China's Space Program News Thread

[Hendrik_2000]

Watch out Space X here is China's version. Another Chinese private company in space and defense related industry. See at the bottom of this article the story of this firm founded by young people in their 20's

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

LinkSpace (翎 客 航天), a young Chinese aerospace shoot that aims to create the first private reusable rocket in China, caused Thursday several suspension flights by one of their demonstrators; at their rocket testing site in Longkou, Shandong Province.

Since the first successful test in July 2016, the three demonstrator models built by LinkSpace, including the RLV-T3 , have already carried out more than 200 suspended flights so far.

The company thus becomes the 6th in the world to have mastered this technology, according to

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

, and plans to conduct its first test of take-off and vertical landing by the end of the month.

Founded in January 2014 by a young probe rocket fan, the Chinese startup quickly raised their first fund of 16 million yuan (~ 2 M €) from private investors, and others followed.

The objective of LinkSpace is to launch their first reusable rocket, the New Line 1 , around 2020. A first suborbital test is expected before the end of 2018.

LinkSpace's research and development center in Beijing today includes some 20 researchers and engineers, mostly from state launcher manufacturers such as CALT, and even Chinese rocket forces.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

LinkSpace CEO Unveils New Line Launcher 1 (Photo: 翎 客 航天)

The company has already completed the development of a first 3000N variable-thrust rocket engine for a state research institute and also a first nano-satellite, the FMN-1 , for panoramic photography of space with two 4K resolution cameras.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

RLV-T3 flight test not very successful (Image: 翎 客 </s>)

According to the presentation by LinkSpace CEO HU Zhen Yu (胡振宇), 24, the New Line 1 rocket is 20.1 meters long, 1.8 meters in diameter and weighs about 33 tonnes on take-off.

The reusable first stage will feature four open-cycle LOX / Kerosene engines with a thrust of 100 kN each. The capacity of the launcher is 150 to 200 kg in an orbit of 250 to 550 km of altitude.

LinkSpace intends to offer their launch service for 30 million yuan (~ 3.8 M €) if the launcher is new, or 15 million yuan in case the launcher is reused.

We are waiting to see if LinkSpace will succeed in carrying out their project to the end, with the arrival of CALT, builder of Longue Marche rockets and genuine giant in comparison, who wants to make

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

next year, with the new solid propellant CZ-11 .

To be continued.

Henri K.

The story of Link space system

 

[Figaro]

Chinese scientists measure universe with 'magic ruler'
(

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

) 09:24, November 01, 2017
There's a giant "ruler" hidden among millions of galaxies in the universe. With it, scientists can measure how fast the universe is expanding. This will help them explore dark energy, the mysterious power behind cosmic expansion, and so speculate on the universe's destiny.

With this ruler, Chinese astronomers recently succeeded in reconstructing the evolution history of dark energy based on the observation of over a million galaxies. The research shows that dark energy is dynamic.

"What it means is that dark energy, which causes cosmic expansion, might not be a vacuum energy with a constant density, like many scientists previously believed, but rather an energy field with certain dynamic properties," said Zhao Gongbo, a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

The research result made by a team led by Zhao was recently published on the academic journal, Nature Astronomy.

Dark energy determines the universe's destiny, he said.

"If dark energy is indeed a vacuum energy, the universe will keep on expanding until it ends with a 'big rip'. But if dark energy is dynamic, the universe might go through expansion, contraction and then expansion again -- a cyclical universe."

FINDING THE RULER

How do scientists measure such a vast universe? According to Zhao, nature provides a magic ruler -- baryon acoustic oscillations.

The early universe consisted of a hot, dense plasma of electrons, baryons (protons and neutrons) and photons, like a pot of porridge. The primordial disturbances from cosmic creation transmitted through the "porridge," causing periodic changes to its density, temperature and pressure on the chronological sequence. This transmission mechanism is similar to sound waves transmission, so it is called baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) by scientists.

About 380,000 years after the Big Bang, the cooled-down universe became transparent. The transmission of BAOs stopped, and the information of those oscillations is frozen in space-time. But the great power of it influenced the distribution of galaxies in the universe.

In 2005, the BAO signal was discovered for the first time. Thus cosmologists finally got the "standard ruler" they dreamed of, in order to measure the universe -- whether it's flat or curved, and how fast it's expanding.

But that's just the start. Scientists also have to make accurate measurements.

Since 2012, Zhao's team has been making observations with the Sloan telescope at the Apache Point Observatory in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Based on the observation of galaxies and quasars, they obtained high-precision BAO signals.

"The observation of BAOs is becoming more precise. Previous observations focused on a short period of the universe, but we adopted a new method. Like doing a CT scan for a more remote universe, we get to know more about the history of cosmic evolution," said Zhao.

Based on the measurement with the ruler, astronomers will be able to draft a three-dimensional map of the universe.

EXPLORING DARK ENERGY

In 1929, U.S. astronomer Edwin Powell Hubble discovered most galaxies are moving away from the Earth, indicating the universe is expanding. The discovery shocked the world, overthrowing the long-held perception of a static universe.

