25 May 2018
China will launch two backup satellites for Beidou 2 in next two years to improve its performance. Beidou 2 has been in use for five and a half years. It is generally in stable and has never been out of service. The positioning accuracy improved from ten to six meters.
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25 May 2018
The lunar communication relay satellite, Queqiao, braked 100 km above the surface of the Moon in line with instructions from a ground control center in Beijing, and then entered a transfer orbit from the Moon to the second Lagrangian (L2) point of the Earth-Moon system. "There was only a short window for the braking," said Zhang Lihua, Project Manager of the mission. "And Queqiao had only one chance due to limited fuel."
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25 May 2018
SpaceNews published a brief but competent analysis of the Chinese space industry sector. The authors draw the important conclusion: "As has become increasingly clear over the past few months, one of the likely challenges facing launch providers in the future will be low-cost competition from Chinese companies. ... as Chinese companies start to provide service to foreign (but non-U.S.) companies, their concepts may become proven, and their products significantly more appealing to value-conscious companies in the rapidly expanding new space industry."
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For a comprehensive overview on China’s current commercial space activities, read part one of the GoTaikonauts! report in issue no 21. The newsletter comprises also an extensive report about the 3rd China (International) Commercial Aerospace Forum (CCAF) Wuhan last year. For the first time, the forum went international – and this – with unprecedented success. Our latest newsletter has a detailed report on this event. Three international space experts - Enrique Pacheco from Mexico, Andrew Paliwoda from the UK, and Philippe Cyr from Canada/China - explain their motivations for participation in the forum. The second part on China’s current commercial space activities will be published in issue no 22 together with a review of the historical beginnings.
 

25 May 2018
Chinese space tracking ship Yuanwang 3 has returned to port in east China's Jiangsu Province after completing a three-month maritime space monitoring mission. The ship docked at a port in Jiangyin City, Jiangsu Province on 25 May. The mission lasted for more than 70 days, traveling more than 16,000 nautical miles. The crew completed the maritime space monitoring tasks set for this expedition and also carried out the emergency monitoring of China's experimental space lab Tiangong 1 that re-entered the atmosphere after completing its mission.
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