China's Space Program News Thread

[escobar]

Research on YF-330 and YF-660 Lox/Kerosene engine started:

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

 

[escobar]

The AAPLT (Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology) sent the first digital data of CZ-9 Lox/Kerosene engine to production plants. It means the Configuration A has been chosen. Digitized processes and workflows development have been implemented for the development of the future super heavy launcher design. "Paperless" production becomes a reality with this new program.

 

[Quickie]

Probably the same paperless automation was used in the production of J-31 prototype. This would partly explain the quick appearance of China's second stealth fighter prototype. Btw, this is another proof that China's manufacturing technology has reached an advanced level comparable to those of the Western countries.

 

[escobar]

Speaking about electric vibration table (post #1524), this article (

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

) said China has finished developing since 2006 35t-class vibration table (the largest in the world in that time), and since September 2012 50t-class have been developed. They are used in the simulations of components, to mimic rocket actual launch environment, also in high-speed rail domain or maritime studies and other.

According to Dongling Tech (

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

) Director General, the company that develops such products, China exports since 2006 16t-class vibration table to the US; however, there are an embargo against China on vibration table (1t-class in the 80s, 5t-class in the 80s and then changed to 9t-class later). The successful dev of this produc has completely broke the foreign embargo and blockade, and China has become a major exporter of this type of product. Currently, the products have been exported to 35 countries and regions.

So when the Chinese asked the Americans to sign the agreement not to use these products in military field, the U.S. representative told the Chinese signing on the paper: "This is the first time I sign as a customer... "

The chief engineer of Dongling Tech explains the reason for the embargo of Western countries to China for this kind of technology: "The failure due to vibration count in 30% of dysfunctional high-tech equipment, we understand the reason for the embargo, and now we have it"

2 staff from CALT testing a pressure relief valve on a electric vibration table.

 

[escobar]

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

This rocket has several improvements over the one used in April: has better thermal insulation over the instrument bay, improvements in torque control over the different stages and more reliable third stage engine.

 

[escobar]

It is rumored china's hypersonic craft successfully completed its first flight yesterday. It seems that the Northwestern Polytechnical University, which has long worked for the army, openly displayed a banner about it within the campus.

 

[escobar]

The SJ-9A/B sats have arrived in the launch center for final preparations prior to launch. These technology test sats will carry out in-orbit demonstration technologies such as microwave switches, a more accurate thermostats, advanced thermal control technique, electric propulsion (XIPS-20: a Xenon Ion Propulsion System), a lighter user communication terminal, high stability control system...
One will also carry new earth observation payloads.

 

[escobar]

It is rumored china's hypersonic craft successfully completed its first flight yesterday. It seems that the Northwestern Polytechnical University, which has long worked for the army, openly displayed a banner about it within the campus.

US X-51

 

[broadsword]

It is rumored china's hypersonic craft successfully completed its first flight yesterday. It seems that the Northwestern Polytechnical University, which has long worked for the army, openly displayed a banner about it within the campus.

I hope it was actual flight and not in the lab. Sometimes, facts get lost in translations or hyperbole.

 

[escobar]

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

A Chinese Long March 2D (Change Zheng 2D) has launched with Venezuela’s VRSS-1 ‘Francisco de Miranda’ remote sensing satellite on Saturday. The launch took from place from the Pad 603 at the Launch Complex 43 in the South Launch Site (SLS), marking another important step in the growing cooperation between the two countries.

VRSS-1 Launch:

After the successful launch of the VENESAT-1 ‘Simon Bolivar’ communications satellite on October 29, 2008, the Chinese and Venezuelan governments signed a new contract for the design, development and construction of a new satellite, the VRSS-1 (Venezuelan Remote Sensing Satellite).

The contact was signed on May 26, 2011, at the capital city of Venezuela, Caracas, in the presence of Ricardo Menendez Prieto, Minister of MPPCTII (Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Ciencia, Tecnologia, Inovacion y Industrias Intermédias) and Mr. Yin Liming, president of China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC).