But many scientists still believed that cosmic expansion would slow down. However, to their surprise, two research teams, in the United States and Australia, reported respectively in 1998 that they had discovered cosmic expansion is speeding up.

Scientists assumed an unknown power they called dark energy was accelerating cosmic expansion. Even now, scientists still know little about it, although they have put forward many theoretical models.

For instance, a model of dark energy advanced by Zhang Xinmin, a researcher at Institute of High Energy Physics under the CAS, conforms to the observation results of Zhao's team using the Sloan telescope.

In order to test so many theories, large-scale computer simulations are needed. "With the help of China's Tianhe supercomputer as well as foreign supercomputers, we simulated approximately 2,000 universes for analytic purposes," said Zhao.

On the computer screen, billions of years flew by, galaxies took shape and the universe evolved.

"I want to understand why cosmic expansion is accelerating," said Zhao. "There is so much new physics in that. Normal matter only accounts for about 5 percent of the universe, while the other 95 percent of dark matter and dark energy is still unknown to us. If one day we know what dark energy is, the whole discipline of physics will be revolutionized."

In the next five to 10 years, many projects will study dark energy on Earth and in space, both in China and abroad, he said. For example, China's future space station will contain a space telescope two meters in diameter. Its major scientific goal is to study dark energy.

 

[Hendrik_2000]

Now this is interesting they plan 60 satellite with revisit rate of once every 10 minutes enough for ASBM. This video satellite will enable real time tracking

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

New video satellites ready for launch pad
By Han Junhong and Zhou Huiying | chinadaily.com.cn |

Researchers work on the JILIN-1 Agile Video Satellite. [Photo by Zhu Dechao/for China Daily]

Three new JILIN-1 Agile Video Satellites produced by the Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co Ltd left the factory on Friday in Changchun, Northeast China's Jilin province, according to the company.

The company plans to send them into space in November from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, which will bring the number of satellites manufactured and launched by the company to eight.

Researchers greatly improved the temporal resolution of the new satellites, reducing the visiting time (the length of time it takes for the orbiting satellite to fly by a certain point) from three days to one day, which will greatly upgrade service ability and promote marketing in sensing satellites.

According to the company, it will have 10 satellites operational by the end of 2017, and 60 satellites in service by 2020, which will ultimately make it possible to offer a 10-minute revisit capability of satellites anywhere in the world.

The first group of the JILIN-1 satellite networking project, China's first self-made, high-resolution remote-sensing satellite for commercial use was launched and put into service in October 2015.

It is China's first self R&D high-resolution commercial satellite, China's first self R&D integral satellite and China's first R&D high definition video satellite. It is also the first satellite to be named after a province.

 

[Hendrik_2000]

Long March 3B returns with dual Beidou-3 mission
November 5, 2017 by Rui C. Barbosa

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

China is launching a new pair of navigation satellites – namely the Beidou-3M1 (Beidou-24) and Beidou-3M2 (Beidou-25) navigation spacecraft – on Sunday, using a Long March-3B/YZ-1 rocket that was marking its return. The launch took place at around 11:45 UTC from the LC3 Launch Complex of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan province. It’ll take around four hours to complete the mission.

Chinese Launch:

The launch was previously scheduled for July. However, this was delayed until November due to a partial launch failure with the previous launch of this rocket during the Zhongxing-9A (ChinaSat-9A) mission, which resulted in the satellite being lofted to a lower than planned orbit.

Onboard the Long March-3B/Y1 launch vehicle are the Beidou-3M1 (Beidou-24) and Beidou-3M2 (Beidou-25) navigation satellites, the Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) component of the 3rd phase of the Chinese Beidou (Compass) satellite navigation system. The satellites are part of a fleet that will expand the system to a global navigation coverage.

T

 

[Hendrik_2000]

China will launch a reusable spaceplane in 2020

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

| November 6, 2017 |

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

China plans to launch its reusable spaceplane in 2020, according to a statement from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

Unlike traditional one-off spacecraft, the new spacecraft will fly into the sky like an aircraft, said Chen Hongbo, a researcher from the corporation.
The spacecraft can transport people or payload into the orbit and return to Earth.

Chen said that the spacecraft will be easier to maintain and can improve the frequency of launches at lower cost, bringing new opportunities for more people to travel into space.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

They have already finished several crucial ground tests for engines and [other key components], yielding remarkable achievements,” Liu Shiquan, vice director of the China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation (CASIC), told media at the Global Space Exploration Conference in Beijing.

According to media reports, the reusable space vehicles will allow astronauts to orbit, land and take off multiple times with minimal repairs and for a relatively low cost, offering easier access to Earth’s orbit.

“[We] have made new progress in developing stable solid launch vehicles, making it possible to contemplate the large-scale launch of commercial space vehicles. Meanwhile, research on the recovery of space cargo is also going smoothly,” said Liu.

