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China's Space Program News Thread
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China has fulfilled all its space missions set for the "12th Five-Year Plan" Period (2011-2015) following Tuesday's launch of Gaofen-4 satellite, its most sophisticated observation satellite.China completed 86 space launches over the past five years, nearly double the number in the "11th Five-year Plan" Period (2006-2010).Moreover, the country has achieved major technological breakthroughs.
"We have made breakthroughs in the space docking technology for manned space flights. We have completed and put into operation the Beidou (big dipper) regional navigation system. The Chang'e-3 lunar probe realized soft-landing on the moon. We can proudly say that we have edged into advanced world levels in space launch and satellite research and development," said Yu Dengyun, director of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, on Tuesday in Beijing.
By the end of 2015, China has completed 222 space launches, ranking among the top three countries in terms of launch frequency and number.
"From the 200th to 222th, the launches cover both the high-orbits and low-orbits as seen from remote sensing, and, when in terms of navigation, they have realized both regional and world-wide coverage. In terms of engineering, they have completed exploration and application. We're formulating the 13th Five-Year Plan for Space, which will set the goal of transiting from a big space power to a strong space power," said Xu Dazhe, director of China National Space Administration and State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.
escobar
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China has carried out nine consecutive successful launches of satellite this year using its homegrown Long March 3 rocket family, in a clear manifestation of the country's ambitious space program, according to scientists.
"We are now producing 16 to 20 Long March carrier rockets every year, compared with an previous annual output of six to eight. In addition, it now takes two to three years to manufacture such a vehicle, instead of five to six years in the past. This has all made it possible for upcoming missions, which may come in a row and at a higher frequency," said Jiang Jie, chief designer of the Long March 3A rockets at the state-owned China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT).
Since its maiden flight in 1994, the three-stage Long March 3A series have emerged as the country's star vehicle and a fierce competitor in international commercial space launch.As the main contractor for producing the Long March 3A, CALT went on to introduce heavier and more powerful versions of the series, the Long March 3B and 3C.
With four boosters, 3B - the bulkiest of the family - has a GTO payload capacity of 5,500 kilograms (1,1200 lb) and is able to send three satellites simultaneously into respective orbits. In 2013, it successfully launched China's first lunar lander Chang'e 3 and lunar rover Yutu.With two strap-on boosters, the Long March 3C is able to place a 3,800-kg satellite into orbit and fills a gap in payload capacities between 3A and 3B.
"How big your stage is in space is determined by your exploration capabilities, and rockets are the fundamental factor in that capability. The power of that foundation will decide how big a country's role is in space," CALT President Li Hong told China Central Television (CCTV).
The successful launch of Gaofen-4 satellite on early Tuesday marked the 19th space mission for China this year, and the ninth for the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, located in the southwestern province of Sichuan and the only site in the country that supports cryogenic propellant launches.
"Even the dropping of a needle is likely to cause explosions of cryogenic fuels, so we have to make sure there is absolutely no leaking," said Chen Zibei, director of the launch center's security department. "In recent years, we rebuilt and upgraded the launch pad and greatly improve both the reliability of facilities and our launch capabilities."
Since mid-September, the Xichang launch center has had such a busy time that at least one rocket blasted off from the site every three weeks. There was one time when staff members had to get ready for three rocket launches simultaneously.
"In the past, we could launch one or two satellites at most every year nationwide. But we have made great progress in the manufacturing of rockets and satellites, in running launch pads, and in the developing of measurement, control, and application systems," said Li Benqi, deputy head of launch tests at the Xichang center."It has become a new normal for us to make eight to 12 launches every year. I have to say this indicates a broader change, a notable growth in our national strength," Li added.
AeroEngineer
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I can not wait for LM-5 and LM-7 to be lifted off. 
escobar
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2016 to see more Chinese rockets in orbit
China closed 2015 with the launch of its most sophisticated observation satellite on Tuesday, and a record number of rockets are expected to blast off as part of its ambitious space program in the coming year...
"Gaofen 4 represents China's crowning achievement in development of remote sensing satellites. There is no similar satellite that can be on par with it globally," Tong Xudong, the chief designer of the Gaofen project at SASTIND, told the Global Times.
Gaofen 4 is located at the orbit 36,000 kilometers above the earth, with a designed lifespan of eight years, which is a new record for China's satellites, Tong added.
"The successful launch of Gaofen 4 is a milestone in the development of geosynchronous orbit remote sensing satellites in China, since the technology is quite sophisticated and advanced," Jiao Weixin, a space science professor at Peking University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
According to Jiao, low orbit satellites cannot always follow dynamic natural disasters, but Gaofen 4 can continuously observe them because it moves synchronously with the earth. It also improves the response to disasters like earthquakes, landslides and typhoons with its high-precision sensors.
The satellite can see the entire area of Beijing and Tianjin at one glance. It will benefit countries and regions covered by the "Belt and Road" Initiative as well as provide services for various domestic industries, Li told Xinhua.
Booming industry
China's space program has made great improvements in the past five years and laid a solid foundation for the future development of the country's space industry, Jiao said.
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation has launched 86 rockets and 138 satellites during the 12th Five-Year-Plan period (2011-15) with a launch success rate of 97.7 percent, while the number of launched spacecraft has doubled compared to that during the 11th Five-Year-Plan period, the China News Service reported Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation has carried out 10 international commercial launches in the past five years. A total of 31 spaceflight cooperation agreements were signed during the 12th Five-Year-Plan period.
CALT alone will design and produce 15 carrier rockets in 2016, an unprecedented number in the company's history, and launch its new models of carrier rockets including the Long March 5 and the Long March 7. The total number of rockets to be launched in 2016 is expected to hit a new high.
