06 April 2020
China is expected to launch the last satellite for its BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System in May from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province. The new satellite is the 55th satellite of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. It arrived at the launch site in Xichang on 4 April, where it will be tested, assembled and fueled before the launch. The BDS family satellite is a geosynchronous Earth orbit satellite.
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China’s new BeiDou navigation satellite enters long-term operation mode - with CCTV footage

06 April 2020
China has been testing high-tech parachutes to control rocket debris and make space launches safer, according to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT). During the 9 March - launch of a Long March-3B rocket carrying a satellite of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, a booster was equipped with parachutes and control devices. After the booster separated from the rocket, the parachutes opened in a sequence to control its attitude and direction, and data of the fall trajectory and landing site were sent to ground control in Xichang, southwest China's Sichuan Province.
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CCTV footage: China records first accurate parachute landing of rocket booster
article by Leonard David: China Tests New Booster Parachute System

03 April 2020
China will launch the first two communications satellites for its space-based Internet-of-Things (IoT) project in mid to late April, with one satellite named after its birthplace Wuhan, according to the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC). The satellite will become part of the planned 156 satellite Xingyun constellation, orbiting Earth at around 1,000 km height. Xingyun could be completed by the end of 2025.
The rocket to send the satellites, Kuaizhou-1A, was developed by the Wuhan-based Sanjiang Group under the CASIC. Despite its proximity to the epicenter of the novel coronavirus epidemic, the company staff worked hard to ensure the success of the mission.
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The rocket will get a special painting, featuring the medical workers and other relevant support force. For an illustration of the rocket, please have a look at our Facebook page.

02 April 2020
China's Aperture Spherical Telescope, known as FAST, has identified 114 new pulsars since its trial operation began in September 2016, according to the FAST Operation and Development Center of the National Astronomical Observatories of China. FAST has carried out nearly 1,000 hours of observation from Jan 1 to March 23, and operated normally during the novel coronavirus epidemic.
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