(NSI News Source Info) HONG KONG - September 29, 2011: China's first space lab module, Tiangong-1, blasted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest desert area on Thursday.
Engineers are conducting the final preparations before launching China's first space laboratory module at the end of this week at a launch center in northwest China.
The unmanned Tiangong-1 module was originally scheduled to be launched into low Earth orbit between Sept. 27 and 30. However, a weather forecast showing the arrival of a cold air mass at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center forced the launch to be rescheduled for Sept. 29 or 30, depending on weather and other factors.
"This is a significant test. We've never done such a thing before," said Lu Jinrong, the launch center's chief engineer.
A full ground simulation was conducted on Sunday afternoon to ensure that the module and its Long March 2F carrier rocket are prepared for the actual launch.
Cui Jijun, commander-in-chief of the launch site system and director of Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, told Xinhua that they developed a new target spacecraft for the mission and made more than 170 technical improvements to the Long March 2F, China's manned orbital carrier rocket.
Engineers have also made more than 100 updates at the launch site in order to make it compatible with the Tiangong-1, Cui added.
The module will conduct docking experiments after entering orbit, which is the first step in China's space station program.
Cui said the launch site has an updated computer center and command monitoring system and increased ability to adapt to changes in mission conditions, as well as the resources to handle both the launch and command duties. An integrated simulation training system for space launching has also been developed for the docking mission.
The mission comes just one month after the Long March 2C rocket malfunctioned and failed to send an experimental satellite into orbit. The Tiangong-1 mission was subsequently rescheduled in order to allow engineers to sort out any problems that might occur during the launch.
Cui said that engineers conducted a two-month comprehensive technical check on equipment at the launch site from March to May. The safety and reliability of all the instruments have been significantly improved.
"[The launch site] has the full conditions to conduct the Tiangong-1 mission," said Cui.
The Tiangong-1 will remain in orbit for two years. During its mission, it will dock with China's Shenzhou-8, -9 and -10 spacecrafts.
Unmanned docking procedures will be an essential step toward China achieving its goal of establishing a manned space station around 2020.
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 20, 2011: China said Tuesday it will launch its Tiangong-1 space module later this month, marking its first step towards building a Chinese space station.
The Asian giant sees its space programme as a symbol of its global stature, growing technical expertise, and the Communist Party's success in turning around the fortunes of the formerly poverty-stricken nation.
It had originally planned to place the unmanned Tiangong-1, or "Heavenly Palace", in orbit last year, but was forced to delay the move for "technical reasons".
A spokesman for the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the northwestern province of Gansu, who refused to be named, told AFP the module will be launched some time between September 27 and 30, just ahead of China's National Day on October 1.
According to the official Xinhua news agency, both Tiangong-1 and the Long March 2-F rocket that will take the module into space are already in place on a launch platform at the centre.
Weighing eight tonnes, the module is due to stay in orbit around earth for two years.
In April, Yang Liwei, the first Chinese astronaut, told reporters China would attempt its first space docking between Tiangong-1 and another unmanned vehicle called Shenzhou 8 in the second half of the year.
If this succeeds, the module will then dock with two other rockets -- Shenzhou 9 and 10 -- in 2012, both of which will have astronauts on board.
Before 2016, China will launch a space laboratory and, Yang said, "around 2020, we plan to realise the construction of a space station in orbit for long-term stays in space".
China's space station will be made up of the module, two laboratories, a cargo ship and a manned rocket, with a total weight of 60 tonnes, compared to 137 tonnes for the Russian station Mir and 419 tonnes for the International Space Station (ISS), state media has said.
China became the world's third nation to put a man in space independently -- after the United States and Russia -- when Yang piloted the one-man Shenzhou-5 space mission in 2003.
In September 2008, the Shenzhou-7, piloted by three astronauts, carried out China's first space walk.
BEIJING - China will next week launch an experimental craft paving the way for its first space station, an official said on Tuesday, bringing the growing Asian power closer to matching the United States and Russia with a long-term manned outpost in ...
BEIJING — China said Tuesday it will launch its Tiangong-1 space module later this month, marking its first step towards building a Chinese space station. The Asian giant sees its space programme as a symbol of its global stature, growing technical ...
The 8.5-tonne Tiangong-1, or "Heavenly Palace 1," will be sent into space to perform the nation's first space-docking procedure. It will dock with the unmanned Shenzhou-8 spacecraft, which will be sent into space after the Tiangong-1's launch, ...
