Chang'e 5 readied for launch before the end of the year
22 September 2020
Chang'e 5, the next mission in China's lunar exploration program, will demonstrate and test the country's technological and engineering capabilities in space, according to a key figure in the project. Yu Dengyun, Deputy Chief Designer of China's lunar exploration programme, during the 2020 China Space Conference in Fuzhou, Fujian Province that Chang'e 5 will be launched by a Long March 5 heavy-lift carrier rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in Hainan province by the end of 2020.
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Beijing's tech hub to build mega aerospace cluster - Nanjing opts for industrial space tech park
19 September 2020
Beijing's Haidian district plans to build a hundred-billion-RMB (about 14.8 billion U.S. dollars) aerospace industry cluster in the northern region of the city's Zhongguancun Science City. The project was released on 19 September at a press conference during the 2020 Zhongguancun Forum held in Beijing. With a total construction area of nearly 1 million square meters, the project will include three functional zones that focus on satellite internet innovation, Beidou satellite navigation, and space information services, as well as scenario applications.
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Industrial space tech park for Nanjing
An industrial park focusing on space science and technology will be built in Nanjing, capital city of east China's Jiangsu Province, local authorities announced. With an investment of 18 billion RMB (about 2.7 billion U.S. dollars), the space-themed park will be constructed in Luhe District and is scheduled to open to the public in 2022, according to the authorities. As the first of its kind in Jiangsu, the park will feature a science and technology innovation center for the aerospace industry, a national science education base and an international innovation zone.
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Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) not renewing contract with China on use of space tracking station
21 September 2020
News agency Reuters and the UK media outlet The Guardian were reporting about the intention of the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) not to renew with Chinese customers the contract for using SSC's space tracking station in Yatharagga, Western Australia. The Guardian wrote: "The SSC said the current contract supports Chinese scientific space missions within its program for manned-space flights for telemetry, tracking and command services."
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reporting by the SCMP: China will lose access to Australian space tracking station after contract expires
Haiyang 2C satellite launched to monitor ocean environment
21 September 2020
On 21 September, China sent a new ocean-monitoring satellite into orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Northwest China. A Long March 4B rocket carrying the Haiyang 2C (HY-2C) satellite took off at 13:40 BJT. The country's third ocean dynamic environment satellite, the HY-2C, will form a network with the previous HY-2B and subsequent HY-2D to carry out high-precision maritime environment monitoring.
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