Clik here to view.
CZ-7 launch drill under way at Hainan
An all-system drill simulating the launch of a Chang Zheng-7 (CZ-7, or Long March-7) rocket is currently under way at the newly-built Hainan launch centre. Photos circulating on the Chinese social...
View ArticleClik here to view.
China opens 2015 campaign with navigation satellite lofted into orbit
China opened its 2015 launch campaign on 30 March, with a next-generation Bei Dou (BD) navigation satellite lofted into orbit atop a modified Chang Zheng-3C (CZ-3C) rocket. The launch vehicle lifted...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Gaofen 8 Earth-observation satellite launched from Taiyuan
A Chang Zheng-4B (CZ-4B) launch vehicle lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre (TSLC) at 14:22 local time (06:22 GMT) on 26 June. Carried atop the rocket was Gaofen 8 (Gaofen = “High...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tiangong Space Station
China’s space station plan emerged in the mid-1980s in the wake of a global race to establish permanent human presence in space. The Soviet Union had already launched a number of Salyut/Almaz space...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dong Feng-1 Short-Range Ballistic Missile
The Dong Feng-1 (DF-1) was a Chinese copy of the Russian R-2 (SS-2 ‘Sibling’) short-rage ballistic missile (SRBM). Originally known as ‘1059 Missile’, the DF-1 was developed by the Fifth Academy of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chang’e 5-T1 Test Mission
Chang’e 5-T1 is a precursor mission to Chang’e 5, China’s robotic lunar sample return mission scheduled for 2017. The primary objective of the mission is to validate the design of Chang’e 5’s return...
View ArticleClik here to view.
History of China’s Manned Space Programme (Part 1): Shuguang 1 and Project 714
The Chinese political leadership made the decision to embark on a manned space programme in 1992, but China’s effort to send human into orbit can date back to the late 1960s when the country first...
View ArticleClik here to view.
History of China’s Manned Space Programme (Part 2): Space Shuttle vs Capsule
By the early 1980s, the Chinese space industry had shifted its priority to application satellites and commercial launch services. However, internal debates over the method to send human into space...
View ArticleClik here to view.
CZ-3B launched two BeiDou-M navigation satellites from Xichang
A Chang Zheng-3B (Long March-3B) launch vehicle carrying two BeiDou-M navigation satellites lifted off from Launch Complex 2 (LC2) of the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre (XSLC) at local time 20:29...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dong Feng-2 (CSS-1) Short-Range Ballistic Missile
Fact Sheet Number of stages 1 Flight range 1,200 km Body length 20.9 m Body diameter 1.65 m Launch mass 29.8 t Propulsion 1 x 5D60 rocket engine Fuel Alcohol Oxidiser Liquid oxygen (LOX) First flight...
View ArticleClik here to view.
History of China’s Manned Space Programme (Part 3): Project 921
By the late 1980s, the scientific community and space industry had finally reached a consensus on the means to send Chinese astronauts into space — the space shuttle plan was ditched in favour of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
History of China’s Manned Space Programme (Part 4) – The Shenzhou Spacecraft
Phase-I of Project 921 was focused on the development and testing of a crew-carrying spacecraft vehicle named Shenzhou (‘Devine Vessel’). Launched atop the man-rated Chang Zheng-2F (CZ-2F) launch...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From “Carrier Killer” to “Guam Express”: PLA shows off its missile inventory...
In the 3 September Victory Day Military Parade in Beijing that marked the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, the Second Artillery Corps (SAC) of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) formed six...
View ArticleClik here to view.
CZ-6 launcher takes to the sky
15 years after its concept was first conceived and 6 years after its development began, China’s CZ-6 (Chang Zheng-6, or Long March-6) orbital launcher finally made its maiden flight on 20 September...
View ArticleClik here to view.
China’s Long March to the ‘Big Jet Club’
On 2 November 2015, China’s first C919 twin-engine narrow-body passenger jetliner rolled out of the production line in a ceremony attended by some 4,000 government officials and VIP guests at COMAC’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
CH-4 UAV
CH-4 in flight Cai Hong-4 (CH-4) is a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system designed and built by China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA, also known as the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
China develops next-generation crew vehicle
As China continues to progress towards the construction of a manned space station in the LEO around 2020, the Chinese space industry is now working on the concept of a next-generation multipurpose...
View ArticleClik here to view.
China launches space telescope in search for Dark Matter
A CZ-2D rocket lifted off Thursday delivering China’s Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) satellite into a 500 km Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). The launch took place at 08:12 local time (00:12 UTC) on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Missile: Dong Feng-3 (CSS-2)
The Dong Feng-3 (DF-3, NATO code name: CSS-2) is single-stage, nuclear-armed medium-range ballistic missile introduced in the late 1960s. The missile remained in operational service with the PLA until...
View ArticleClik here to view.
China’s Space Programme – the Beginning (Part 1)
Well known to the public is China’s effort and achievements in space exploration with the orbiting of its first artificial Earth satellite Dong Fang Hong 1 in 1970, and the subsequent application...
View Article