27 December 2022
On 27 December at 15:37 BJT, China launched the Gaofen 11-04 Earth observation satellite into space. The new satellite took off from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre on board a Long March-4B rocket. Gaofen 11-04, developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, will transmit imagery and data be used in various fields, including land survey, urban planning, road network design, crop yield estimates, and disaster prevention and reduction. The Gaofen project has established a space-based, high-resolution Earth observation network with dozens of Gaofen satellites in operation. Images and data from the Gaofen satellites have been widely used in more than 20 national industries.
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24 December 2022
Was 2022 a good year for Chinese space activities? - is Jean Deville asking at the end of a (very) eventful year 2022 for Chinese space. Jean is reviewing the main highlights, discussing launch, progress on reusability, constellations, the completion of the Chinese Space Station, and more. With this last video of the Dongfang Hour channel in 2022, Jean is wishing everyone a happy and festive season!
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23 December 2022
China is also developing a next-generation manned launch vehicle that will meet the long-term strategic need for manned lunar exploration. It will be a 3 1/2 stage launcher. It will be capable of sending payloads of 25 t directly into LTO, or payloads of 70 t into near-Earth orbit, and it's expected to make a maiden flight by 2027. A new model of super heavy-lift carrier rocket - the Long March-9 - is also under development. It will be a 10-m-diameter, 3-stage mega rocket with a height of 110 m, capable of sending payloads of 150 t into LEO, 50 t into LTO and 35 t to the Mars transfer trajectory. The first flight of the Long March-9 vehicle could be expected around 2030.
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23 December 2022
GalaxySpace is accelerating the research and development of flat-panel stackable satellites, for rapid construction of a satellite internet constellation. GalaxySpace said the design enables dozens of satellites to be stacked on top of each other like tablet personal computers and be launched at the same time on a single rocket. It can greatly improve the use efficiency of a rocket and shorten the construction period of a constellation.
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