China's Space Program News Thread

[Lion]

It is very easy, but has to have a built-in chip that is compatible with the Beidou system. It would be easy for the manufactures to do it. But it needs the backing of the central government to push it out. How widely adopted this services is by the general population will be depended on how hard they try. But I'm sure Lenovo will be one of the early waves to adopt it.

It's easy.... China has a huge market and this is what Russia and others are lacking. They just need to force all cars or whatever device to added Beidou II chips, just like what Russia are doing for their GLONASS.

Even Beidou II failed to attract any commercial market, it definitely will suceed becos it has military complication. Central government will back it with unlimited funds until it succeed.

 

[escobar]

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The Ziyuan III satellite, launched on January 9 to produce high-resolution imagery for civilian use, has sent back visual data covering 45.79 million square km of the globe as of May 18, according to an announcement on Wednesday.

A statement released by the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation said the satellite marked a breakthrough in the country's space mapping drive with many of its technical standards higher than similar satellites produced by other countries.

The data it has sent back covers more than 9.32 million square km of China's territory.

The administration has made hi-res imagery based on analysis of the data and posted it on tianditu.cn, a map website with independent intellectual property rights. The data has also been used in basic mapping, land-resource surveys, aviation management and natural-disaster prevention in several Chinese regions.

The statement also revealed that the feasibility of a mark-two Ziyuan III satellite is now being researched. The orbiter, once successfully launched, may realize the collection of real-time data on any given point on the earth with the cooperation of Ziyuan III and other satellites.

According to the statement, Ziyuan III is currently collecting visual data on various islands in the South China Sea.

Also on Wednesday, the administration announced that a national geographical conditions monitoring database will be built by the end of 2015 to use remote-sensing, satellite mapping and other high technology.

It is hoped that the database will enable the collection of real-time information and analysis on geological features, traffic networks, land utilization and coverage, as well as other aspects.

 

[Franticfrank]

Good news - real signs of progress. 45.78 million square km is very impressive.

 

[escobar]

Shenzhou-9 crew mission patch.

 

[Equation]

Shenzhou-9 crew mission patch.

Can I assume that there could be 3 or more Taikonauts on board that mission?

 

[escobar]

Can I assume that there could be 3 or more Taikonauts on board that mission?

Yep! Two men and one woman.

 

[escobar]

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Sri Lanka is set to launch its first satellite by 2015 following an agreement with a Chinese company, officials said on Thursday.

SupremeSAT, a local company said it has reached an agreement with the Sri Lankan board of investment to the tune of 20 million U.S. dollars for the project.

By 2015 the company hopes to utilize the orbital slot of Sri Lanka which is located at 50 degrees East and launch the island's first ever telecommunications satellite.

"We already have two co-branded satellites with the Chinese company in orbit and by 2015 we hope to launch our own satellite which will be Sri Lanka's first," an official at SupremeSAT told Xinhua.

The company said it has entered into an exclusive partnership agreement with China's state-owned China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) for the design, manufacturing and launching of the satellite.

CGWIC is the sole commercial organization authorized by the Chinese government to provide satellites, commercial launch services and to carry out international space cooperation.

SupremeSAT will offer all types of telecommunication services including broadband and networking services, various broadcast solutions, back-haul or range extension facilities for telecom operators and other services such as E-government and E-learning.

"We are now closely coordinating with the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission on the necessary approvals for the launch," R. M. Manivannan, Chairman of SupremeSAT said in a statement.

CGWIC meanwhile said it was confident that the partnership will make Sri Lanka's space ambitions a reality.

 

[escobar]

 

[NikeX]

Re: Dragon is ready to fly, why is it so cheap?

the dragon spacecraft of SpaceX is ready to fly in a few hours, the essence of the porgramme is affordability, it is estimated that the Falcon 9 costs $30 millions only, roughly the same price of the LM-2F, given the fact that nothing novel is used, why is it so cheap comparing with all other US launch vehcles?

Answer: Government bloat is the cause of the escalation of price in US space vehicles. When you know you have the deep pockets of Uncle Sugar behind you you do not pay attention to waste and overruns.

Space X keeps costs low by building everything under one roof. That means engines, booster housings and orbital hardware are all built at the Space X factory. Space X is very efficient. Much more efficient than any government operation could ever be.

Space X and other private space ventures will re-establish the American lead in space exploration. No one to date has been able to out innovate the USA in space exploration.

Private space is the salvation of the exploration of space

 

[escobar]

Re: Dragon is ready to fly, why is it so cheap?

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A new military communications satellite – the Zhongxing-2A (Chinasat-2A) – was launched by a Chang Zheng-3B (Y17) (Long March 3B) launch vehicle on Saturday. Lift off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center LC2 launch complex took place at 15:56 UTC.

The Chinasat-2A satellite was built on the DFH-4 platform, with a launch mass around 5,200 kg. It was manufactured by the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC).

Due to its military nature, there is little technical information on the satellite. However, China use two types of satellites for secure military communications: the Fenghuo and the Shentong.

The Fenghuo series is used for tactical military communications, providing secured digital data and voice communication to Chinese military forces.

The Chinese are currently operating the DFH-4 based Fenghuo-2 second generation satellite, with the first of the series – the ZX-1A Zhongxing-1A (37804 2011-047A) – launched at 13:33 UTC on September 18th, 2011, by the Chang Zheng-3B (Y16) rocket.

The Shentong geostationary military communication satellites are operated by the Army and their aim is to provide secured voice and data communications services for ground users using Ku-band. The satellite was based on the DFH-3 (Dongfanghong-3) satellite platform that was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), having a heavier payload with better reliability and increased power supply.

Chinasat-2A will be the first of a second generation DFH-4 based Shentong-2 satellite in operation.

To meet demand of international satellite launch market, especially for high power and heavy communications satellites, the development of Chang Zheng-3B launch vehicle was started in 1986 on the basis of the fight proven technology of Long March launch vehicles. The Chang Zheng-3B is the most powerful launch vehicle on the Chinese space launch fleet....