Meanwhile, the company is planning to initiate the largest carrier rocket production project in China's aerospace history and reduce the production cycle from 5-6 years to 2-3 years.
China's aerospace industry is improving swiftly. With a relatively low launch cost and reliable technologies, more countries will cooperate with China in spaceflight and space launch in the future, Jiao said.
Despite the promising future, some experts pointed out that China's space industry still has a long way to go to catch up with its Western competitors such as the US."Currently China is a major aerospace country, not a strong power. Though the future is promising, the country still needs to make more efforts on the development of aerospace technologies, a Beijing-based expert on spaceflight, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Global Times Tuesday.
escobar
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Gaofen satellite system generates millions of images for China's ministries, regional governments:
The Gaofen Earth observation satellite system has snapped more than 4 million photos over the past few years, benefiting land resource management, forest surveying, fire prevention and agricultural forecasting across China.
The Ministry of Land and Resources alone has received 695,000 images taken by the Gaofen-1 and 239,000 by the Gaofen-2 and used them to survey natural resources, locate water sources for border defense units, pinpoint disaster hazards, handle emergencies and monitor urban construction, said Fang Hongbin, a senior expert at the ministry's China Aero Geophysical Survey and Remote Sensing Center.
Each year, Fang's team receives high-definition images from 490 places covering 19 million square km. Before April 2013, when China launched the Gaofen-1 observation satellite, almost all of those photos had to be bought from foreign companies, imposing a huge cost on the ministry, he said.
"Now nearly 80 percent of the high-definition images are taken by our Gaofen satellites, which substantially reduces our financial burden and improves our work," he added. The ministry has made 16-meter-resolution images for all of China's territories and established a database of the nation's geographical features and natural resources.
The Gaofen images have enabled border defense units in southern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region dig 36 wells to address a water shortage. In the country's northeastern border areas, several military infrastructure projects determined suitable locations through analysis of Gaofen satellite-taken pictures, Fang said.
With the system's assistance, inspectors found several unapproved mining sites in Hunan's Hengyan area and more than 1,000 places in southwestern China that were likely to be struck by natural disasters.Gaofen satellites have also helped with relief efforts after disasters, including the 2013 Changdu earthquake in Tibet autonomous region and the recent landslide in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, Fang said.
The ministry's law enforcement units now use high-definition images to monitor local governments' land usage, he said. Currently, 21 provincial-level regions have set up a Gaofen data applications center to receive and distribute images and data generated by the satellites, according to the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.
By the end of November, Gaofen-1 and Gaofen-2 had generated more than 4 million images that have been used by 1,100 government departments, institutes and companies in 18 sectors, the administration reported. Huang Guosheng, a researcher at the State Forestry Administration, said forestry authorities have greatly benefitted from the use of Gaofen images.
"The satellites have enabled us to monitor forests in a timely manner and find forest fires as well as unapproved timber cuttings soon after they take place," he said.
In the agricultural sector, Gaofen satellites reduce local government reliance on foreign satellite images in estimating harvests, forecasting droughts and floods, and forecasting plant disease and pest control, said Zhang Haitao, a publicity officer at agriculture ministry.
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Satellite network is going global:
China plans to establish a remote-sensing satellite network with global coverage by setting up more ground stations overseas, a move that will facilitate public services in China and other nations, an industry insider said on Tuesday.
Yin Liming, president of China Great Wall Industry, the country's sole provider of commercial satellite launch services, told the Third Aerospace Internationalization Forum in Beijing that China is willing to work with foreign space agencies and international organizations to establish the network, which will mainly depend on Chinese-made satellites.
"By now, we have several ground stations in South America and Africa. We also installed a data applications station on the icebreaker Xuelong," Yin said. "Next, we want to set up more stations globally, namely on every continent as well as one in the Arctic, to promote the use of Chinese remote-sensing satellites and to speed up the transmission of satellite data."
The move will enable China to provide diversified data to foreign users in a timely manner and to better serve social and economic development, he said."A wide range of activities including harvest forecast, disaster relief, environmental protection and maritime services will benefit from the data provided by the network," he said.
In addition, China will establish ground application centers for its Beidou Navigation Satellite System in more foreign countries to further share navigation and positioning information, Yin said."Having such a center will give our foreign users convenient access to Beidou's data and functions. The center will also help them train their own space professionals and develop businesses related to space technologies," he added.
Asad Farooqi, minister of scientific affairs at the Pakistani embassy in Beijing, told China Daily on the sidelines of the forum that Pakistan and China are partnering in a host of satellite data application programs in his country and that the efforts have been helping with telemedicine, agricultural forecasting, an early warning system for disaster and other public welfare services.
He said the two nations are also cooperating to train space professionals for Pakistan, adding that Pakistan is willing to take part in China's future manned space activities.
Mariano Imbert, executive director of the Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities of Venezuela's Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, said that Venezuela regards its cooperation with China in the space field as the country's most important scientific program. He also said that Venezuela hopes Chinese space contractors will share their knowhow on satellite design, testing and components.
The two countries will also deepen their collaboration in ground station operations, data applications and space debris management, he added.
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China's first dark matter satellite is now undergoing its in-orbit test around the earth, which will last for two months.It opened the satellite-ground transmission link on Dec 24 after the detector of the satellite had been power up to 800 Volts at its 108th circle around the earth, signaling "Wukong" was able to detect dark matters in the space.
During its two-month in-orbit test, it would detect more than 10 million high-energy particles each day, ranging from 0.5 giga-electron-volts (GeV) to 10 trillion-electron-volts (TeV). The data would be transmitted back to the Earth for scientists to further analyze which ones were produced by the collision of dark matters in the space.
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