Last solid target I heard was late Q4 this year, but they've delayed it for over a year. So who knows, they are making more progress which is nice.
China's Space Program Thread II
- Thread starter Blitzo
- Start date
Found some more images as well, just replying to this to keep the chain going.More images and a video on the Zhihang-1 (ZH-1) launch vehicle currently under assembly by ZenkSpace.
From left to right, Zhang Hongzhang, payload specialist and researcher at CAS, Zhang Lu, commander and previously flew on Shenzhou-15, and Wu Fei, engineer from CASC, flight engineer.
Alright so, big news if true, but I want to stress that this is a RUMOR so take this with a massive grain of salt. Also, I have not seen this reported anywhere else, on the Chinese/English web.
The rumor is essentially they have created a new department to oversee commercial launch service providers' activity. Ace is saying that this will cause delays to all future commercial launches, so for the life of me, I hope this is not true. Again, I am not seeing anything to indicate that this is true, I just want to post it in case something happens.
Edit: Nevermind Eric seems to have confirmed it?
The rumor is essentially they have created a new department to oversee commercial launch service providers' activity. Ace is saying that this will cause delays to all future commercial launches, so for the life of me, I hope this is not true. Again, I am not seeing anything to indicate that this is true, I just want to post it in case something happens.
Edit: Nevermind Eric seems to have confirmed it?
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some recent rumors:
1. The Commercial Space Department of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) has been established. Currently, launches in preparation need to go through a centralized re-approval process and will be collectively postponed (including almost all rockets except those that have already launched dozens of times). Although the establishment of the Commercial Space Department has caused delays shortly, it is evident that commercial space activities will begin to scale up next year, making this a necessary step. The most important role is to clarify standards and eliminate bureaucratic buck-passing.
2. Some issues have arisen with the progress of Wenchang LC301.
3. The CZ-10B is intended to fill the gap before the rocket using the YF150 is developed.
4. Build 7-meter-class rockets first.
5. The High-Pressure Test Stand for Rocket Engines in the U.S. is too expensive (costing $7 billion at the time), so it will not be built in China. China does not have such a super facility like the U.S., which generally means domestic engines cannot keep up with SpaceX, but this does not mean domestic engines are inferior.
6. The CZ12 is being developed quickly and cheaply, and in terms of price, only the ZQ2E can compete with it.
7. The Full-flow staged combustion (FFSC) will not be seen on a rocket next year.
8. The actual FY100 engine and the recently mentioned model diagram are very different, with even the turbine location being different.
9. The most capable domestic private engine design company is Space Pioneer. Space Pioneer's FFSC has already completed its design drawings.
1. The Commercial Space Department of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) has been established. Currently, launches in preparation need to go through a centralized re-approval process and will be collectively postponed (including almost all rockets except those that have already launched dozens of times). Although the establishment of the Commercial Space Department has caused delays shortly, it is evident that commercial space activities will begin to scale up next year, making this a necessary step. The most important role is to clarify standards and eliminate bureaucratic buck-passing.
2. Some issues have arisen with the progress of Wenchang LC301.
3. The CZ-10B is intended to fill the gap before the rocket using the YF150 is developed.
4. Build 7-meter-class rockets first.
5. The High-Pressure Test Stand for Rocket Engines in the U.S. is too expensive (costing $7 billion at the time), so it will not be built in China. China does not have such a super facility like the U.S., which generally means domestic engines cannot keep up with SpaceX, but this does not mean domestic engines are inferior.
6. The CZ12 is being developed quickly and cheaply, and in terms of price, only the ZQ2E can compete with it.
7. The Full-flow staged combustion (FFSC) will not be seen on a rocket next year.
8. The actual FY100 engine and the recently mentioned model diagram are very different, with even the turbine location being different.
9. The most capable domestic private engine design company is Space Pioneer. Space Pioneer's FFSC has already completed its design drawings.
3.5 h docking this time for crewed Shenzhou XXI launch.
Btw, there are some interesting info from Shenzhou 21 press conference : Mengzhou 1 patch design public contest coming up next year.
According to 2024's timeline, this contest should be coming up next month* along with the Shenzhou-22, 23 and Tianzhou-10 patches, to select the design "for" next year's missions.
So CZ-10A likely to debut next year with Mengzhou-1 onboard.
Since I cannot seem to edit this, I will provide more information about the crew. Zhang Lu is 48 years old, Wu Fei (also first time taikonaut) is 32, and Zhang Hongzhang (other first time taikonaut) is 39. Below are some biography articles about the two first timers.
As Daniel707 mentioned above, it will be 3.5 hours from launch to dock. Launch time is expected to occur at 23:44 on the 31st of October, we knew October 31st was going to be the date for the past few days at least. Tianzhou-10 will be docking during the Shenzhou-21 stay as well, and from what I'm understanding, the Mengzhou-1 mission will be a manned test. Either way, some big news coming out of the Chinese space sector today.
If the Mengzhou-1 mission will be a manned test, based on your source, how many crews and who are likely to be selected? P.S. As there will be a short mission description alongside the patch design public contest beginning in this year, we'll soon find out some basic scope of the mission.