DFHour - Top 8 Highlights & Trends of Chinese Space in 2021
29 December 2021
In the last episode of the Dongfang Hour China Space News Roundup! in 2021, Jean Deville and Blaine Curcio wrap up the Chinese space year by going over 8 events that marked the Chinese space sector in 2021.
WATCH the episode here
Tianhui 4 satellite was launched from Jiuquan
29 December 2021
On 29 December, China successfully sent the Tianhui 4 satellite into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. The satellite was launched by a CZ-2D and lifted off at 19:13 BJT.
Tianhui 4, built by China Academy of Space Technology in Beijing, will be used to conduct scientific experiments, land resource surveys and geologic information collection, the company said. Tianhui means "sky mapping" in English. With that launch, the Long March fleet has carried out 47 successful launches in 2021. In total, China accounts for 54 orbital launches so far.
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China Space Station: Collision Avoidance Control Manoeuvres
27 December 2021
Leonard David dedicated 2 detailed articles on his blog Inside Outer Space to the preventive collision avoidance manoeuvres of the CSS in July and October this year. "China’s in-progress space station has performed preventive collision avoidance control to avoid being struck by SpaceX Starlink satellites. China has informed the United Nations Secretary-General of the issue. In a document posted by the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space dated December 6, 2021, there is notification by China under Article V of the Outer Space Treaty concerning preventive collision avoidance between the China Space Station (international designation 2021-035A) and United States’ Starlink-1095 (international designation 2020-001BK) and Starlink-2305 (international designation 2021-024N) satellites."
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Shenzhou 13 taikonauts complete 2nd EVA
26/27 December 2021
Taikonauts Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu have completed their EVA and returned to the Space Station core module Tianhe, CMSA said in the early hours of 27 December. CMSA declared the EVA a complete success. This was the 4th time that taikonauts conducted an EVA during the construction of the CSS and the 2nd by the Shenzhou 13 crew.
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Shenzhou 13 crew starts second spacewalk