China, Arab to make plan for closer ties at upcoming ministerial meeting
02 June 2014
China and Arab nations will unveil a series of plans to upgrade relations at an upcoming ministerial meeting, according to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi here on Monday. [...] "China wants to reinforce cooperation with Arab states in both traditional sectors like energy, trade and infrastructure and emerging sectors like nuclear energy, space and new energy with a view to sharing development benefits and promoting common prosperity," he said.
China’s New Space Launch Complex To Be Completed This Month
02 June 2014
Construction will be completed this month at China’s new Wenchang Satellite Launch Center. It will be able to accommodate China’s planned Long March 7 and 5 heavy-lift rockets, which are needed to deliver future large space station components to Earth orbit, and possibly carry manned missions to the Moon.
10 years China-ESA Dragon programme
30 May 2014
Europe's Space Agency ESA and China mark a decade of cooperation on the Chinese-European Dragon Programme. As a joint undertaking between ESA and the National Remote Sensing Center of China (NRSCC), under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of China, the programme promotes the use of ESA, Third Party Mission and Chinese Earth observation satellite data within China for science and applications. Over the past decade, the programme has significantly grown. The annual Dragon symposium has been held last week in Chengdu, China. It was attended by MOST Vice Minister, Dr Cao Jianlin, and saw over 300 participants – double the number at the inaugural symposium in 2004. This programme has been recognised by both NRSCC and ESA as a model for successful scientific cooperation between Europe and China.
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China's Robotic Moon Program Advancing into Third and Final Phase
28 May 2014
The only nation active on the surface of the Moon, China, maintains successful operations of its Chang’e-3 Lander and Yutu Rover now in Lunar Night 6. Although Yutu has incurred mechanical issues, it continues to respond to ground control teams well past its 3-month given lifetime. Chang’e-3 Lander with Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope and Extreme Ultraviolet Camera, is also expected to perform past its December 14, one-year/thirteen-Lunar Day lifetime. The spacecraft hibernate/awake cycle is determined by astronomical factors (estimated here by SPC / ILOA), mechanical functions and performance, and ground control teams at the Very Long Baseline Interferometry center in Shanghai and observation stations in Xinjiang, Kunming and Beijing. Chang’e-4 is being reconfigured due to the mission success; it may launch with different instruments to a new location or be combined with a future mission. Preparing for Phase 3, the Chang’e-5 sample return mission test satellite is scheduled to launch this June to attempt a Lunar Orbit Transfer and return to Earth.
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