11 April 2019
Chinese astronomers have made contributions to a global effort to capture the first-ever image of a supermassive black hole at the heart of the distant galaxy M87. The image of the black hole, based on observations through the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), was supported by the Center for Astronomical MegaScience (CAMS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), co-established by National Astronomical Observatories, Purple Mountain Observatory and SAO. More than 200 researchers, including 16 from the Chinese mainland, participated in the scientific feat. Chinese scientists participated in the observations in Spain and Hawaii and made contributions to the data analysis and theoretical explanation of the black hole.
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11 April 2019
The U.S.-China Commission released a report entitled “China’s Pursuit of Space Power Status and Implications for the United States.” This report examines China’s space goals and national space strategy; its progress toward those goals, including an examination of China’s progress in its advanced launch vehicle, long-term crewed space station, and lunar exploration programs; and the primary entities involved in setting and implementing its space policy. Finally, the report assesses the implications of China’s space program for the United States and its continued leadership in space.
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15 April 2019
The article looks at the technical choices of Chinese NewSpace startups regarding propulsion technology and expendability/reusability, and what this reveals of their understanding of the commercial launch market. At the time of writing, we are entering the 5th year of China’s “Open Up Policy” in the space industry, which has enabled private capital to flow into space companies and triggered the emergence of a large number of startups. Among these newcomers are approximately 15 launcher-focused companies (according to our latest Space Infographics mapping), all hoping to provide satellite launching services to the world within 1-3 years.
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15 April 2019
China is playing an increasingly important role in mankind's quest to explore the universe, even though the country still lags behind many of its international peers in a number of areas, Chinese space experts and commentators say. A short, critical review of China's status quo, capabilities and the way it wants to go was given by Yuan Qiang, a researcher with the Purple Mountain Observatory and Yang Yuguang, a research fellow with the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp.
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