THIS IS CHINA: New Cargo Vehicle on New Rocket for New Space Lab
02 March 2014
China is expected to launch a cargo ship into space around 2016 to serve the Tiangong-2 space laboratory, a leading space scientist said Sunday. The cargo ship, named "Tianzhou" or "Heavenly Vessel" in Chinese, will be delivered by the newly-developed Long March-7 carrier rocket and dock with Tiangong-2 automatically, said Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China's manned space program, in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.
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The Next Tiangong
03 March 2014
Morris Jones, Australia's leading analyst for the Chinese space programm is giving a detailed outlook and well thought-through analysis on what to expect for the next Tiangong 2 misson. In particular he is reflecting on the new cargo spacecraft dubbed "Tianzhou" or "Heavenly Vessel" and with which mission profile it could contribute to the Tiangong 2 programme. Morris explains possible options and likely scenarios. A good read on the comming events.
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China's Lunar Lander Still Operational
03 March 2014
Morris Jones, Australia's leading analyst for the Chinese space programm is summarising the Chang'e 3 and Yutu space mission.
He is giving a good overview on the achievements of the mission to date: "Chang'e-3 had already accomplished several important tasks before it even reached the lunar surface. Its ongoing functionality suggests that the lander has been very successful in its operations, despite the well-known problems with the Yutu rover. On balance, that makes the whole mission seem more successful than some critics may think."
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China to launch first "space shuttle bus" this year
03 March 2014
China is expected to launch an upper stage aircraft this year that can be used as a "space shuttle bus" to propel payload in space, a senior official in charge of rocket research said 03 March. The Yuanzheng-1 (Expedition-1) upper stage aircraft, attached with a carrier rocket, can carry aircraft using its own power system after reaching an initial orbit, said Liang Xiaohong, Party secretary of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. It has the same function as a carrier rocket and can bring multiple aircraft to different locations in space, said Liang. China has developed multiple upper stage aircraft with solid propellants since 1980s. Those aircraft had 10 flights, all of which were successful.
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