China's Space Program News Thread

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Covering about 20 square kilometers, the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center has two general assembly and debugging workshops, two modern launch towers and launch pads and one command and control office. It is designed to undertake the tasks of launching geosynchronous orbit satellites, massive polar-orbiting satellites, and heavy-duty space station and deep space exploration satellites.

It was learned that in the early 1990s, China started to adopt the "three vertical and one remote" launching and control technologies, namely, vertical assembly, vertical testing, vertical transport and remote monitoring and launch control.

The Long March-7 carrier rocket is noted for a number of innovative designs in technology. After being horizontally tested and checked, it would be moved directly to the vertical general assembly and testing workshop to be tested in erecting, docking and comprehensive testing.

Zhang Zaijing, hosting commander at the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, said, at present, the center has carried out most of the testing of the combined body of the satellite and rocket. The staff members should go on to make preparations for transport, including the check on the status of the movable launch pad, the confirmation of the tests on the status of the rocket before transiting the combined body of the satellite and rocket to the launch pad.

It has been learned that apart from the pre-launch checking and testing, work has to be done to coordinate the various systems, including telecommunications, meteorological forecast, monitoring and control and logistic support. In addition to the in-site monitoring and control, there are a number of monitoring and control points outside the launch site to provide pre- and post-launch data.

"Our measurement and control systems mainly undertake the task of tracking and measuring after the rocket has been launched. We provide the data to our data processing center to be synthesized into 3-dimensional images of the real-time status of the flying rocket," said Luo Hao, engineer of the command and control station of the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center

Reinforced concrete columns further strengthen the Hainan launchers which are completed with diversion trenches, lightning conductors and pivots. The launcher itself rises to 85.8 meters tall and features fuel-loading, trial testing and launching mechanisms. The four lightning conductors surrounding the launcher are 105 meters tall each.

Wenchang is chosen as a launch center because it is just 800 meters from the coastline for shipping of super-sized rockets. The other obvious difference as compared with the other launch centers in China lies in Wenchang's low-latitude gravity which is expected to help boost Long March-7's carrying capacity by up to 10 percent.

Lightning conductors will help battle the typhoons and thunderstorms which frequent this tropical town.
Control rooms and test rooms are located in the interior of the launcher to provide comprehensive technical support for the trial test and launch of rockets.

"The parameters inside the launcher fairing such as temperature, humidity, air volume and cleanliness are strictly regulated because we need to make sure that each parameter is in its stable range with little fluctuation," says Han Jinlong, chief in charge of the air conditioning system at the Wenchang space launch center.

The last but not the least difference is found here at the diversion trench."There is a cone in the middle which we call diversion cone and which is used to diverse the flame of liftoff," explains Zhang Zhen, section chief of equipment department of the test station..

 

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China's new-generation carrier rocket, the Long March-7, features new structure, new design, new capabilities and new driving power, according to experts.The rocket has been erected on the launch pad for its first flight sometime between June 25-29 in China's southernmost island province of Hainan.

It is 53 meters long and has a take-off weight of nearly 600 tons. It appears no different from its Long March siblings, with its diameter of 3.35 meters. The greatest difference is seen in the four boosters around its body, or the four smaller rockets tied around it. A booster provides the main thrust force in the take-off stage. The length of the Long March-7's boosters has doubled those of its siblings in service, at nearly 27 meters. So more fuel can be stored to provide greater thrust force.

According to Cheng Tangming, a deputy chief designer of the Long March-7 with the Aerospace Science and Technology Academy of the China Space Technology Group, more boosters have been added. As a result the difficulty of control has been increased to the control system, which is known as the brain of the rocket that accurately controls the separation of various parts in order to deliver the spacecraft into the designated orbit.

However, designers have found ways to solve the problem. "The entire control system used to be concentrated in the core level (rocket body) and at the secondary stage as well. But now, we have installed a control system at every stage and cabin. Such a design has reduced the pressure of centralized control on the system," said Song Zhengyu, deputy chief designer of the Long March-7 control system.

