09 January 2021
CASC completed a reliability tests for its CZ-5B high-thrust oxyhydrogen engine on 8 January at its rocket engine test facility in Beijing. The engine type is prepared for the CZ-5B rocket launching the space statio modules with the first CSS module expected for orbiting in spring. The engine ran 500 seconds during the test – the same amount of time of its designed full work cycle. It is the 4th time the engine has been tested with 500 seconds, showing great ability of extending service life, one of the goals of the test. The analysis and inspection will be conducted after the test.
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Link to CNSA YouTube video of testing the CZ-5 YF-77 engine one year ago with views of the test facility in Beijing

08 January 2021
The Chang'e 4 lander and rover resumed work for the 26th lunar day on the far side of the Moon. The lander woke up on 8 January at 3:13 BJT, and the Yutu 2 rover Yutu woke up on 7 January at 10:29 BJT, according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Programme Centre of the China National Space Administration. During the 26th lunar day, Yutu 2 will move northwest toward the basalt area or the impact craters with high reflectivity. Yutu 2 will take panoramic photos, and its infrared imaging spectrometer, neutral atom detector and lunar radar will continue to carry out scientific explorations. Research teams will analyze the detection data and release the scientific results.
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07 January 2021
Chinese scientists have created the world's first integrated space-to-ground quantum network that can provide reliable, ultrasecure communication between more than 150 users over a total distance of 4,600 kilometers across the country, according to a study published in the journal Nature on 07 January.
In the integrated network, scientists from the USTC combined 700 ground-based optical fibers and two ground-to-satellite links to create a quantum communication network spanning over 4,600 km.
It represents a major step toward building a practical, large-scale quantum internet.
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Link to the publication in Nature: "An integrated space-to-ground quantum communication network over 4,600 kilometres"

05 January 2021
With the start of the new year, CASC published its plans for launches in 2021. The company is aiming for 40+ launches. This figure would not include launches of other Chinese launch service providers. One of the important projects is the start of the assembly of the Chinese Space Station which requires cargo and manned launches. Also, China will continue to research manned lunar exploration, and will foster the application of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) in civil aviation and other fields.
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