19 November 2018
On 27 October, China’s leading NewSpace company LandSpace attempted its first orbital launch. On top of the small rocket carrier Zhuque 1 sat the CCTV educational satellite Weilai 1, build by another Chinese NewSpace enterprise: MinoSpace. Like Zhuque, Weilai was a first, the first satellite MinoSpace delivered for launch. The mobile launch platform for Zhuque 1, however, was positioned at China’s oldest space port, the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center with its legendary launch pads which have hosted not only China’s first satellite and China’s first manned space flight but many other ambitious space missions. But on the 27 October, Old Space met New Space!
And even nature welcomed the new visitors to Jiuquan friendly: the skies over the Gobi deserts were blue and the temperature mild. The crowd heading to the launch platform for watching Zhuque’s way into orbit was in the best possible mood, excited and jolly and keeping their fingers crossed. GoTaikonauts! founder, Chen Lan, followed the invitation by MinoSpace to join the staff of the two space start-ups and shared their hopes for writing Chinese space history.

Read the full report on TheSpaceReview