19 May 2021
On 19 May at 12:03 h BJT, a Long March-4B rocket, carrying the ocean-monitoring satellite Haiyang-2D (HY-2D) satellite, launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre into space. The HY-2D will form a constellation with the HY-2B and HY-2C satellites to build an all-weather and round-the-clock dynamic ocean environment monitoring system of high frequency and medium and large scale.
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18 May 2021
The Zhurong rover has sent back data via orbiter, according to the WeChat account of China's lunar exploration programme CLEP.
The orbiter is serving as a data relay station for communications between Zhurong and mission controllers on Earth. The news item confirms that the rover is in a good state and the mission is going according to schedule.
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18 May 2021
By the end of 2020, the overall value of satellite-enabled navigation and positioning services in China was 403.3 billion RMB (62.8 billion USD), with a 16.9 % increase year-on-year, according to the 2021 White Paper on the Development of China's Satellite Navigation and Positioning Industries, compiled by the Global Navigation Satellite System and Location-Based Services Association of China. The paper, published on 18 May, states that chips, equipment, software, data and infrastructure businesses saw an 11 % increase compared with 2019.
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17 May 2021
This week, Blaine Curcio of Orbital Gateway Consulting and Jean Deville of The China Aerospace Blog talk us through the landing sequence of the Tianwen/Zhurong mission - a must watch! Also, the two experts have a closer look at the agreement between Galactic Energy and China Huateng Group to develop international launch opportunities. They explain at iSpace's fuel tank test and that CGWIC opened an office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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