03 March 2021
The 4-stage solid-propellant rocket Smart Dragon-3 (SD-3, Jielong 3) is planned to take-off for its 1st flight next year. the SD-3 will have with 1.5 t to a 500 km SSO the largest and the highest carrying capacity among the Dragon series, according to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. CALT is developing the rocket for its commercial subsidiary China Rocket. To meet the large-scale commercial launch demands, the rocket's multi-satellite launch capability enables it to carry more than 20 satellites in a single mission, while the cost is just 10,000 USD/kg. CALT said the SD-3 was designed for both land and sea launches.
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02 March 2021
The Shanghai Planetarium, a branch of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, is scheduled to begin trial operations in June. Located in the Pudong New Area, the planetarium will have floor area of over 38,000 m2 with an exhibition area of 12,500 m2. The overall location will include a main building and ancillary facilities such as an exploration center for youth and two observatories for the public. The exhibition will showcase 70 meteorites from the Moon, Mars and Vesta, as well as over 120 collections of artifacts, including original works from Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler and other masters.
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02 March 2021
China is planning to launch a new satellite mounted with a LiDAR (light detection and ranging) system to monitor CO2 in the atmosphere. The satellite will actively sense CO2 with the LiDAR technology and will be ready for launch in July. A constellation of meteorological satellites for CO2 monitoring is expected to be built during China's 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) amid the country's efforts to peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and go carbon neutral before 2060.
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01 March 2021
In an interview with state broadcaster CCTV, Luan Enjie said feasibility studies for the 100-t launch vehicle had been completed and the project was now at the follow-up research stage.
Although Luan did not mention the official name of the new rocket, Chinese space experts reached by the Global Times on 01 March widely speculated that it would very likely be the highly anticipated Long March-9 launch vehicle, and that the new rocket would be the go-to model for the country's future manned lunar landing missions, which will hopefully take place around 2030.
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are compare: Dongfang Hour - the 22nd China Aerospace News Roundup (22 February 2021 - 28 February 2021)