15 February 2016
The issue no 18 of the GoTaikonauts! newsletter was published on 15 February 2016. Since this issue – issue no 18 – no ipad app version is any more supported. The PDF is available as download - see above. For buying the printed version of the newsletter (as of issue no 15), please, contact "Raumfahrt Concret" at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.


The feature is about ISSI-Beijing including interviews with Prof. Maurizio Falanga, the Executive Director of ISSI-Beijing and Prof. John Zarnecki, one of the Directors of the International Space Science Institute ISSI in Bern, Switzerland.

Apart from the Quarterly Report on Chinese space activities in the last quarter of 2015 you will also find a book review of the first part of the Chinese science fiction trilogy “The Three-Body Problem”.

In our section "Our Own View Point", we are proposing two complementary ideas on a possible cooperation between the CSS and ISS and for the so-called "Moon Village".

We are very pleased that Inmarsat’s CEO, Rupert Pearce answered our questions on Inmarsat’s customer service to Chinese economical projects.

Our colleague Theo Pirard from Belgium has summarised for our readers the presentation on the Chinese Manned Space Programme during the IAC 2015 in Jerusalem and the Sino-Belgian cooperation on the Global-V satellite for the reconnaissance of vegetation.

Last but not least, we have included into this issue an interesting reflection on China’s space programme by Andrew Thomas, which looks at the objectives of Chinese space activities from a cultural and societal angle.

A photo gallery of China's CZ-5 and CZ-7 is completing the latest issue of our newsletter.

Enjoy reading!