Tag: Long March 3C
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Do these Buddhist gods hint at the purpose of China’s super-secret satellites?
Mission patches are a decades-old tradition in spaceflight. They can range from the figurative to the abstract, prompting valuable insights or feeding confusion. Some are just plain weird. Ars published a story a few months ago on spaceflight patches from NASA, SpaceX, Russia, and the NRO, the US government’s spy satellite agency, which is responsible for…
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China launches fifth Tianlian-1 data relay and communication satellite
The Chinese Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) launched their fifth Tianlian 1 series tracking data and relay communications satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in central China. The Long March 3C/E launch vehicle carrying the spacecraft lifted off from it’s launch pad at Xichang at 15:53 UTC on Tuesday, July 6. The Long…
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Long March 3C rocket launches Beidou satellite toward geostationary orbit
China launched a Beidou navigation satellite Friday using a Long March 3C rocket, adding another node to a growing space-based network that Chinese officials say will broadcast positioning and timing signals around the world next year. The Long March 3C launcher, fitted with a pair of liquid-fueled strap-on boosters, fired away from the Xichang…
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China launches data relay satellite for future space station crews
A Long March 3C/G2 rocket lifted off with the fourth Tianlian 1 data relay satellite Tuesday. Credit: Xinhua China added a fourth craft Tuesday to a network of geostationary data relay satellites tasked with keeping mission control in steady contact with Shenzhou crew capsules and a planned space station. The new satellite is the fourth…
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China’s Beidou navigation network grows with successful launch
A Long March 3C rocket blasted off at 1530 GMT (11:30 a.m. EDT; 11:30 p.m. Beijing time) Sunday with a Beidou navigation satellite. Credit: Xinhua A Chinese Long March 3C rocket boosted a fresh satellite into orbit Sunday to join the country’s Beidou navigation system, deploying the craft into an elliptical orbit ranging more than 22,000…
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Successful launch expands China’s Beidou navigation system
A Long March 3C rocket lifts off Monday with a new Beidou navigation satellite. Credit: Xinhua A new addition to China’s Beidou navigation network launched Monday on top of a Long March 3C rocket, which injected the satellite into an orbit more than 13,000 miles above Earth several hours later. The Beidou spacecraft will test…
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Chinese navigation system enters new phase with successful launch
A Long March 3C rocket lifted off at 1352 GMT (9:52 a.m. EDT; 9:52 p.m. Beijing time) Monday. Credit: Xinhua China launched a new spacecraft into orbit Monday begin growing the country’s Beidou navigation system into a global service alongside satellite constellations from the United States, Russia and Europe. The fresh Beidou satellite rode into…