China's Space Program Thread II

[NoetherSpudCharge]

That's good to know, but personally I'm more interested in knowing the diameter and volume of the spacecraft's pressure vessel, and even more importantly, the habitable volume. I think the Apollo command module's habitable volume is around 6.9 m^3 while the number for Orion is about 8.9 m^3. Since the angular slopes of the Apollo and Orion blunt cone shapes differ substantially from those of PTK-NP and Mengzhou, it's difficult to estimate the habitable volume of the latter two crafts without official sources (the PTK-NP, though about 4.5 m in diameter versus Orion's 5 metre, is quoted as having ~ 11m^3 of habitable volume due to the angular slope and the height of the design, assuming they're actively pursuing the program) . Hopefully CMSA will discuss Mengzhou's dimensional info in greater detail; or perhaps they did this already and I just didn't notice it?

(Never mind, I just noticed Rathalos' estimate of 14.5 m^3 of pressure vessel volume. Still the habitable volume would be of interest.)

 

[2=GT]

China on Thursday launched a Smart Dragon-3 (SD-3) rocket from waters off Yangjiang, south China's Guangdong Province, sending seven satellites, including Pakistan's PRSC-EO2, into the preset orbit.

 

[ACuriousPLAFan]

CZ-10 test stage being recovered from the sea. Posted by @raz_liu and @CNSpaceflight on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2022162629360583156

 

[Deino]

Interesting picture showing the cable catching test with a mock-up CZ-10A/B first stage.



via

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[Xiongmao]

Out of interest, didn't the Mengzhou eject its heat shield and deploy its landing bags during the test? I would have thought it would have done this.

 

[uguduwa]

I am surprised this test hasn‘t gained any media attention. It‘s a huge achievement on China‘s part and the new space race is heating and I am all for it.

 

[tokenanalyst]

A space startup with the budget of a space agency,​

iSpace completed a RMB 5.037 billion Series D++ financing round.​

iSpace Aerospace Science and Technology Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "iSpace") completed its D++ round of financing, raising RMB 5.037 billion.
This round of financing was jointly led by existing shareholders Jingming Capital and Tongchuang Weiye, with continued investment from existing shareholders Ganquan Capital, Chengdu Major Industrialization Project Phase II Equity Investment Fund Co., Ltd. (a fund under Chengdu Industrial Investment Group), Qianlima Capital, CDH Investments, Kailian Capital, Yingyuan Investment, Xinding Capital, Chengdu Airport Innovation and Entrepreneurship Investment Co., Ltd., and Shuran Investment. Several new institutions participated in the investment, including Dianshi Capital, Turing Asset Management, Nuts Capital, Lingyang Investment, Yuhu Capital, Xuansu Investment, Longxin Venture Capital, Chengdu Jiazi Industrial and Commercial Fund, Guozhong Capital, Jiantou Investment, Jinpu Investment, Yueke Financial, and Zhuoyuan Asia.
The funds raised will be primarily used to further accelerate the development and commercialization of iSpace's reusable liquid oxygen-methane launch vehicle. Simultaneously, the company will focus on the "land-based launch, sea-based recovery" technology path, increasing investment in assembly and testing capacity, improving testing capabilities for core systems such as structure, electrical systems, and power systems, strengthening investment in sea-based recovery capabilities, actively participating in and supplementing launch capacity construction, and continuously strengthening its industrial layout in Beijing, Shaanxi, Hainan, Sichuan, Guangdong, and other regions.

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[PeoplesPoster]

I am surprised this test hasn‘t gained any media attention. It‘s a huge achievement on China‘s part and the new space race is heating and I am all for it.

Global or domestic? Western MSM doesn't report on any Chinese achievements unless forced to, so don't expect too much. Been plenty of domestic coverage as well as among enthusiasts and experts outside of China.

 

[taxiya]

Out of interest, didn't the Mengzhou eject its heat shield and deploy its landing bags during the test? I would have thought it would have done this.

What you are seeing is after the airbags are separated. The shield is jetsoned some time after deployment of parachutes. The spacecraft does NOT need airbags to stay afloat. The airbags only provide cushion at the time of impact, it is immediately deflated. You can search for photos of Orion recovery in which you don't see airbags and heat shield either.

 

[taxiya]

I am surprised this test hasn‘t gained any media attention. It‘s a huge achievement on China‘s part and the new space race is heating and I am all for it.

It is unusual for western media to report anything good from China, it is only normal for western media to report "bad", "explosion", "orbit debris" and "hazardous" from China.