China launches Yaogan-25 remote sensing satellite
11 December 2014
China sent the Yaogan-25 remote sensing satellite into a scheduled orbit at 3:33 a.m. on Thursday from the Jiuquan satellite launch center. The Yaogan-25 was carried by a Long March-4C rocket. It was the 201st mission for the Long March rocket technology. Yaogan satellites are mainly used for scientific experiments, natural resource surveys, crop yield estimates and disaster relief.
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Spaceflightnow.com is reporting about the launch of a satellite trio for naval surveillance referring to tracking data from the U.S. Air Force’s Space Surveillance Network.
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China will host first ESA experiment on SJ-10 mission in 2015
12 December 2014
The European "Soret Coefficient in Crude Oil" experiment is currently undergoing testing in ESA’s Technical Centre, ESTEC, in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. The experiment will investigate the behaviour of fluids under high pressure and with an imposed temperature gradient to simulate natural conditions of oil reservoirs prior to ground extraction.
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China's Beidou satellite navigation system will serve global users by 2020
09 December 2014
The Beidou Navigation Satellite System - China's independently developed global navigation satellite system (GNSS) - will have a constellation of 35 satellites and be ready to provide global users with geo-positioning by 2020. By 2020, China will be the third country to provide a GNSS, said Lei Fanpei, Chairman of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp., which is in charge of the research and development, and manufacturing of satellites and rockets for Beidou.
Beidou is the Chinese equivalent of the United States' NAVSTAR Global Positioning System (GPS) and Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS). Currently, Beidou owns 20 satellites.
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New rocket on drawing board
08 December 2014
China is conducting preliminary research on a super-heavy launch vehicle that will be used in its manned missions to the Moon. "We are discussing the technological feasibility and requirements of the Long March-9, and research on the solutions to some technical difficulties have started," said Li Tongyu, Head of aerospace products at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. "Its specifications will mostly be determined by a host of factors, including the government's space plan and the nation's overall industrial capability, as well as its engine's development."
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