Song said they have adopted 143 smart control software pieces in the control system of the Long March-7, more than 30 times those of traditional rockets, thus raising the accuracy of control. This indicates that China's rocket control system has been fully digitized.

Apart from the new design and new structure, Long March-7 also has seen a great improvement in its carrying capacity, though it is not obviously larger than its Long March siblings. Such a new carrying capacity will bring China's space exploring abilities onto a new level. The Liquid oxygen kerosene engine of the Long March-7 can generate more than 120 tons of thrust on ground. It is the biggest thrusting force among the existing liquid oxygen rocket engines in China.

"The single thrust force is the biggest in China, say the specific impulse or combustion efficiency of a single engine as an indicator, which can be raised by 15 percent. This is the biggest difference as compared with other rockets," said Liu Zhanguo, a deputy chief designer of the Long March-7.

The launch platform takes care of the carrier rocket before its liftoff to space. The launch platform serving Long March-7 is more than just a movable. It is a combination of various networks of high-precision command and control and mechanical systems.

Three kilometers separate the assembly vault and the launch pad. Long March-7 will use most of the existing tracks for Long March-5's in its maneuver from the vault to the pad, to avoid constructing new tracks which would damage local vegetation. But the environmental considerateness has led to four 90-degree turns along its way.

"The launch platform comes out of the assembly vault. It moves along the straight track before making a turn to position. So this launch platform is capable of automatically taking the turn. The straight track has been used by Long March-5 series," says Fan Hong, deputy chief engineer of Long March-7's Ground Support System.

 

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The Chinese military have moved the Long March 7 carrier rocket, one of China's latest generation rockets, to a launch pad at the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province.The crew is expected to make the final countdown to launch within the next few days.

Moving to the final phase of its preparation, the Long March 7 has completed its vertical transportation successfully.The entire moving process took about three hours. When the launch vehicle arrived at the launch pad, rotating platforms on the two sides of the tower swung around it to allow for fueling and final checks.

Zhang Zhenzhong, commander of the Long March 7 Mission Launch Area, said the vertical transportation went very well. In the next few days they will enter the final fueling and launching process according to the weather conditions. Since the rocket arrived in mid-May, staff members have been assembling parts and conducting tests.

The preparation time before launching is shortened at Wenchang launching site due to the special geographical location and climate. The engineers have to complete vertical assembly, vertical test and vertical transport and remote test within three days.

"It takes less than 72 hours for a tropical cyclone to form in the South China Sea and land on Hainan. We consider weather as the biggest constraint. So we improve our testing and launching procedures," said Lu Liancheng, director of the equipment department of Beijing Specialized Engineering Design and Research Institute.

A digitalized launching site will be set up soon in order to improve safety and reliability of space launch."We can use the digital launching site to do experiment that we would not dare to in real situation. We can simulate rocket vertical transport under condition of extreme wind speed. We can even overturn the rocket by digitalized experiment," said Lu.

 

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CZ 7 sat of the first launch: Appolo spacecraft

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Launch time is 12:00 UTC tomorrow...

 

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China's Long March-7 carrier rocket is set to be launched at the Wenchang satellite launch center Saturday. As one of the country's latest generation of rockets, it has taken years of meticulous preparation and arduous work from engineers and experts.

At the Wenchang satellite launch center in China's southernmost province of Hainan, many high-tech computers surround the area. It may look overwhelming for an average Chinese, but not for He Liang, who is an engineer there. He came here in 2013 as a member of the 10-man engineering team preparing for the launch of the Long March-7 rocket.

The 30-year-old engineer said the average age of his team members is 25. And for most of them, this launch is their first space mission, which constitutes a great opportunity but also a massive challenge.

"The Long March-7 is China's latest generation carrier rocket. We have to carefully monitor the whole process of data collecting, transmission, and the final display. If there's any changes in the data, we need to modify it," said He.

His task is to monitor the software and hardware along these terminals, as well as to make sure all data is normal and displayed properly. During the past few years, tens of thousands of engineers and experts have made concerted efforts for the Long March-7 rocket. Some of the most important things he values in his job are the lessons and experiences he has learnt from seniors and experts.

