China's Space Program, News & Views

A summary from the Report of China’s Medium and Long Term Plan (2010-2025) for Space Science Missions: PPTX Doc

Senior Chinese astronaut updates on space program

Chinese astronauts are currently training in manual space docking techniques and receiving physical training to prepare for next year's missions of the country's manned space program, its chief designer and China's first astronaut said on Wednesday.

Zhou Jianping said at the second manned space flight academic conference in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, that preparations for missions following Shenzhou-9, launched in June, were steaming ahead.

China plans to send astronauts again to the Tiangong-1 target module to live and work so as to "further verify the technologies safeguarding astronauts' lives in space, mankind's working capabilities in space and some key technologies for China's planned space station," Zhou said.

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"Our goal is to build an international-level space station that meets the demands of scientific experiments and technological tests," he told the conference.

... those astronauts currently undergoing intensified training are mostly veteran spacemen.

More than 200 academics, scholars, engineers and specialists in space-related sectors attended the three-day biennial conference in Changsha

Turkey's second national earth observation satellite, Gokturk-2 will be launched to space from a base in China between December 15 and 25, 2012. The sat would be sent to China's Jiuquan Space Station within the first week of November.
It weighs 450 kilograms and has a resolution of 2.5 meters.

Originally Posted by escobar

The engine in the circle is said to be a full-scale model of the YF660 and the third one from left is YF100.

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from another angle

CE-3 thermal test is completed. The test is an important mechanical properties evaluation before the lander propulsion system test: link

The demonstration test of BD-2 application for overseas users to promote its process of internationalization has been carried out recently in Karachi and received good response: link

A NDT (Nondestructive) device for space application developped by CASTC 510th Research Institute successfully completed ground tests. The performance indicators meet the design requirements. It will be used in CE-3 mission. This NDT device has a small size, a light weight and a low power consumption and will be able to withstand the lunar impact. Juste after the moon landing, this equipment will be responsible for the collection of the comprehensive first-hand data needed to verify the spacecraft state: link

NDT techniques have broad applications in aircraft structure integrity, maintenance and life assessment of bridge structures, regular maintenance of nuclear power plant and inspection and assessment of railway tracks.

Model of ZX-22A com sat launched in 2006. We can see the twin helix antennas similar to those on US Navy Leasats...

CETC has recently completed the installation of superconducting receiver to be used for the monitoring and control of CE-3. Compared with conventional receiver technology, superconducting receiver has high sensitivity and anti-jamming capability, can meet the requirements for deep space TT&C and is one the main equipment of the entire ground-based monitoring system. It is the first time large scale application of high-temperature superconducting electronic technology is used in china's aerospace monitoring system: link

Superconducting receiver technologycan be applied to radar, electronic warfare, communications and information equipment.

A report on YF-100

JF-12 Shockwave Hypersonic Wind Tunnel

China Center To Receive Imagery from Newest Spot Satellites

China’s Center for Earth Observation and Digital Earth (CEODE) will operate an Earth station to receive medium-resolution optical imagery from the Spot 6 and Spot 7 satellites as part of a series of agreements signed with Astrium Geo-Information Services that Astrium announced Oct. 31.

Under the agreements, whose financial terms were not disclosed, CEODE and Beijing Spot Image, a unit of Astrium Geo-Information, will continue a relationship that began in 1998 and has continued through successive generations of Spot Earth observation satellites.

The new contracts will permit Beijing Spot Image to continue in the role of exclusive marketing agent in China for all Spot-derived data.

Spot 6 and Spot 7 are identical satellites capable of taking images with a 1.5-meter ground resolution — sharp enough to detect objects of that size and larger — and a swath of 60 square kilometers. Spot 6 has been in orbit since September; Spot 7 is scheduled for launch in mid-2013.

Astrium said that the new agreements permit CEODE, which was formed in 2007 and is a part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, “to pursue its high-resolution activities while also benefiting from the increased acquisition, daily revisit and quick-response tasking” of the Spot 6 and Spot 7 satellites once they are both operational in orbit.

CEODE has a similar role in China for the Spot 5 satellite, which was launched in 2002 and is expected to be retired in 2015. Operating in a higher orbit, Spot 5 takes images with a maximum resolution of 2.5 meters, also with a 60-square-kilometer swath.

Astrium Services is financing the construction and launch of Spot 6 and Spot 7 satellites on its own. Previous generations of Spot spacecraft have been paid for mainly by the French space agency, CNES. (Space news)

The Democratic Republic of Congo plans to launch its first telecom satellite, Congo Sat 1, within three years. Its partners for the US$400m project are China International Telecom Construction Corporation (CITCC), China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) and China Telecom Corporation (CTC). The satellite will provide the major part of the country’s national broadband network.

Originally Posted by escobar

The Democratic Republic of Congo plans to launch its first telecom satellite, Congo Sat 1, within three years. Its partners for the US$400m project are China International Telecom Construction Corporation (CITCC), China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) and China Telecom Corporation (CTC). The satellite will provide the major part of the country’s national broadband network.

I haven't read anything about it. But judging from previous experience, I can guarantee it's funded by a "loan" from China, which they don't have to pay back. The Chinese will just "void" it on friendly terms.