China will launch a prototype module for a planned space lab next week, state media said today. The step will bring it closer to the United States and Russia as space powers. The Tiangong 1, or "Heavenly Palace", will blast off from the Gobi Desert ...
AP A Chinese astronaut in training in what appeared to be an airplane outfitted to simulate zero-gravity during a news program giving a glimpse into China''s secretive astronaut program. Beijing - With a rocket on the launch pad ready to send its first ...
(NewsCore) - China plans to launch an unmanned space module next week to perform the nation's first space docking exercise in preparation for a permanent space station, the official Xinhua news agency reported Tuesday. ...
Deep in the Gobi desert, the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) is making final preparations for next week's launch of the Tiangong-1 or Heavenly Palace experimental space module. The module is set to rendezvous with the Shenzou-8 spacecraft that ...
BEIJING, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- China's launch of its unmanned space module Tiangong-1, put off earlier this month, is now set for later this month, a spokesman said Tuesday. The launch will occur sometime between next Tuesday and the end of the month, ...
Beijing, Sep 20 (IANS) China has decided to launch its unmanned space module — Tiangong-1 — between Sep 27 and 30. The 8.5-tonne Tiangong-1, or 'Heavenly Palace 1,' will be sent into space to perform the nation's first space-docking procedure. ...
Xinhua News Agency says China will launch a prototype module for a planned space lab next week. The Tiangong 1 or "Heavenly Palace" is scheduled to blast off from the Gobi Desert launch site in Gansu Province next week, just before the October 1 ...
It seems that our long wait for the launch of China's space laboratory is almost over. Most discussions of the flight of Tiangong 1 suggest that it will certainly launch this month. We can now measure the countdown in days instead of ...
A Chinese rocket blasts off from the launch centre in Xichang in the southwestern province of Sichuan, 2010. China said it will launch its Tiangong-1 space module later this month, marking its first step towards building a Chinese space station. ...
BEIJING (Reuters) - China will next week launch an experimental craft paving the way for a planned space station, an official said on Tuesday, bringing the growing Asian power closer to matching the United States and Russia with a ...
DTN News: Boeing Contribution To Shuttle Mission Includes Troubleshooting, Payload Prep
Source: DTN News / Boeing
(NSI News Source Info) KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., April 2, 2010: The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has been providing NASA with a wide variety of hardware and services -- including troubleshooting a stuck valve -- to ensure Space Shuttle Discovery launches as scheduled on April 5.
One of two helium isolation valves in the shuttle's starboard Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pod failed in the open position on March 13 during helium tank preparations prior to OMS pod propellant loading. High-pressure helium is used to push propellants from storage tanks into small rocket motors used for routine orbital maneuvers.
"As the original equipment manufacturer for the space shuttle and a major subcontractor on the program, Boeing engineers were a part of a NASA-led problem resolution team that analyzed the complex data and provided recommendations," said John Mulholland, Boeing Space Shuttle Program vice president and program manager. "The team concluded that given the redundancy in the system, the space shuttle is safe to fly with the valve in this configuration."
Shuttle mission STS-131 will transport four experiment racks to the International Space Station (ISS), along with one systems rack, seven resupply stowage platforms, and four resupply stowage racks. Boeing engineers in Huntsville, Ala., designed and built two of the four experiment racks -- the Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station (EXPRESS) Rack 7 and the Window Observational Research Facility (WORF).
EXPRESS Rack 7 is a multipurpose payload rack system that will store and support science experiments aboard the ISS. Experiments can be easily integrated into the system, which includes structural interfaces, power, command/data, video, cooling, nitrogen, vacuum exhaust, and other items needed to operate experiments in space.
The WORF fits over the U.S. Destiny lab window and will maximize the use of the window via attachments for cameras, camcorders, and other instruments to capture imagery of the Earth and space.
The mission also will deliver an Ammonia Tank Assembly (ATA) that Boeing refurbished at Kennedy Space Center. The ATA works in conjunction with the station's External Active Thermal Control System to help cool the exterior and interior components of the ISS.
The Boeing Checkout, Assembly and Payload Processing Services (CAPPS) team prepared the entire mission payload for launch. The services and support Boeing provides under its CAPPS contract include planning for and receiving payloads, maintaining associated ground support systems, integrating payloads with the space shuttle, launch support, and space shuttle post-landing payload activities.
