China's Space Program News Thread

[escobar]

Two images of the L-SAR 01A satellite. The main sensor is a L-band radar, and special care had to be taken to ensure that it doesn't interfere with Beidou navigation satellites, which also operate in the L-band.

Weighting 3.2t, China’s biggest SAR satellite. The radar deployment area can reach 33 square meters, the ground observation resolution can reach the meter level, and the deformation measurement accuracy can reach the millimeter level.

 

[Temstar]

Is it CZ-8R？

CZ-8R will have two boosters, plus timing seems unlikely.

CALT has a commercial spin off company called China Rocket which is working on a series of commercial launch vehicle called *long, the one they're working on is called Jielong-1 I think. It could be that:

 

[Bellum_Romanum]

Some high-resolution images of the latest CZ-4C launch carrying the L-SAR 01A satellite. This was the 407th launch of the Long March family.

 

[escobar]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1486369240374550530

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1486377137980456960

 

[escobar]

Seemingly, SJ-21 is pushing the dead and fragmented Beidou-2 G2 GEO sat into graveyard orbits

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1486369240374550530

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1486377137980456960

 

[escobar]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1486154798642597888

 

[taxiya]

It is SD-3.

 

[iantsai]

It is SD-3.
View attachment 81827

So SD=Speedy/Swift Dragon=捷龙?

The diameter of the payload fairing is impressive!

 

[taxiya]

So SD=Speedy/Swift Dragon=捷龙?

The diameter of the payload fairing is impressive!

Maybe it is Swift Dragon because I can not find any Pinyin spelling that can possibly represent a Chinese word.

The rocket's 1st stage is 2.65 meter in diameter. The fairing is 3 meter. So you see the big head. The maximum SSO payload is 1.5 tonne which is big so the fairing has to be big.

 

[Temstar]

Isn't it a bit strange that CASC with China Rocket and CASIC with ExPace compete in commercial space? It feels like these two have an unfair advantage compare to fully private companies and might have a depressing effect on that market?