08 July 2022
Beginning of July, in an interview with German media outlet BILD Zeitung, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, accused China of taking over the Moon.
Svetla Ben-Itzhak, Assistant Professor of Space and International Relations, Air University and R. Lincoln Hines, Assistant Professor, West Space Seminar, Air University, Air University explain in an article published at The Conversation that "neither China nor any other nation is likely to take over the Moon in the near future. It is not only illegal, it is also technologically daunting - the costs of such an endeavor would be extremely high, while the potential payoffs would be uncertain".
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18 July 2022
The Tianzhou 3 cargo craft separated from Tianhe on 17 July at 10:59 BJT, after completing all assigned tasks and to clear the docking port for the expected Wentian laboratory, according to the CMSEO. TZ-3 was launched on 20 September 2021 from the Wenchang, delivering 6 t of goods to the under-construction space station. At present, the TZ-3 cargo craft is in good condition and will re-enter the atmosphere under ground control in the future, CMSEO said.
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In the meanwhile, the preparations for the launch of the Wentian Space Station Laboratory progressed. The CZ-5B Y3 with the Wentian module on top was transferred from the Assembly Building to the launch area in Wenchang on 18 July. Various launch function checks and joint tests will be carried out as planned before the launch, CMSA said. see news item with photos here ...
16 July 2022
On 16 July, China launched the two Siwei 03 and 04 commercial remote sensing satellites at 6:57 BJT. A CZ-2C rocket took off from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre and put the pair into preset orbit. The satellites will provide commercial remote sensing services for sectors such as land resources investigation, natural disaster monitoring, urban planning and safety.
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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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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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