"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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The Next Tiangong
03 March 2014
Morris Jones, Australia's leading analyst for the Chinese space programm is giving a detailed outlook and well thought-through analysis on what to expect for the next Tiangong 2 misson. In particular he is reflecting on the new cargo spacecraft dubbed "Tianzhou" or "Heavenly Vessel" and with which mission profile it could contribute to the Tiangong 2 programme. Morris explains possible options and likely scenarios. A good read on the comming events.
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China's Lunar Lander Still Operational
03 March 2014
Morris Jones, Australia's leading analyst for the Chinese space programm is summarising the Chang'e 3 and Yutu space mission.
He is giving a good overview on the achievements of the mission to date: "Chang'e-3 had already accomplished several important tasks before it even reached the lunar surface. Its ongoing functionality suggests that the lander has been very successful in its operations, despite the well-known problems with the Yutu rover. On balance, that makes the whole mission seem more successful than some critics may think."
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