23 November 2018
Chinese researchers have successfully tested two major systems in recovering large spacecraft of more than 7 tons. The breakthrough improves China's capability to reach the world leading level. In the past, China's Shenzhou spacecrafts were around 3.5 tons and the recovery system included a single main parachute system and a back propulsion engine that could only be used once. Now, researchers from China Academy of Space Technology used a helicopter to drop the 7-ton model in testing the country's large parachute group system and heavy load landing buffer system (airbag system).
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30 November 2018
Chang’e-4 will arrive where no craft has been before: the far side of the Moon. The mission is scheduled to launch from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan province on 8 December. The craft, comprising a lander and a rover, will then enter the Moon’s orbit, before touching down on the surface. If the landing is successful, the mission’s main job will be to investigate this side of the lunar surface, which is peppered with many small craters. The lander will also conduct the first radio astronomy experiments from the far side of the Moon - and the first investigations to see whether plants will grow in the low-gravity lunar environment.
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related:
Chang’e 4 Preview by Science Magazine: China sets out for the far side of the Moon
China's ambitious program of lunar exploration is about to attempt a spacefaring first: On 8 December it will launch a probe intended to land on the far side of the Moon.
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01 December 2018
China's first global mobile satellite communication and internet space project via low earth orbit (LEO) satellites has been launched in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. The project features hundreds of LEO satellites and a global data processing center, which can help realize global two-way communication in real time under complicated geological conditions 24 hours a day upon completion. The project has drawn an investment of about 20 billion RMB (approx. 2.9 billion U.S. dollars) for its first phase, making it the largest investment for a single commercial aerospace program in China.
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30 November 2018
Chinese engineers have achieved important progress in developing Long March 5B, a launch vehicle for China's space station modules, as development has moved from the prototype phase to flight model phase. A committee of experts from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp and its research institute, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, held a meeting to review the vehicle program on 29 November.
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