China's Space Program Thread II

[bsdnf]

CGI shows landing legs and grid fins, but the actual rocket seen last year has neither. Is it likely they installed and validated those systems during these few months or is it the typical false advertisement?

This is just promotional; the first rocket will not be recovered.

 

[bsdnf]

Kinetica 2 launch successful

 

[SCE2Aux]

Some initial video, hopefully some more official footage to follow:

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[TheRathalos]

Qingzhou 1 (Prototype Spacecraft) is called Xingzengcheng 02


The "New Journey 02 Satellite" (White Elephant Space Test Spacecraft, referred to as the Test Spacecraft) was independently developed by the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAMCAS/CAS Microsat). It has a 3-year in-orbit operational capability, with a total mass of 4.2 tons, and features a single-cabin integrated configuration design. The Test Spacecraft incorporates a sealed module, propulsion system, laser IMU, and other components designed using new technologies and processes. It also involves the design of autonomous rendezvous for high-inertia spacecraft, long-term orbital station-keeping capability, distributed integrated spacecraft management, centralized power distribution and scalable energy system design, as well as space science experiment mission planning. These designs help reduce development costs while ensuring system reliability.

During this mission, it carried 27 experimental payloads totaling 1.02 tons — covering technology reserves, verification tests, scientific exploration, and even educational items. These will conduct experiments in orbits between 200 to 600 kilometers above the Earth's ground, Global Times has learned from the spacecraft experiment team.


After entering orbit, the Qingzhou prototype test spacecraft will conduct key on-orbit flight technology verification. Subsequently, the Qingzhou full-scale cargo spacecraft will dock with the Chinese Space Station and provide uplink cargo transportation services for the station.

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Qingzhou-1 is as far as I can tell the first "medium-lift" operational payload launched by another company than CASC in China.

 

[Michael90]

Indeed, looking forward to it.

Also looks like my estimate was spot on pretty much, barring any secret launches, we will have eight in March, final count. I do actually wish we saw the ZQ-2E launch this month as it was previously supposed to, but we are on schedule still for 120-140 launches this year.

Is that the target for this year?
I was thinking 100 will be a very good achievement

 

[Tomboy]

Is that the target for this year?
I was thinking 100 will be a very good achievement

It was like 2 or 3 away from that last year, 120-140 should be expected this year.

 

[tphuang]

微光启航/WeLight completed angel round funding. To be used in accelerating development of 微光一号 rocket and 华光一号 engine. It developed an all carbon fiber rocket body paired with full flow staged-combustion liquid oxygen-methane engine & carbon fiber common bulk head tank for liquid oxygen-methane applications. It uses T800 grade All CF design, 30% reduction in weight & 90% in production cycle time. It was developed using AI + 3D Printing.

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[GulfLander]

douyin clip of the launch

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[tphuang]

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2 interesting post here

First one is on CASTC 509th institute's commercial remote sensing series of satellites called 四维高景-1/2/3 satellites. Weigh from 800 to 1150 kg. Can have 0.5m resolution for 13.5 km in and the wide swath one has 12m resolution @ 110 km bandwidth. Looks like plan to launch 28 satellites in total.

second one is 楚天 constellation. LEO constellation to have 300 satellites at 200-350km.
also has 72 sat constellation at 500-800 km SSO and 144 sat constellation at 500-800 km SSO.

A lot of constellation plans.

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The 四维高景二号05、06 has been launched and is providing optical+radar quality imaging now.

翻开四维高景系列卫星的“家谱”：

• 四维高景一号作为测绘级光学卫星，具备超高的空间分辨率、高辐射质量和高无控定位精度，可用于高精度立体测绘、点目标快速成像和应急响应；
• 四维高景二号作为高性能测绘雷达卫星，可凭借全天候、全天时能力填补光学卫星的观测空白；
• 四维高景三号则是国内首型兼备130公里以上超大幅宽与0.5米分辨率的监测级光学卫星，凭借多波段组合影像能力，实现大区域覆盖和高频次重访。

 

[Asug]

We were expecting a light boat 轻舟货运飞船 but got a White Elephant ))