Tag: China
-
China’s first Mars mission enters orbit around Red Planet
A camera on-board the Tianwen 1 spacecraft captured a view of Mars earlier this month as it approached the Red Planet. Credit: CNSA/CASC China placed is first spacecraft into orbit around Mars on Wednesday, continuing an international blitz on the Red Planet one day after the arrival of a spacecraft from United Arab Emirates and…
-
China, with Tianwen-1, begins tenure at Mars with successful orbital arrival
The Tianwen-1 orbiter, lander, and rover mission to Mars from the People’s Republic of China has successfully arrived at the Red Planet following an approximately 15 minute Mars Orbit Insertion burn that placed the craft into orbit. The arrival capped a seven-month cruise to Mars and marks the start of a multi-pronged scientific mission that…
-
China launches military satellite toward geostationary orbit
A Long March 3B rocket takes off with the TJS 6 satellite. Credit: CASC A mysterious Chinese government satellite, believed to be a military-operated early warning station, successfully launched into orbit Feb. 4 on top of a Long March 3B rocket. The three-stage, 184-foot-tall (55-meter) rocket lifted off from the Xichang space center at 1536…
-
After success in 2019, Chinese startup fails on second orbital launch attempt
This image of the Hyperbola 1 launch was shared on Chinese social media. The second orbital launch attempt by Chinese launch company iSpace failed shortly after liftoff Feb. 1, following a successful debut flight in 2019 that made iSpace the first private firm in China to put a payload into orbit. The Hyperbola 1 rocket…
-
Chinese Hyperbola-1 rocket fails during its second launch
The Chinese private space launch company i-Space (Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Technology Ltd.) developed Hyperbola-1 (Shian Quxian-1) rocket failed in its second launch on Monday in an attempt to orbit the small Fangzhou-2 (Ark-2) satellite. The launch took place at 08:15 UTC from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Available images from the launch show the vehicle…
-
China launches military spy satellite trio into orbit
A Chinese Long March 4C rocked launched Friday with three Yaogan 31 military surveillance satellites. Credit: Xinhua China launched three Yaogan military satellites Friday on a Long March 4C rocket, adding to a fleet of spacecraft independent analysts believe are designed to spy on naval forces. The three Yaogan 31-series satellites lifted off aboard a…
-
Long March 4C lofts three Yaogan Weixing-31 satellites
China launched its second orbital mission in 2021, orbiting three new satellites from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Friday. The launch took place from Launch Pad 94 of the LC43 launch complex using the Long March-4C (Y31) rocket. The Yaogan Weixing-31 Group-02 mission comprises three satellites, with Chinese media referring to the new satellites…
-
China’s first launch of 2021 orbits communications satellite
A Long March 3B rocket lifts off from the Xichang launch base with the Tiantong 1-03 satellite. Credit: CASC A Chinese Long March 3B rocket deployed the Tiantong 1-03 satellite to provide mobile communications services after a successful launch Tuesday, the first of more than 40 Chinese space missions set for liftoff in 2021. The…
-
Rocket Lab launches communications satellite for OHB
An Electron launcher lifts off Wednesday from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1A in New Zealand. Credit: Rocket Lab A mysterious small satellite built by the German company OHB, purported to be a pathfinder for a Chinese-owned communications constellation, took off from New Zealand Wednesday and soared into orbit on top of a Rocket Lab Electron…
-
China opens 2021 with Tiantong-1 launch via Long March 3B
China launched the third Tiantong-1 mobile communications satellite on Tuesday. The launch took place at 16:25 UTC using the Long March-3B/G2 – Chang Zheng-3B/G2 (Y74) rocket from the LC2 Launch Complex at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan province. The satellite is an S-band mobile communication satellite developed by the Chinese Academy of Space Technology…