29 January 2022
China's solar observation satellite Xihe (Chinese H-Alpha Solar Explorer) has carried out more than 40 technological tests and over 290 imaging operations and has verified its equipment's capabilities during its ongoing in-orbit test operation. Xihe's H-alpha imaging spectrograph has recorded the sun's H-Alpha spectral line, Zhao Jian, Head of the CNSA's Earth Observation System and Data Centre, said at a news conference in Beijing on 28 January on the occasion of the release of the 5th White Paper on Space Activities. The in-orbit data are an important complement, scientists had to rely on spectral data from ground-based observations.
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28 January 2022
Wang Yaping has set a new record for the longest stay in space by a taikonaut. This is Wang's 2nd space mission, following her first 15-day Shenzhou-10 mission in June 2013.
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24 January 2022
On 24 January, the Laboratory of Spray Combustion and Propulsion of the School of Aerospace Engineering at Tsinghua University, successfully conducted a test flight for a new engine that experts said could power China's future hypersonic aircraft and near-space plane, CCTV reported.
A two-stage rocket booster was used to assist the test flight, CCTV said, noting that after the separation of the 1st stage, the 2nd stage sent the engine to the predetermined height and velocity, and that was when the air inlet of the engine began to breathe in air very efficiently, and the fuel supply system began to spray vaporized jet fuel into the combustion chamber.
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26 January 2022
A CZ-4C rocket took off at 7:44 BJT from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China and placed the L-SAR 01A satellite into a 600 km orbit. The SAST-built satellite, equipped with L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR), will be used to monitor the geological environment, landslides and earthquakes. The L-SAR 01B is scheduled to be launched at the end of February. China's L-SAR 01 is a satellite group composed of 2 satellites (L-SAR 01A and L-SAR 01B). Enabling a wide coverage and high spatial resolution, the L-SAR satellite project will help reduce China's dependence on foreign data in fields such as geology, earthquake monitoring and emergency support, said the administration.
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photos and videos
27 January 2022
The State Council Information Office (SCIO) will hold a press conference on 28 January at 10:00 BJT to introduce China's 5th White Paper on Space Activities, titled "China's Space Program: A 2021 Perspective."
Speakers will be: Mr. Wu Yanhua, CNSA Vice Administrator - Mr. Xu Hongliang, CNSA Spokesperson - Mr. Liu Jizhong, Director General of Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Centre, CNSA - Mr. Zhao Jian, Director General of The Earth Observation System And Data Centre, CNSA.
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FULL TEXT of the White Paper
25 January 2022
SpaceOS III - a new-generation operating system for spacecraft - developed by the Beijing Institute of Control Engineering under China Academy of Space Technology was released. The operating system has independent intellectual property rights. Earlier versions of SpaceOS have been used in more than 300 spacecraft. According to SpaceOS developers, the system boasts outstanding reliability and security. It can meet the different requirements of crewed spaceflight, satellite communication, deep space exploration, and satellite constellation.
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