Tag: China
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China to debut new version of powerful Long March 5 rocket this week
A view of the next-generation Chinese crew spacecraft during pre-launch processing. Credit: CCTV A prototype for China’s next-generation human-rated spacecraft — flying on a test flight without astronauts — is scheduled to ride a new version of the country’s heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket into orbit this week. The Long March 5B rocket could take…
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Chinese rocket fails during launch of Indonesian communications satellite
The Palapa-N1 communications satellite during pre-launch testing. Credit: PSN A Long March 3B rocket malfunctioned during the launch of an Indonesian communications satellite Thursday, leading to sightings of fiery debris in the skies over Guam. Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency, said the Long March 3B launcher failed after lifting off from the Xichang space center…
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China launches three military satellites
A Long March 2C rocket climbs into the sky with three Yaogan 30 satellites Monday. Credit: CCTV Three Chinese military satellites with undisclosed missions rocketed into a 370-mile-high (600-kilometer) orbit Tuesday on a Long March 2C launcher. The classified payloads lifted off at 0343 GMT Tuesday (11:43 p.m. EDT Monday) from the Xichang space center…
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Long March 2C successfully launched latest Yaogan Weixing mission
After losing the first Long March-7A one week ago, China launched a new group of triplet satellites for the Chuangxin-5 (CX-5) constellation. Launched under the name Yaogan Weixing-30 Group-6, the three satellites were orbited by a Long March-2C launch vehicle from the LC3 Launch Complex of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The launch took place…
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China announces failure in first launch of new Long March 7A rocket
This image of the Long March 7A rocket was posted on Weibo, the Chinese social media platform. A Chinese Long March 7A rocket failed to place a secret payload into orbit Monday, casting doubt on planned flights by the country’s other launchers that use similar engines. Chinese state media confirmed the launch failure Monday, but…
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Long March 3B launches Beidou-3G2Q
China launched a new navigation satellite on Monday, with the Beidou-3G2Q mission launching from the LC2 Launch Complex of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan province, using a Long March-3B/G2 (Chang Zheng-3B/G2) launch vehicle. The launch occurred at 12:00 UTC. The Beidou-3G satellites are the Geosynchronous Earth Orbit component of the third phase of the…
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China launches Beidou satellite, aims for completion of navigation network in May
A Long March 3B rocket lifted off Monday with a Beidou navigation satellite. Credit: Xinhua A Chinese Long March 3B launcher carried a Beidou satellite into orbit Monday, adding the penultimate satellite to China’s independent navigation fleet before another mission in May completes the constellation to give it a global reach. The Beidou navigation payload…
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Long March-2D conducts maiden launch from Xichang with four satellites
Taking precautions with the coronavirus outbreak in all orbital and space launch centers, China returned to its launch activities after the Chinese New Year festivities with a new launch from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. This was the first use of a Long March-2D (Chang Zheng-2D) launch vehicle from Xichang. The mission orbited four satellites…
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China launches four ‘technology experiment satellites’
A Chinese Long March 2D rocket lifted off Wednesday with four technology experiment satellites, according to Chinese state media. Credit: Xinhua A Chinese Long March 2D rocket carried four “technology experiment satellites” into orbit Wednesday from the Xichang space center in southwestern China, according to the country’s state-run media. Few details about the satellites were…
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Prototypes for new Chinese crew capsule and space station arrive at launch site
A prototype of China’s new crew capsule will launch as soon as April on an unpiloted test flight in Earth orbit. Credit: CCTV The next flight of China’s heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket will debut a new configuration designed to launch modules for a Chinese space station. But a demonstration launch of the Long March…