Extended mission for Tiangong 1 space lab
11 March 2014
China’s first target spacecraft Tiangong-1 has exceeded its planned two-year operational lifespan and entered the extended application phase, according to the sixth meeting of Tiangong-1 Operation and Management Committee.
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First CAS-ESA Joint Scientific Space Mission Workshop held in Chengdu
04 March 2014
The First CAS-ESA Joint Scientific Space Mission Workshop, organized by the National Space Science Center (NSSC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, was held on February 24, 2014 in Chengdu. 98 scientists coming from 11 countries including, U.K., U.S., France Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium as well as China participated in the workshop. Professor WU Ji, Director General of NSSC, CAS, delivered an opening speech and stressed that the purpose of the workshop is to "generate some good ideas after discussion". The workshop is the first step towards the joint call to be released by the end of 2014. The second workshop will be held 24-26 September 2014 in Denmark.
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"The life of Earth is limited compared with that of the whole universe"
10 March 2014
During the 12th National People's Congress and the 2014 Annual Sessions of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference CPPCC, currently taking place in Beijing, leading representatives of science, technology and the Communist Party of China report on China's future plans for space exploration and technology development.
"We plan to send a manned mission to the moon. The Earth is our cradle, and humanity will go out from here someday. The moon is the nearest: if we cannot land on it, where else can we go?" Ye Peijia, Chief Designer of Chang'e-1 and Chief Commander of the satellite system of the Chang'e-2 and Chang'e-3 missions, said.
Liang Xiaohong, Party chief of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, also a member of the National Committee, explained that the Long March carrier rocket series is already industrialized. By 2020, China will meet a market demand of more than 270 domestic and 460 foreign launches.
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THIS IS CHINA: New Cargo Vehicle on New Rocket for New Space Lab
02 March 2014
China is expected to launch a cargo ship into space around 2016 to serve the Tiangong-2 space laboratory, a leading space scientist said Sunday. The cargo ship, named "Tianzhou" or "Heavenly Vessel" in Chinese, will be delivered by the newly-developed Long March-7 carrier rocket and dock with Tiangong-2 automatically, said Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China's manned space program, in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.
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