13 December 2018
The launching ceremony of the first science fiction film jointly financed by Macau and mainland China, titled “Space Intellectual,” was held on 12 December at the Macau University of Science and Technology. “Space Intellectual” will focus on hard science fiction concepts, and will pay tribute to the development and achievement of China’s aerospace industry. Filming is expected to be completed in 2019, with the premiere planned to take place in Macau. The project will also consult with a team of Chinese aerospace experts, including China’s first astronaut in space, Yang Liwei, with “the objective of creating the highest level of realism and a hard science fiction blockbuster that perfectly combines new mainstream cinema with scientific concepts.”
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13 December 2018
Millennial’s start-up, Spacety, is one of the firms jumping in as Beijing opens its ambitious programme to private enterprise. “There are so many niche markets for satellites,” Yang, the 36-year-old Chief Executive Officer, said in his office at a Chinese Academy of Sciences complex in Beijing, with one of his machines sitting on the table in front of him. “I want to do low Earth orbit satellites in the areas that state-owned enterprises are too big to reach. I don’t want to just be a manufacturer,” Yang said. “I want to build my own network for others to use. I want to be the platform.”
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14 December 2018
Late last week, China launched its ambitious Chang'e-4 Moon mission. The spacecraft is carrying a robotic lander and rover that will make an unprecedented attempt at a landing on the far side of the Moon early in the New Year. But one observer of China's space program thinks this mission is another indication that China has become a legitimate space superpower and could be in a position to win the race to return humans to the Moon. Brian Harvey is a Dublin-based writer on space issues, and author of China in Space: The Great Leap Forward. He says space provides a platform for China's military interests and well as international prestige. Harvey is giving a overview on the Chang'e programme, the science involved, the difficulties, Chang'e 4 will meet once attempting to land on the far side of the Moon and on China's long-term plans for lunar exploration. Listen to the highly interesting and revealing CBC Radio interview with Brian Harvey (10 min) here...

16 December 2018
2018 has proven to be another eventful year for China in the field of aerospace. China has conducted 36 space missions in 2018, accounting for over one-third of the world's total. The country has also achieved other groundbreaking strides globally, including maiden flights of aircraft and the successful launch of Chang'e 4 probe.
The short video review of the highlights in 2018 can be found here...