26 December 2017
Egyptian lawmakers on 25 December approved a long-awaited law formally establishing the nation’s space agency, while announcing a planned research satellite launch with partners Japan and China. In September, China and Egypt – meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Xiamen – signed a memorandum of understanding covering China’s USD$45 million commitment to building the satellite with a timeline for launch in 2019. China previously committed $23 million toward Egypt’s space programme.
MORE...

26 December 2017
China launched remote sensing satellites at 3:44 a.m. (Beijing Time) on 26 December on a Long March-2C carrier rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province. The satellites have entered its preset orbit and the launch was proclaimed a success. As the third batch of the Yaogan-30 project, the satellites will conduct electromagnetic environmental probes and other experiments.
MORE...

26 December 2017
China will make more efforts in space remote sensing development in 2018 and prepare for the launch of the Gaofen 7 high-resolution remote sensing satellite, said the Director of the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation (NASMG), Kuresh Mahsut.  The goal of the Gaofen series is to provide all-weather, 24-hour services covering the entire globe. China will also promote the research and development of Ziyuan III 03 and 04 satellites in the new year.
MORE...

14 December 2017
The Permanent Mission of China to the UN in Vienna issued a notification on the re-entry of Tiangong 1.
"China attaches great importance to the re-entry of Tiangong-1. For this purpose, China has set up a special working group, made relevant emergency preparedness plans and been working closely with its follow-up tracking, monitoring, forecasting and relevant analysing. Until 26 November, Tiangong-1 had been orbiting at an average altitude of 296.0 km (perigee: 281.7 km; apogee: 310.2 km; inclination: 42.65°). Currently, it has maintained its structural integrity with stabilized attitude control. According to the latest forecast, its re-entry is expected between the first 10 days of February and the last 10 days of March 2018. Tiangong-1 weighed 8.5 tons at launch, 10.5 metres long, with a maximum diameter of 3.35 metres. Tiangong-1 uses methylhydrazine and dinitrogen tetroxide as its engine fuel. Based on analysis, the remaining small amount of fuel will be burned and destroyed along with its structural components during the course of re-entry and will therefore not cause any damage on the ground."
MORE...