Tag: China
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Chinese Astronauts to Return on Replacement Spacecraft After Debris Strike, CMSA Says
Three Chinese astronauts will return to Earth on Friday using a different spacecraft after space debris struck their return vessel last week, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said. The crew, part of the Shenzhou-20 mission that began in April, had been scheduled to return on Nov. 5 before what CMSA described as a “suspected…
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China’s Galactic Energy Rocket Fails to Reach Orbit in Latest Launch Attempt
Chinese commercial space firm Galactic Energy said on Monday that one of its Ceres-1 rockets failed to reach orbit, preventing the delivery of its payload of satellites and marking a setback for one of the country’s leading private launch companies. The Beijing-based company confirmed that the Ceres-1 mission did not achieve its intended orbit and…
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China Delays Shenzhou-20 Return Mission After Possible Space Debris Impact
China’s Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft has delayed its planned return to Earth after the vessel was possibly struck by tiny fragments of space debris, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on Wednesday. The agency said impact analysis and risk assessments were underway, but did not provide a new timeline for the spacecraft’s return, which had…
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Launch Roundup: Ariane 6 flies, Atlas V and New Glenn both scrub during busy week
This week’s launch manifest featured twelve missions launching on nine different rockets, including the first attempt of the second launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. This roundup covers an eight-day period, from Monday, Nov. 3, to Monday, Nov. 10. In addition to four Falcon 9 missions from SpaceX, an Ariane 62, New Glenn, Chang…
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Launch Roundup: China to launch crew to Tiangong, India to launch new naval satellite
Six missions comprise the worldwide launch manifest this week, including a crewed launch from China and a new naval satellite for the Indian Navy. SpaceX is set to kick off the week with three back-to-back Starlink missions from its pads in California and Florida. Later in the week, China will launch the crewed Shenzhou 21…
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Launch Roundup: Falcon 9 launches five missions in one week
Following the successful flight of Starship Flight 11 on Monday, SpaceX continued its impressive launch cadence with five Falcon 9 missions in one week: three Starlink missions, one Kuiper mission (weather-delayed from last week), and a mission for the Space Development Agency. Internationally, China has launched four times during the week, and Rocket Lab successfully…
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Launch Roundup: Falcon 9 to launch three times, Blue Origin to launch crew
SpaceX leads the launch manifest for the first whole week of October with two Falcon 9 missions. Both of these missions will launch satellites into SpaceX’s internet constellation, Starlink. Meanwhile, Blue Origin joined the launch schedule by launching six people to suborbital space on its New Shepard vehicle, and Orienspace launched for the second time using…
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How America fell behind China in the lunar space race—and how it can catch back up
For the last month, NASA’s interim administrator, Sean Duffy, has been giving interviews and speeches around the world, offering a singular message: “We are going to beat the Chinese to the Moon.” This is certainly what the president who appointed Duffy to the NASA post wants to hear. Unfortunately, there is a very good chance…
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Geely’s Geespace Launches Global Headquarters Project in Hangzhou
Geespace, the commercial aerospace subsidiary of China’s Geely Holding Group, said it has launched construction of its global headquarters in Hangzhou and signed a strategic cooperation agreement with local investment partners. The deal with Zhejiang Jinkong Investment Management, Hangzhou Capital and Hangzhou High-Tech Venture Capital will support investment and industrial development aimed at building a…
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China’s Guowang megaconstellation is more than another version of Starlink
US defense officials have long worried that China’s Guowang satellite network might give the Chinese military access to the kind of ubiquitous connectivity US forces now enjoy with SpaceX’s Starlink network. It turns out the Guowang constellation could offer a lot more than a homemade Chinese alternative to Starlink’s high-speed consumer-grade broadband service. China has…