China's Space Program News Thread

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Does anybody know where I can watch the TianGong-2 launch live?

Try CCTV/English online.

 

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China's space laboratory Tiangong-2 and carrier rocket Changzheng-2F are being vertically moved to the launch tower in northwest China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.From the assembly building to the launch site, the combination of the space laboratory and rocket has to move 1.5 kilometers.

To ensure that it could be moved smoothly, the speed of the move is quite slow though it is carried out on a seamless rail. The Tiangong-2 is atop Changzheng-2F rocket, and as no fuel has been put into the rocket body, the combination is top-heavy, which added difficulty to the moving.

When the whole process is completed, the rocket with the space laboratory will be covered by the tower.
It is expected that the rocket will be launched in the middle of September.

 

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hina's Long March II F or CZ-2F carrier rocket is under technical preparation for the launch of Tiangong-2 space lab schedule for September 15-20. The launch will initiate China's space lab mission comprehensively and lay an important foundation for its future space lab.

Long March II F has been moved to the launch pad after going through test in the testing zone, and intense preparation is underway for the rocket system and launching site.

CZ-2F has gone through its first electric power check and will have the first overall check, during which it will have emergency power-off test. A joint drill involving various systems is expected in a few days.

 

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Long March II-F or CZ-2F carrier rocket, the only type in China's CZ series rockets qualified for manned space flight mission, is developed from strap-on launch vehicle.After China started its manned space project in 1992, the country began to transform the Long March II-E (CZ-2E), a type of strap-on launch vehicle that had the biggest low-orbit carrying capacity at that time, in order to launch the Shenzhou-1 spaceship.

"The spaceship to be launched was over eight tons. At that time, the carrying capacity of CZ-2E was most qualified for the launch mission. The strap-on technology applied on CZ-2E greatly improved the rocket's carrying capacity," said Liu Feng, deputy general designer of CZ-2F rocket at China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.

Manned rockets require extremely high standard reliability and safety. Researchers have added the malfunction detecting system and escaping system on the rocket to ensure the reliability reaches 97 percent, and to guarantee the safety of astronauts in case of accident.

"When the malfunction-detecting system judges a major failure has occurred on the rocket and made it unable to fly safely anymore, it will order the escaping system to immediately pull away the manned spaceship from the faulty rocket," said Rong Yi, general designer of CZ-2F rocket at China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.

In 1999, CZ-2F successfully carried China's first unmanned experimental spaceship Shenzhou-1 to the space, which became the start of China's manned space flight. Then in 2003, China's first manned spaceship, Shenzhou-5, was successfully launched with CZ-2F.

The CZ-2F carrier rocket is expected to carry China's second orbiting space laboratory Tiangong-2 to space between Sept. 15 and 20. It will play an important role in the further construction and operation of China's space station.

 

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Testing of China's second space lab Tiangong-2 and carrier rocket Long March II or CZ-2F is underway as scheduled before the space lab is expected to be launched into space between September 15 and 20. Technicians were testing the carrier rocket to make sure that it functions normally after being moved from the assembling center to the launch pad.

"We are performing functional test of the system, which aims to check whether products on the rocket and all functions of the cable system are working normally after the rocket was transferred from the technical area to the launch pad," said Tan Hongyi, director of the CZ-2F carrier rocket system.

The carrier rocket underwent its first overall check on Saturday, involving an emergency power-off test, which is designed to make sure the rocket would start self-control to terminate the launch if there were an emergency power cut. "We need to reconnect our test equipment after it was transferred to the launch pad. We need to conduct an overall inspection to the electrical system of the rocket," said Song Zhengyu, deputy chief designer of the CZ-2F rockets.

Meanwhile, technicians in charge of communication functions were also busy with technical support of the voice, image and frequency systems. "Our main task is to retest some of the indexes to make sure the communication system functions normally and the test launch goes well," said Wang Qi, communications command of the Telemetry, Tracking and Communications network of the Tiangong-2.

 

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The joint drill of China's second space lab Tiangong-2 and the carrier rocket Long March II or CZ-2F successfully finished on Sunday at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
A simulated flight for the carrier rocket was carried out smoothly in the morning. Technicians and equipment went through the launch procedures.

The drill, lasting three and half an hours, featured a simulated flight for the carrier rocket. All six systems including the control room, the experiment system and the rocket system, participated in the drill procedures as planned.The staff at the site said the drill was designed for a successful launch in the coming week.

"Today's joint drill mainly aims to make sure all systems match, coordinate and stay accurate and compatibly," said Xu Peng, head of the command and control station at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Technicians carefully renewed the settings of the carrier rocket and inspected all facilities and equipment including the lighthouses nearby the launch pad.

 

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The CZ-2F carrier rocket of Tiangong-2 space lab is ready for fueling while the space lab is scheduled for launch in mid-September.According to engineers, the technical conditions of the rocket and Tiangong-2 space lab have been confirmed. The rocket has been ready for fueling.
Engineers will conduct thorough joint drill to test the communication function of the telemetry system. And preparation for launching the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft has begun.

 

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Fourteen different types of experiments will be conducted in China’s second orbiting space laboratory Tiangong-2.The different experiments will include scientific research work on earth and in space, material tests and advanced plant cultivation, according to Zhu Zongpeng, chief designer of Tiangong-2."The experiments will cover a wide range of fields," said Zhu.

This will be the highest number of experiments China has ever conducted in space, so Tiangong-2 has been also nicknamed as China’s busiest space lab so far. The experiments will also involve the usage of high-end technologies. It will bring the world’s first cold atomic clock for space, which has only one second of error in 30 million years.

"A highly accurate timeline is the basis for us to conduct all experiments related to military, civilian and national defense. For instance, how accurate you can pinpoint a location with satellite navigation system depends highly on how accurate the timing is," said Prof. Chen Weibiao with the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics under Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Tiangong-2 will also conduct experiments on space-to-earth quantum key distribution, which will generate the world’s first piece of information that cannot be blocked or deciphered and bring information security to a whole new age.

 

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As final preparations for the launch of China's Tiangong-2 space lab are underway, the space lab's unique design to enable astronauts to live and work during the 30-day mission have been revealed. "Because it is a long-term mission we need to gradually extend the time period. First, we need to be able to enable a medium-term mission. Then our space station can strive for a long-term mission," said Zhu Zongpeng, the chief designer of the Tiangong-2 space lab at the No. 5 Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

It is not an easy task to live in a weightless environment for 30 days. The designers of space lab added various support facilities to improve the living environment for astronauts. "First, we based the design on being people-oriented to create a better living and working environment for the astronauts. So our design has a living space that includes the basic necessities of life; sound, light, decoration, and noise reduction. To make the astronauts' life more convenient, we added some extra support facilities," said Zhu.

One of the new facilities is a multi-functional platform in Tiangong-2 space lab. Astronauts can use the platform to write, and do some experiments.Bluetooth headsets and sound systems replace the traditional wired headsets, making it easier for astronauts to communicate with the ground.

"During the past missions of "Tiangong-1" and "Shenzhou-9," astronauts wore wired headsets to communicate with the ground. It restricted the astronauts' movements. Astronauts in Tiangong-2 can communicate with the ground through a Bluetooth headset. Secondly, we used a Bluetooth sound system which can broadcast sound from the ground. As it is handheld equipment, astronauts can use it to listen in any part of the space lab," said Bai Linhou, the chief director of the space lab system at the No. 5 Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.