Chinese space program: Four challenges for Mars exploration
08 May 2013
Ye Peijian, academician of the Chinese Academy of Science and Chief Designer of Chang'e-1, China's first Moon probe, and Chief Commander of the Chang'e-2 and Chang'e-3 missions, said, based on comprehensive consideration, China has no clear Mars exploration program at the present. Therefore, experts have called for carrying it out as soon as possible. Mars is regarded as the most suitable of the inner planets for human settlements next to the Earth. It has been the first choice for global scientific and technological power’s planet exploration.
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Second 2013 launch for China
02 May 2013
China launched a communications satellite, "Zhongxing-11", on 2 May, at 0:06 a.m. Thursday (Beijing time) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province. "Zhongxing-11" will be mainly used in providing commercial communications services for users in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a statement from the center. The satellite was sent by a Long March-3B rocket into the preset orbit, the statement said. It marked the 176th launch of China's Long March series of rockets.
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China's own GPS makes inroads into neighbouring countries
30 April 2013
China's Beidou satellite navigation system, touted to be an alternative to America's GPS, has made steady progress in South East Asian region. The Beidou system is far from being dominant in China's domestic market. By 2015, it will have a market share of only 15 to 20 per cent in China, Ran Chengqi, spokesman for the China Satellite Navigation Office said. That is expected to increase to 70 to 80 per cent by 2020.
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China's first launch of the year: a high-definition Earth observation satellite
26 April 2013
China successfully sent high-definition Earth observation satellite "Gaofen-1" into space at 12:13 p.m. Beijing time on Friday, announced the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND). The mission was carried by a Long March-2D carrier rocket from northwest China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The rocket also carried three small satellites made by Ecuador, Argentina and Turkey as well as two satellite splitters from the Netherlands.
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