According to the contract, CGWIC acted as the prime contractor on the $144.8 million dollars deal - broken down into $67.8 million was for the satellite purchase, $22 million for the launch service, $3 million for the first orbital operations, $16 million for the satellite control system in Venezuela, $22 million for the software, $2 million for the simulation system and $7 millions for the technicians training.

RSS-1 satellite is based on the CAST 2000 platform developed and manufactured by China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). The ground application system, such as remote sensing data and images receiving stations, were also built by CAST. China Satellite Launch and Tracking & Control General (CLTC) was responsible for launch operation and TT&C services.

VRSS-1 is the first remote sensing satellite system for Venezuela, which will be mainly used for earth resource investigation, environmental protection, disaster monitoring and management, crops yield estimation and city planning etc.

According to Mariano Imber, Executive Director of the Agencia Bolivariana para Actividades Espaciales - ABAE (Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities), the satellite will also be used “for the prospect of the productive systems, like the mining, agricultural and fishing, also being used for urban planification by the Ministry of House care and habitat.”

Talking to journalists on September 21, Mariano Imber added “this space project will also be used for the environmental management, disaster detection and emergencies that can happen in several areas of Venezuela.” Also according to Mariano Imber, the satellite will be capable of real time information about what’s happening in the Venezuelan coast line.

Orbiting at an altitude of 639 km, with three daily passes over Venezuela, the satellite will have a 2.5 meter resolution, taking 350 images each day, according to Jorge Arreaza, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. Miranda will pass over the same area of Venezuela each 51 days.

On board the satellite there are two high-resolution cameras and medium resolution cameras. The high resolution cameras have a spatial resolution of 2.5 meters in panchromatic mode and 10 meter resolution in multispectral mode. The medium resolution cameras have a spatial resolution of 16 meters. At launch, the Venezuelan Miranda satellite had a 880 kg mass. It will operate for a minimum of five years.

After the initial period of in orbit verification and tests, the satellite will be delivered to Venezuela, who will control it from the Base Aeroespacial Capitán Manuel Ríos (Bamari) - Capitán Manuel Rios Aerospace Base, located on El Sombrero city, Guárico state.

Other elements of the agreement between China and Venezuela is the construction of the ‘Centro de Investigación, Diseño y Ensamblaje de Satélites’ (Research, Development and Integration Center), a small satellites factory at Puerto Cabello, Carabobo state, that will be operated by Venezuelan technicians, and the presence in China of Venezuelan technicians and scientist that are learning and preparing future technological developments in their country.

Future plans are looking for the development of a third satellite, this time built by Venezuela.

Born in Caracas on March 28, 1750, Sebastián Francisco de Miranda Rodríguez, is commonly known as ‘Generalissimo’ Francisco de Miranda.

He was a Venezuelan revolutionary that had planned the independence of the Spanish colonies in South America.

This plan failed, but he is usually regarded as a forerunner of Simón Bolívar, who successfully liberated a vast portion of South America from the Spanish domain.

The CAST 2000 is a compact satellite platform characterized by its high performance, expandability and flexibility. It is fitted with an S-band TT&C sub-system, X-band data transmission sub-system and 3-axis attitude stabilization, and is able to offer highly precise control, large-range sway and flexible orbit control, highly integrated housekeeping and a highly effective power supply.

This platform has already been successfully applied in several Chinese small satellites, including the Huanjing-A, B satellites, and its performance and reliability have proven to be excellent.

This platform is also capable of operating in low, medium and high orbits, and has a life span of more than three years. The CAST 2000 bus mass is between 200 - 400 kg and the payload capability is between 300 - 600 kg. The satellite has a 3-axis stabilisation and a sway attitude control capability.

In general the platform can be used for Earth observation, technology demonstration, scientific exploration, Earth environmental exploration, meteorological research and application, communications and navigation.

VRSS-1 launch:

After launch and after separation from its launch vehicle, the Miranda satellite will enter in one of the most critical phases of the mission with the opening of its solar panels. With the solar panels open, the satellite will settle on a three months evaluation period where all its systems will be checked in orbit, starting on Day 3 of the mission.

Following the calibration phase, the first images taken by the Francisco Miranda cameras will probably be sent back to Earth on October 3...