15 December 2017
China's southern island province of Hainan has unveiled a satellite launch plan to assist remote sensing coverage over the South China Sea. The Sanyan Institute of Remote Sensing said the mission would start in 2019, when it would launch three optical satellites. After that, it will add another three optical satellites, two hyperspectral satellites and two SAR satellites to complete the Satellite Constellation Program by 2021, for conducting round-the-clock remote-sensing over the tropical sea area.
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12 December 2017
China responded to the U.S. plan to send astronauts back to the Moon, saying it is willing to enhance cooperation with the international community in the peaceful use of outer space. "China is glad to see countries making progress in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a routine press briefing. Regarding Trump's remarks that "space has so much to do with so many other applications," including the military, Lu said China's stance opposing the weaponization of outer space is clear and consistent. China hopes members of the international community will reach an agreement on preventing the weaponization of outer space, Lu said.
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12 December 2017
FAST, the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, has discovered three new pulsars, the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC) said on 12 December. So far, FAST has identified a total of nine pulsars since its trial operations began in September 2016.
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12 December 2017
German high-tech company Pfeiffer Vacuum signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Lanzhou Institute of Physics (LIP). As one of the founders of the Chinese Vacuum Society, the Lanzhou Institute of Physics is a pioneer in vacuum technology in China. LIP is also one of the first institutes in China which has been directly engaged in satellite and spacecraft development and is therefore a part of the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) since 1968. Pfeiffer Vacuum and LIP will cooperate in research and development to create vacuum solutions for aerospace applications, vacuum metrology, vacuum calibration and other applications. Before, on 17 October 2017, the LIP-Pfeiffer Vacuum Joint Center for Vacuum Technology was established in Lanzhou, Gansu province.
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