opinions of an evaluation committee. The final name will be announced when Tianwen-1 lands on Mars.
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