According to him, this is a very big project and others may think the space project is too advanced. The extraordinary job requires him to be very patient and careful. His group has some of the youngest engineers in the project. And they are more energetic and creative. That's why he and his teammates are eager to join other aerospace projects, hoping to make a mark on China's future space programs.

The space launch is a huge, systematic project, which requires the precise coordination of a host of relevant departments. These engineers believe their years of dedication will be worth it after a successful launch.

 

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Staff of satellite control stations of China's Wenchang satellite launch center in southern Hainan Province is giving final preparations for the launch of Long March-7.Zhang Fengxiang, an official of a control station on Tonggu Ridge in Hainan, said they will monitor the flight of the rocket with a optical recording system.

"If we compare the rocket with a kite, then we are like to use a string to connect it. With external measurement and remote supervision, we get to know the height, distance and flying condition of the Long March-7, especially in its maiden flight. We have to ensure the accuracy of the data," said Zhang.

The official said his station will track the initial stage of the flight, and it will send the data to other control stations which are going to monitor the rest part of the flight. "If we fail to track the rocket in the initial stage. The station monitoring the next stage of the flight will lost the flying route of the rocket, which means the recoding work can hardly be finished," he said.

The Long March-7 is China's first digitally designed rocket, designed and manufactured with 3D technologies, putting China in the top tier of digital design capabilities.

 

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China's new generation carrier rocket, the Long March-7, is ready for launch in south China.

"We have stepped up our meteorological observations in recent days in order to provide vital weather data during the launch window and to allow forecasters to revise their weather prediction," said Chen Yang, chief weather forecaster at the Wenchang site.

"According to [our observation on] recent weather conditions, it is favorable for the launch," Chen added.The rocket will stay on the launch pad until at least Saturday, the beginning of its five-day launch window.

"Up to now, all wires of the launch pad's telecommunications system have tested fine, and are able to ensure all communications during the satellite launch," said Si Changzhe, a senior communications engineer at the Wenchang site. Chinese engineers say the Long March-7 rockets can hold up in gales of up to 20.7 meters per second, which is strong enough to make cars veer on the road and impede progress on foot.

"Based on current testing results, all systems and on-board equipment, including ground monitoring and testing equipment, have turned to be in normal conditions. We are safe to say it is good for launch," said Cheng Tangming, deputy chief designer of Long March-7.

 

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China will debut the next in its new line of rockets as early as Saturday, also marking the grand-opening of a new civilian launch base on the Island of Hainan.

The Long March 7 rocket – China’s new medium-lift workhorse – is set for its first launch attempt at 12:00 UTC on its maiden voyage to demonstrate new rocket technology set to become China’s ride into space for the next several decades.

Whether Saturday’s launch attempt will actually take place is not yet certain due to a bad weather outlook at the new launch site and a general lack of information on launch processing milestones. The official launch period extends through Wednesday, meaning that liftoff may not necessarily be aimed for the weekend.

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Little to nothing is known about the payloads hidden under the 4.2-meter fairing of the Long March 7 rocket. Reportedly aboard the vehicle is a prototype version of China’s future crewed spacecraft, a ballast mass, the Aoxiang-1 two-unit CubeSat and two other small satellites.

The prototype vehicle is a scaled version of a re-entry capsule that would be employed by China’s future crewed space vehicle, ferrying crews to and from the country’s modular space station to be established in the not too distant future.

According to reports, the prototype vehicle is outfitted with a navigation system, heat shield, parachutes and a communications system capable of transmitting through the plasma occurring during the hypersonic re-entry sequence. A possible landing zone for the capsule has been identified in air route closures showing a restriction in Inner Mongolia on June 26 between 7 and 8 UTC.

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Assuming control of powered flight, the second stage will fire up its four YF-115 engines to head on towards orbit. A new capability for China’s rockets is the re-start capability for second second stages, giving Long March 7 a great deal of flexibility in its ascent trajectories to reach a variety of orbits.

After the second stage is done, the Yuanzheng-1 upper stage will take over with its 6.5-Kilonewton engine. According to reports, this flight will put the upper stage to the test with four planned burns, though no detailed information has been released on the target orbit for this flight...