11 June 2020
China successfully sent an new ocean observation satellite into space from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in north China's Shanxi Province on 11 June. A Long March-2C rocket, carrying the satellite HY-1D, lifted off at 2:31 h (Beijing Time), according to the China National Space Administration. The new satellite will form China's first satellite constellation for marine civil service together with HY-1C, which was launched in September 2018.
MORE...

10 June 2020
What a first half of 2020 it has been in the Chinese space sector. With the usual lull in activity around Chinese New Year prolonged significantly by the Covid-19 outbreak, one could be excused for thinking that it was a lost half year in the industry. But, one would be incorrect in thinking that, with 2020 thus far seeing funding continue to flow to startups (though at a reduced pace), rockets continuing to launch, constellations continuing to build out, and even regulations starting to become a bit more clear.
To read all about it, check out the latest issue of the SatelliteExecutiveBriefing ...

10 June 2020
Scientists at the Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry in Urumqi have developed a material from artificial lunar dust that might be strong enough to build a base on the moon, and could potentially be made using volcanic rock on site. The team turned the artificial dust into a high-performance construction material called basalt fibre. Put through testing, they said it achieved a tensile strength of up to 1.4 gigapascals - or 1,400 megapascals. The team used artificial lunar dust mainly sourced from the Changbai Mountain, an active volcano on the Chinese-North Korean border. The dust is about 48 per cent silicon dioxide and 17 per cent aluminium oxide - almost identical to the composition of samples brought back from the Moon by Nasa’s Apollo 14 mission in 1971.
MORE on SCMP ...

10 June 2020
Nanjing Agricultural University has developed the BeiDou-tech-supported unmanned wheat seeding and harvesting technology. The smart wheat production technology integrates BeiDou navigation technology, information technology and agricultural engineering into the whole process of wheat production.
BeiDou navigation technology, multi-dimensional sensing technology, unmanned vehicles and Internet of Things contribute comprehensive data to the production.
MORE...