13 July 2022
On 13 July, a CZ-3B/E rocket took off from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the early morning at 00:30 BJT and lifted the Tianlian 2-03 into a geostationary transfer orbit.
The satellite will form a global network of the country's 2nd-generation relay satellites Tianlian 2-01 and Tianlian 2-02. The relay system is expected to extensively improve the nation's space-based control, tracking and data relay capabilities. So far, 8 Tianlian satellites - 5 in the Tianlian 1 series (all still active) and now 3 in Tianlian 2 series - have been launched. Compared with the 1st-generation, Tianlian 2 satellites are more capable, more durable and have a heavier carrying capacity, according to satellite designers at the China Academy of Space Technology.
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More on the launch at NASA Spaceflight.com

14 July 2022
CAS Space is designing a set of reusable rocket and spacecraft, with the aim of sending paying passengers on short trips into space, said Yang Yiqiang, a senior rocket scientist and founder of CAS Space in an interview with China Daily. If everything goes according to plan, the combination of the rocket and spaceship will become mature after at least 15 test flights and will be able to transport up to seven tourists each time to an altitude of more than 100 km. "Our idea is that after the rocket reaches the Karman Line, the spacecraft will separate and then continue to fly with the force of inertia. The rocket will re-enter the atmosphere and make a soft landing using its own engines, while the spaceship will return with its parachutes," Yang said, adding that the landing zone will be in a sparsely populated area in northwestern China.
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14 July 2022
The SZ-14 crew is required to undertake space station construction tasks while in orbit. Regular technical skill training is essential for accomplishing such complicated tasks. Therefore, the taikonauts practice rendez-vous procedures as well as manual and remote docking operations. During their stay in orbit, the crew will witness 2 lab modules, the TZ-5 cargo craft and SZ-15 crewed spaceship, docking with the space station core module.
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15 July 2022
Scientists at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, Hubei province, are proposing to use lunar soil to make buildings on the Moon. The egg-shaped design provides a living area on top and a work area below. The team, led by Ding Lieyun, principal of the university, produced the first model using 3D printing technique recently.
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