09 January 2018
China launched a pair of high-resolution remote sensing Gaojing satellites on 9 January from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province. The satellites, SuperView 1-03 and 04, blasted off at 11:24 a.m. Beijing time on the back of a Long March 2D rocket, according to the center. The mission aims to promote the country's commercial use of high-resolution remote sensing satellites.
The satellites, which are able to provide commercial images at 0.5-meter resolution, are expected to offer remote sensing data to customers worldwide and provide services to land and resource surveys, mapping, environmental monitoring, finance and insurance as well as the Internet industry.
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04 January 2018
China will conduct more than 40 space-related activities in 2018, with analysts saying this shows that China's aerospace capabilities are strengthening in scientific research, commercial use and national defense. China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the main contractor of the Chinese space program, held a planning session for 2018, and announced that it will conduct 35 launches in 2018, including the heavy-lift carrier rocket Long March-5, Chang'e-4 lunar probe, and BeiDou navigation satellite network. Another State-owned hi-tech enterprise, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), will also conduct several launches, including the Kuaizhou series solid-fuelled carrier rocket, mainly for commercial purposes.
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Rui C. Barobsa is having a closer look at the month of January and explains the upcoming Chinese space missions in his article for www.nasaspaceflight.com

06 January 2018
All Chinese astronauts who have traveled to space have reviewed the oath they took when they joined a special People's Liberation Army battalion. The ceremony has been held as part of a series of events to celebrate the 20 birthday of the battalion. The battalion is responsible for training China's astronauts. During the latest ceremony, the astronauts pledged to train harder in the days ahead so as to stand ready for space missions at any time.
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04 January 2018
Reuters reported that Adebayo Shittu, Nigeria's Communication Minister, will sign an agreement with China Great Wall Industry Corporation by the end of the month for the order of two Chinese communication satellites. The satellites will be financed by CGWIC and China Ex-Im Bank. In return, CGWIC will be granted a share in the governmental company Nigcomsat which is responsible for the management of Nigerian satellite communications. Both parties welcome this innovative deal.
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