China's Space Program News Thread
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Are we gonna have to endure another round of "Chinese rocket could fall on your house" from the MSM after this is launched? I think this is using the same LM-5 rocket and probably will have the same trajectory as last time?Wentian Laboratory Module of the Tiangong Space Station will be launched from Wenchang in July 24. Would any fan be there for the event?
Scheduled timeline(In Beijing time, UTC+8):
June 29: Propellant filled.
July 10: Wentian Laboratory Module and the fairing assembled and transferred to the General Assembly Test Plant.
July 18: CZ-5B Y3 carrier rocket transferred to the launch area.
July 24(estimated window time): Wentian Laboratory Module launched from station 101 (LC-101) of Wenchang Satellite Launch Site by CZ-5B Y3.
The Wentian Laboratory Module is mainly oriented to space life science research. It is equipped with experimental cabinets such as life ecology, biotechnology and variable gravity science. It will support the research on the growth, development, genetics, aging and other response mechanisms of various plants, animals and microorganisms under space conditions, as well as the experimental research on closed ecosystems. It also supports the multi-level biological experimental research on molecules, cells, tissues and organs through a variety of online detection means such as visible light, fluorescence and microscopic imaging, as well as the comparative research on the growth mechanism of organisms under different gravity conditions.
In a recent interview, the director of the Institute of Cosmic Radiation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said that they planned to launch the High-Energy Cosmic Radiation Detection (herd) module in 2028 and attach it to the Wentian Laboratory Module to carry out research on important scientific issues of new space high-energy radiation detection. The project was carried out around the future High-Energy Cosmic Radiation Detection facility (HERD) on board the Space Station, and the module will be in orbit for more than 10 years. During the period, high standard and world leading research of the key scientific issues will be carried out on the detection of the deep space dark matter particles, cosmic rays and gamma rays.
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Yes it's LM-5B again where the big core stage goes into orbit.
Last time with Tianhe CNSA seemed like they know what they were doing with that core stage and was saying they've factored the re-entry into their calculation, but they also didn't say exactly what sort of strategy they're using to ensure it lands in the ocean on the way down. It's hard to say if they really have some trick up their sleeve to ensure safe reentry or were they just lucky the last two time. I guess this year we get another two opportunity to see what happens. I tend to give CNSA the benefit of the doubt.
I listened to this. According to TSTO the latest cost for LM3E is now a little less than $2,000USD per kg, I'm guessing this is not taking into account of indirect costs similar to Falcon 9 (see below).
Last year @taxiya and I were looking at cost comparison between LM3E and Falcon 9 and back then we worked out that LM3E was over $7,000USD per kg, this was already cheaper than Falcon 9 under some conditions.
TSTO went on to say Falcon 9's cost calculation is a bit dodgy. Indirect costs associated with launches such as , and once you drive the cost of rockets down (compared to say Delta-IV that is) that indirect cost starts to become a bigger and bigger chunk of the per launch cost and there's not much you can do about it other than accounting tricks.
China apparently calculated the cost for reusable vehicles decades ago and arrived at the conclusion that launch complex and other indirect cost associated with VTVL reusable rockets are quite a lot higher than HTHL crafts, hence why they went with Tengyun.
Launch site costs are certainly a thing, but they are absolutely not more than 10-20% of the total cost for a launch and really not that much. In the article you link, the real costs mentioned are development and production of an extended fairing (all new tooling, plus qual campaign), increasing launch capacity at Vandenberg (aka expanding the launch site with new hardware plus vehicle processing capability) AND a new vertical integration facility. All three of these are major undertakings and are specific to the US govt needs, not general missions.
ULA tried to say that first stage reuse wasn't economic either, but that was at least 5 years ago now and they are eating those words. Landing a rocket on a concrete pad or floating barge and then picking it up with a crane is not very expensive. Estimates for Falcon 9's marginal cost is actually only $15M per reflight which is absurdly cheap. The recovery aspect of that is on order of $1-2M.
Check out 17:45 here for sauce:
Given that, Falcon 9 flying internal Starlink missions likely has costs down to around $1000/kg, of course external customers are not getting that pricing since SpaceX is so far ahead of everyone else and isn't going to give up free revenue. Govt customers especially...
New satellite series adds capabilities
By ZHAO LEI | China Daily | Updated: 2022-07-14 09:22
Now planet-wide relay network to improve country's space coverage
China launched a Tianlian II series satellite early on Wednesday morning to form a global-covering network of the country's second-generation relay satellites.
A Long March 3B carrier rocket blasted off at 12:30 am at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern China's Sichuan province and then placed the Tianlian II-03 satellite into a geostationary orbit, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the country's leading space contractor.
The State-owned conglomerate said in a news release that the spacecraft will form a network with its two predecessors - the Tianlian II-01 and Tianlian II-02.The service of the second-generation relay system is expected to extensively improve the nation's space-based control, tracking and data relay capabilities, it said.
The launch marked the 426th flight mission of the Long March series rockets.
China began to establish its own relay satellite system in April 2008 when the first satellite in the Tianlian I series was launched from Xichang.
In July 2012, China became the second country, after the United States, possessing non-stop relay capability for its space-based infrastructure after the Tianlian I-03 was deployed that month to complete a basic system with global coverage.
In March 2019, China launched Tianlian II-01, the first of its second-generation data relay satellite.
Currently, eight Tianlian satellites - five of the Tianlian I and three in the Tianlian II series - have been launched and seven of them, except the Tianlian I-01, are in service.
Compared with the first-generation model, Tianlian II satellites feature stronger capabilities, heavier carrying capacity and longer life spans, according to satellite designers at the China Academy of Space Technology.
"Tianlian II satellites were built on the DFH-4 platform, which is better than the DFH-3 used by the Tianlian I craft," said Wang Jiasheng, chief engineer of the Tianlian II series.
"The new generation is able to serve more spacecraft and has a larger operational radius."
The Tianlian family is playing a key role in China's space programs and has served a variety of functions such as assisting with the rendezvous and docking between spaceships and the Tiangong space station and transmitting data for Earth observation, weather and other low-orbit satellites.
Without them, it will be very difficult to carry out communications and video links with astronauts, designers said.
So far, China has carried out 21 space launch missions this year. The country plans to conduct more than 60 launches in 2022.
You need to listen to the podcast (in Chinese). It did not say things that you are arguing against. It compared SpaceX's claim of cost/kg with other US launchers irrespective of US government need, but only general missions.
The podcast did not argue for what ULA tried to say. It acknowledged that 1st stage reuse can reduce the cost down to 1/3 of the "bloated" cost of other US launchers. But it refuted SpaceX's claim of 1/10 due to the fixed cost unrelated to the rocket itself.
Basically, the podcast has the opinion that VTVL resusable rocket does save money, but Elon Musk is exaggerating that advantage by playing accountant tricks.
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