China's Space Program Thread II
- Thread starter Blitzo
- Start date
CNSA publicated the Announcement of International Cooperation Opportunities for the Mars Sample Return Mission (Tianwen 3):
detail:
Recruitment of LOI: June 2025
Initial selection: July to August 2025
Submission of proposals: September 2025
Confirm of the cooperation project: October 2025
Technical requirement:
2.Working environment temperature of the cabin equipment: -50°C～+70°C; Extra-cabin equipment needs to meet the needs of Mars flight environment.
3.Total power consumption available: no more than 40W.
4.Orbiter situation: 350km circular orbit with a 30° inclination and an fix attitude oriented to the Sun. Designed life: no less than 3 years. Can supply with a total weight of not more than 15kg.
5.Server situation: Elliptical orbit with an 400×76000km and a 54° inclination angle for 2 years.Design life: no less than 5 years. Total weight: no more than 5kg.
6. Further specified will be clarified in the future.
detail:
Recruitment of LOI: June 2025
Initial selection: July to August 2025
Submission of proposals: September 2025
Confirm of the cooperation project: October 2025
Technical requirement:
1.Maximum envelope size for a single device: 300×200×200mm3.
2.Working environment temperature of the cabin equipment: -50°C～+70°C; Extra-cabin equipment needs to meet the needs of Mars flight environment.
3.Total power consumption available: no more than 40W.
4.Orbiter situation: 350km circular orbit with a 30° inclination and an fix attitude oriented to the Sun. Designed life: no less than 3 years. Can supply with a total weight of not more than 15kg.
5.Server situation: Elliptical orbit with an 400×76000km and a 54° inclination angle for 2 years.Design life: no less than 5 years. Total weight: no more than 5kg.
6. Further specified will be clarified in the future.
Last edited:
by78
General
China's first commercial spaceport debuts new launch pad to meet soaring demand
The Long March-8 Y6 carrier rocket carrying 18 low Earth orbit satellites blasts off from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in Wenchang, south China's Hainan Province, March 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu)
WENCHANG, Hainan, March 12 (Xinhua) -- A group of 18 low Earth orbit satellites was launched aboard the Long March-8 Y6 carrier rocket from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in south China's Hainan Province in the early hours of Wednesday.
The satellites, the fifth group of their kind, have entered their preset orbit successfully, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). They will form part of China's commercial satellite constellation, Spacesail.
This mission was the inaugural launch from the site's No. 1 launch pad, which, following the first launch from the No. 2 pad on Nov. 30, 2024, signifies the dual-pad readiness of China's first commercial spaceport for future missions.
Experts say that Wednesday's achievement demonstrated China's ambition to revolutionize launch efficiency and safety for future high-density orbital missions.
CASC expert Xiao Yun said that both the Long March-8 rocket and the No. 1 launch pad passed practical verification tests on Wednesday, establishing a foundation for future high-density launches through improved coordination and compatibility.
"The efficient operational capacity of the new launch pad can significantly reduce the rocket launch cycle, providing commercial users with faster and more reliable services," Xiao said.
The No. 1 launch pad is a purpose-built launch facility for the Long March-8 rockets, and it includes innovations in launch safety protocols, operational models and autonomous ground systems.
The Long March-8 Y6 carrier rocket carrying 18 low Earth orbit satellites blasts off from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in Wenchang, south China's Hainan Province, March 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu)
HEAT, NOISE CONTROL BREAKTHROUGHS
The launch pad, standing 83 meters tall, features a modular steel structure design and employs a dual-direction flame deflection cone that rise 3.9 meters above ground to enable cooling and noise reduction functions for the first time, enhancing rapid-reuse capabilities.
Typical launch sites rely on underground trenches to channel rocket exhaust plumes, but the dual-direction flame deflection cone on the No. 1 launch pad is able to "catch" and "redirect" the exhaust flames safely, acting as a shield for the pad, explained CASC expert Wang Peng.
"This is the first successful application of a ground-based exhaust system to protect a medium-liquid rocket launch," Wang said.
Eliminating further risks, the launch pad abandons rooftop water tanks in favor of a high-pressure rapid-cooling system. Two gas tanks and a water tank at ground level unleash a torrent of water -- 500 tonnes in 15 seconds -- through precision-engineered nozzles upon ignition.
"The water curtain reduces heat and noise by 30 percent while shielding launch equipment from the burning exhaust," said Ge Lixin, head of the engineering and equipment department at Hainan International Commercial Aerospace, which runs the coastal launch site.
Wednesday's mission also saw a breakthrough in operational rocket launch models. Instead of transporting a fully assembled rocket to the launch site, sections were delivered separately and assembled on-site.
An assembly and testing workshop at the Hainan launch site, equipped with dual-pulse production lines and utilizing three vertical working positions, also enables on-site parallel assembly, testing and fueling.
This new operational approach slashes pre-launch cycles from weeks to a record seven days, with matching rapid recovery post-launch, said Song Zhengyu, another CASC expert.
"Our workflow now has 30 percent greater efficiency than conventional models," Song said. "This paves the way for weekly launches once fully operational."
This photo shows the No. 1 launch pad of Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in Wenchang, south China's Hainan Province, March 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu)
SMARTER LAUNCH "BRAIN"
Central to the new launch pad's efficiency is its AI-powered launch control system, which allows engineers to oversee pre-launch procedures -- like propellant loading and pressure checks -- remotely through simple keystrokes.
"As the number of launch missions continues to rise, typical manual management and scheduling adjustments are no longer suitable for commercial space activities," said Fu Jumei, head of the quality and risk control department at the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site.
The system acts as the "brain" of the launch pad, enabling frontline automation and dramatically reducing manual intervention, Fu said.
During Wednesday's inaugural mission for the No. 1 launch pad, the system introduced an expanded health management function. In the event of an anomaly, the system can rapidly diagnose the issue and propose solutions, relaying this information to an integrated operation and maintenance management platform.
The platform provides a clear view of the health status of all equipment at the launch site, and issues alerts as equipment approaches the end of its lifespan, thereby significantly reducing the need for manual inspections.
From what I can see, SpaceX made about 130 launches in 2024 and China made around 70. Add in 60+ for this new commercial port, their launch capacity is sufficient for the next couple of years. So now, the challenge is getting satellite production up and launch cost down.
Are Jilin series the satellites with highest resolution in China? So China is far behind western counterparts in spy satellites' quality & quantity?
Maxar's 15 cm HD is created by applying HD technology to their native 30 cm imagery. Their most advance satellite worldview-3 and worldview legion provide 30cm resolution images.
Are Jilin series the satellites with highest resolution in China? So China is far behind western counterparts in spy satellites' quality & quantity?
Their most advance satellite worldview-3 and worldview legion provide 30cm resolution images. In comparision, changguang's gaofen-05B can provide 20cm resolution images. However, I wonder the 20 cm resolution is created by applying some HD technology.