Chinese aerospace firm, iSpace, has reportedly tested their first full-scale reusable rocket in what is a landmark moment for the country’s space programme. The Beijing-based company successfully conducted “hop tests” with its Hyperbola-2Y rocket in the Gobi Desert, paving the way for further experimentation on the firm’s larger Hyperbola-3 rocket systems as soon as 2025,…
Chinese astronomers have told state media that they are working on a prototype version of the Xuntian space telescope to rival the Hubble telescope. The 2.5 gigapixel ultra-violet optical observatory will reportedly have a field of view 300-350 times wider than the NASA-engineered Hubble telescope and will reportedly be operational as soon as 2024. Xuntian,…
China has revealed plans to establish a second satellite “mega constellation” to provide high-speed broadband internet services aimed at competing with Elon Musk’s Starlink network. The constellation, reportedly called ‘G60 Starlink’, will consist of up to 12 000 satellites settled in low earth orbit, according to Chinese state media. When completed, G60 will join the…
A Chinese start-up has successfully inserted an experimental communications satellite into orbit. Developed by Beijing-based firm, GalaxySpace, Lingxi-03 features an ultra-thin, flexible solar wing and is testing key technologies for China’s planned 13 000 satellite constellation in what will be China’s answer to Elon Musk’s Starlink. The satellite was launched into orbit at the end…
Scientists in China claim to have built a 12-story facility that can replicate the weightlessness experienced in outer space. China has prioritised space exploration in its latest five-year plan and the newly constructed Microgravity Experiment Facility with Electromagnetic Launch (MEFEL) will allow researchers to rack-up much needed time in low-gravity conditions, at a fraction of…
A Chinese startup has become the country’s first aerospace company to successfully launch a rocket into orbit on its first attempt. Space Pioneer, also known as Beijing Tianbing Technology, conducted its maiden launch in early April from the Jiuquan Spaceport in northwest China. Space Pioneer also became the first Chinese company to use liquid propellant…
Just months after its completion, Chinese officials have announced plans to expand the now-operational Tiangong Space Station. Currently consisting of three modules, Tiangong or ‘Sky Palace’, was completed in November 2022 and is the culmination of more than three decades of research and development by the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA). Despite the station’s operational…
A team of Chinese scientists has completed what is now the world’s largest telescopic array. Situated on the very edge of the Tibetan Plateau, researchers aim to direct the massive lens at the sun for several years, ushering in what one Chinese official calls the “golden age of solar astronomy”. The Daocheng Solar Radio Telescope’s…
After several years and multiple missions, China has finally completed its self-developed space station and is the only space-going nation that has sole control of a crewed orbital craft. The country’s national space agency announced it had successfully docked the third and final module of its space station, Tiangong, in late October. Blasted into space…
Chinese scientists have successfully tested a new engine for the long-awaited, heavy-lift Long March 9 rocket. Called TF-79, the engine was developed by the Beijing Astronautics Experiment Institute of Technology (BAEIT) for China’s crewed moon missions and possibly interplanetary expeditions. TF-79’s development period suffered early setbacks but, after addressing the length and capacity of each…