China's Space Program News Thread

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The National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

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(NAOC) has teamed up with CSIRO engineers in the development of the world’s largest single dish telescope – the Five hundred metre Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST).

The telescope's 19-beam receiver, a key component, is being designed and built in Australia by CSIRO engineers. CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall said the project was a great example of Australia’s innovative technology being delivered on the world stage.

“This is a really exciting project and builds on 40 years of CSIRO collaboration with Chinese industry and research organisations.”Most radio telescopes use receivers that can only see one piece of sky at a time, but CSIRO has designed receivers with many separate, simultaneous beams, making it practical for FAST to search a large portion of the sky for faint and hidden galaxies.

“The powerful receiver we’ve created for FAST is the result of our long history developing cutting-edge astronomy technology to receive and amplify radio waves from space,” Acting Director CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, Dr Douglas Bock said...

 

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LM-7 rocket arrived at Wenchang in Hainan Province on saturday afternoon in preparation for its maiden launch in late June. will notably carry a scaled-down version of a new Chinese re-entry capsule for human spaceflight. The rocket was transported from the northern port city Tianjin by the Yuan Wang 21 ship, taking six days to reach its destination. It will soon transported from Qinglan Harbor by by road to the brand new Wenchang satellite launch centre.

 

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In March next year, China's space and satellite tracking station in Quintuco, Argentine Patagonia will become operational, according to members from China's Space Agency, CLTC, who advanced that in June scientists will be mounting the station's antenna to explore outer space.

Yu Xueming, who is responsible for the project made the announcement to a group of visiting Argentine and foreign journalists and members of Neuquen province ministers, and emphasized that the base which is only for peaceful purposes, hopefully “will help track spacecrafts China is planning to send to the moon next year.

The complex in the province of Neuquén close to the Andes cordillera, the first time is was opened to the media, has four main structures, one of them the 35 diameter base for the future antenna to keep contact with the spacecrafts that will be travelling 380.000 kilometers to the moon and retransmit them to Beijing.

Another structure is a US$ 10 million power plant to supply all the energy needed and that will also provide surrounding rural areas. The third building is where the antenna will be assembled, and basically become the command center.

Finally is the structure to lodge scientists and staff, and other accommodations, such as conference rooms and leisure facilities. Scientific tourism is also contemplated in the building. An Argentine company is responsible for the construction of the complex with a US$ 70 million budget and 300 workers, said the Chinese official.

”We're also planning to have spacecrafts circumvent the moon, land and return to Earth. This is clearly civilian, with no possible military use. The antenna only rotates at a very low speed to cover great distances and in no way can be used for military actions“, underlined Yu Xueming.

Neuquen secretary Rodolfo Laffite pointed out that the province ”leased 200 hectares to the Argentine Commission of Space Activities, CONAE, as part of the raft of agreements signed between Argentina and China“. Laffite also affirmed that Argentina and Neuquen will share the knowledge of space research ”since CONAE is partner in the exploration and investigation activities with China's space agency”

The provincial secretary also underlined the economic impact of the space tracking station which will be open for 'scientific tourism'. Finally Laffite and Yu Xueming made it a point to underline that the Quintuco station is not military intended because the antenna is only useful for communications at large distances in outer space.

 

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Yaogan-30 satellite launched

 

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Following of the post on the yaogan satellite serie

Third generation SAR satellites (L-Band)

• Military name: Jianbing-14 (??) or JB-6 Upgraded Version
  
• Yaogan-29 launched on 26 Nov 2015
• GSD: 50cm
• Contractor: SAST

 

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First generation ELINT Naval Ocean Surveillance Satellites

• Military name: Jianbing-10 ??
  
• Yaogan-9A/B/C launched on 5 March 2010
• Yaogan-16A/B/C launched on 25 November 2011
• Yaogan-17A/B/C launched on 1 September 2013
• Yaogan-20A/B/C launched on 9 August 2014 (replacement for Yaogan 9??)
  
• Yaogan-25A/B/C launched on 10 Dec 2014

 

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First generation wide-area optical naval ocean surveillance satellites

• Military name: Jianbing-9
  
• Yaogan-8 launched on 15 Dec 2009
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• Yaogan-15 launched on 29 May 2012
  
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• Yaogan-19 launched on 20 November 2013
  
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• Yaogan-22 launched on 20 October 2014
  
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• Yaogan-27 launched on 27 August 2015
  
• GSD: ??
  
• Contractor: SAST
• Mass: 1040 kg

 

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First generation optical satellites Block I

• Military name: Jianbing-6
• Yaogan-2 launched on 25 May 2007
• Yaogan-4 launched on 1 December 2008
• Yaogan-7 launched on 9 December 2009
• Yaogan-11 launched on 22 September 2010
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• GSD: 2m
  
• Contractors: DFH Sat Co (CAST)
• Platform: CAST2000
  
• Orbit: 631 km × 655 km, 97.8°

 

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First generation optical satellites Block II

• Military name: Jianbing-6 Improved Version or JB-12 (??)
  
• Yaogan-24 launched on 20 November 2014 (replacement for Yaogan 2??)
  
• Gaofen-9 launched on 1 December 2008 (replacement for Yaogan 4??)
  
• Yaogan-30 launched on 15 May 2016 (replacement for Yaogan 11??)
• Gaofen-9 GSD: 50 cm
  
• Contractors: CAST
• Orbit: 630 km × 653 km, 97.91 - 626 x 655 km x 98.07°

 

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Second generation optical satellites Block I

• Military name: Jianbing-8
  
• Yaogan-5 launched on 15. December 2008 - Reentered on September 2 at 20:30UTC over Southern Indian Ocean
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• Yaogan-12 launched on 9 November 2011
  
• Yaogan-21 launched on 8 September 2014
  
• GSD: 65 cm
  
• Contractors: CAST
• Orbit: 494 km × 501 km, 97.4° ; 479 km × 495 km, 97.4