According to Liu, CASIC has been developing a multi-layer information network, with a platform consisting of high-altitude solar drones, near-space aerostats and low-earth orbit satellites and ground equipment, which are expected to be available for use around 2020.

 

[supercat]

China will launch a reusable spaceplane in 2020...

It seems to be official:

China's reusable spacecraft to be launched in 2020
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-31 20:55:43|Editor: Xiang Bo

BEIJING, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- China plans to launch its reusable spacecraft in 2020, according to a statement from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Tuesday.

Unlike traditional one-off spacecraft, the new spacecraft will fly into the sky like an aircraft, said Chen Hongbo, a researcher from the corporation.

The spacecraft can transport people or payload into the orbit and return to Earth.

Chen said that the spacecraft will be easier to maintain and can improve the frequency of launches at lower cost, bringing new opportunities for more people to travel into space.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

A little more info:

China’s secretive spaceplane may launch in 2020
Country claims "remarkable achievements" in reusable spaceship development.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

- 11/2/2017, 5:00 PM

There have been rumors about China's development of a spaceplane for the better part of a decade, but now the vehicle has a tentative launch date. According to a statement from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation,

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

the Chinese state news service Xinhua, the reusable spacecraft will launch in 2020.

Should Chinese scientists and engineers deliver on their promises, some of the technology promised by the new spaceplane will be downright futuristic. Based on various reports, the spacecraft would take off from a runway and then, higher in the atmosphere, shift to ramjet propulsion before finally using rocket motors to exit Earth's atmosphere and move into orbit around the planet.

In June, a key official with the state corporation developing the vehicle said significant progress had been made. “Currently, China is developing its own reusable earth-to-orbit space vehicles that can take off and land horizontally," Liu Shiquan, vice director of the China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation,

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

. "We have already finished several crucial ground tests for engines and [other key components], yielding remarkable achievements."

Such a spacecraft would be significant because, while China has made impressive strides in its aerospace program, much of the technology has until now been derivative of Russian and US vehicles. Unlike the US space shuttle, the Soviet Buran shuttle, and the US military's X-37B, however, the Chinese spaceplane would not launch into space aboard a rocket but instead would operate as a true runway-to-space-to-runway vehicle.

Private US companies have been trying to develop spaceplanes that take off and land on a runway over the last decade, such as Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo and XCOR's Lynx (which is on hold due to a lack of funding), but these efforts have focused on suborbital flights. Reaching orbit, as the Chinese spaceplane apparently will do, requires orders of magnitude more energy.

A Chinese spaceplane that could take off, fly into Earth orbit with crew or cargo, and then land, offers the tantalizing possibility of low-cost, reusable spaceflight. This is what NASA sought in the 1970s with the space shuttle but ultimately fell short of due to the need for extensive refurbishment of the spacecraft and its engines between flights.

It is interesting to note that both SpaceX and Blue Origin looked at the problem of low-cost access to space—both for cargo and crewed missions—before settling upon reusable first stage rockets and capsules that can be recovered and flown again. China's engineers have chosen a different route, so it will be interesting to see which approach succeeds. Hopefully, all of the above.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

 

[Jiang ZeminFanboy]

That's some good news. China really needs to speed up, considering US SpaceX fast development.

 

[AndrewS]

That's some good news. China really needs to speed up, considering US SpaceX fast development.

Realistically, a first-generation reusable Chinese spaceplane is going to not going to be competitive with SpaceX, which uses relatively mature rocket engine technology. It will be like the first jet engines versus piston propeller engines.

But in the long-run after a lot of development spending, fully reusable spaceplanes operating like today's commercial jet airliners is probably the future. So China potentially would be first to create a viable spaceplane and then lead the industry like Boeing did with jet airliners.

This is based on the articles on Skylon versus SpaceX. Plus it looks like Skylon has already proven the technical feasibility of the engine, which is the key component.

Looking at the technology and the proposals from the US Air Force research Lab, I'm speculating that the Chinese spaceplane is 2 stage as it should be less risky and possibly more efficient than a Skylon-type single-stage.

So the mother aircraft has a simpler engine which operates like a conventional jet engine at low-altitude and low-speed. Then as the altitude and speed increase, the high air temperatures means the pre-cooler switches on, to keep the engine running.

Then when it gets to too high an altitude, the smaller second-stage detaches and uses a kerosene/hydrogen rocket engine to reach orbit. In the meantime, the first stage mother aircraft flies back down to an airport. Then the second stage re-enters the atmosphere and also lands at the airport.

 

[Skywatcher]

If the first stage is purely rocket powered, it's going to have to be absolutely gigantic in order to carry a 10-15 ton second stage (1-5 ton payload, 10-15 ton total weight is necessary if you want to carry passengers).

The upside is that once the first stage becomes powered by TBCC engines, you could probably double the size of the second stage.

 

[Quickie]

This looks more attainable than some of Elon Musk's plans.

I said "some" - like the BFR below - since his other more realistic plans has already been proven to be workable.