China's Space Program Thread II

[escobar]

Seems like the target for Shijian-25 orbital servicing mission is

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, the satellite launched in 2021 that caused quite a commotion. This will probably be in the 2025 CMPR.

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is at 149 deg east, 35,468 x 36,111 km, 10.21 deg inclination

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is at 120 deg east, 35,546 x 36,088 km, 10.21 deg inclination, drifting east at about quarter of degree per day, orbit is coplanar
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Monitoring SJ-25: Potential Rendezvous and Refueling for SJ-21

Recently, our COMSPOC Operations team has been closely tracking the newly launched Chinese SJ-25 spacecraft, which entered geosynchronous orbit near 119° E. Notably, it shares a nearly identical inclined orbital plane (~10.3°) with SJ-21, currently located about 30° away in longitude. This orbital coincidence goes beyond inclination alone—the Right Ascension of the Ascending Node (RAAN) is also matched, a strong indication that SJ-21 may be SJ-25’s primary target.

The Geosynchronous belt is often likened to a high-stakes chessboard. In this case, the pieces have been set and we are waiting for the game to start. SHIJIAN-25 (SJ-25) has drawn attention due to its potential rendezvous with SHIJIAN-21 (SJ-21), the question remains: will SJ-25 commit to a long-distance drift, or simply continue station-keeping where it is?

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1896679303288352910

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1879992969727537510

 

[escobar]

The Geosynchronous Chessboard: Shiyan-12 02’s Heading Toward USA 271

Things just got more interesting - COMSPOC's optical sensor network data shows Shiyan-12 02 (SY-12 02) maintaining a rapid eastward drift, converging on USA 271— While these maneuvers don’t directly intersect with the ongoing SJ-25 and USA 270 storyline near ~120° E, they could subtly shift the overall strategic balance.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1897278728658464870

 

[peekaboo]

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[tphuang]

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This is interesting.

China plans to return samples from Mars by around 2030. I think they already had put robots on Mars in Tianwen-1. Sample return will be more challenging

 

[tphuang]

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Deep Blue Aerospace raise another 500m RMB in funding. tbh, this doesn't sound like a lot for a company working on rockets.