Boeing is the prime contractor to NASA for the ISS. In addition to designing and building all the major U.S. elements, Boeing also is responsible for ensuring the successful integration of new hardware and software -- including components from international partners -- as well as for providing sustaining engineering work for the ISS.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.
DTN News: NASA Sets Next Shuttle Launch For April 5
* Shuttle to deliver cargo to the space station
* Four flights remain before the shuttle fleet is retiredSource: DTN News / Reuters By Irene Klotz
(NSI News Source Info) CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., - March 28, 2010: NASA on Friday cleared space shuttle Discovery for launch on April 5 on one of its final cargo runs to the International Space Station before the fleet is retired later this year.
Liftoff of the spaceship and seven astronauts is targeted for 6:21 a.m. EDT (1021 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The shuttle will be carrying a cargo pod filled with science racks and equipment for the space station, which is nearing completion after more than a decade of construction 220 miles (350 km) above Earth.
NASA has four flights remaining to finish outfitting the station, a $100 billion project of 16 nations.
The U.S. space agency has contracted with commercial launch service providers Space Exploration Technologies of California and Orbital Sciences Corp (ORB.N) of Virginia to deliver cargo to the station as early as next year.
SpaceX, which was founded by billionaire Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, plans to debut its Falcon 9 rocket with a demonstration mission next month from a newly refurbished launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, just south of the shuttles' launch complex. Orbital's Taurus 2 launcher is expected to make its first flight next year.
Cargo vessels operated by Russia, Japan and Europe also will keep the station stocked with equipment, supplies and gear for six live-aboard crewmembers. All crew transport has been turned over to Russia in preparation for the shuttles' retirement later this year.
NASA had been planning to develop a capsule-style spaceship to fly astronauts to the station, as well as the moon, but U.S. President Barack Obama is calling for the program's cancellation. Instead, the White House wants to see if commercial firms can provide another option besides relying exclusively on the Russians, which charge $51 million per seat for rides on their Soyuz capsules.
Obama is scheduled to host a space summit in Florida on April 15 in an attempt to win support for the new direction he envisions for NASA. An independent panel of advisers, including aerospace executives, astronauts and renowned scientists, last year determined that the moon exploration initiative, known as Constellation, had been underfunded and had no hope of reaching its goal of returning astronauts to the moon by 2020.
The program's cancellation, however, has drawn sharp rebuke from some members of Congress, particularly from districts in Florida, Texas and Alabama that will bear the brunt of an estimated 9,000 engineering and technical job losses due to the shuttle program's end.
Discovery's mission, which is scheduled to last 13 days, is the 131st mission since shuttle flights began in 1981. The program has had two fatal accidents, which took the lives of 14 astronauts, and costs about $200 million a month.
Obama proposes increasing NASA's budget by about $2 billion a year to jump-start commercial space taxi services, as well as invest in new technologies that would eventually lead to a human expedition to Mars.
(Editing by Tom Brown and Eric Beech)
DTN News: Chinese Test Anti-Satellite WeaponSource: DTN News / Space.com
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - February 28, 2010: Is this different than the U.S. test in the 80s or the destruction of the falling satellite in the summer of 2007? The key difference may be how the U.S explains their actions (whether you accept it or not) and the complete lack of Chinese explanation for their test.
The other key difference; the Chinese test caused hundreds of pieces of debris that are still in orbit. The debris from the U.S. satellite interception and the test in the 80s has since safely deorbited. The Chinese debris (at a higher altitude) will be in orbit for decades – a continued threat to all satellites and the international space station.
See details on U.S. actions here:
http://it.truveo.com/Defense-Department-Briefing-on-Satellite-Shoot/id/2883140104
A recently issued report by the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense has cast an eye on China's growing space capability.
The annual report -- The Military Power of the People's Republic of China 2005 - flatly claims that China is developing and intends to field anti-satellite (ASAT) systems.
In assessing China's overall military prowess, the U.S. Defense report stresses that China is "facing a strategic crossroads." Noting that China's emergence has significant implications for the region and the world, the Defense Department assessment stresses that "questions remain" about choices that China's leaders will make regarding its military might as that country's power and influence grow.
Expanding launch vehicle industry
The Secretary of Defense report to Congress was issued July 19, and is a yearly effort that delves into the current and future military strategy of the People's Republic of China.
The report's intent is to address "the current and probable future course of military-technological development on the People's Liberation Army and the tenets and probable development of Chinese grand strategy, security strategy, and military strategy, and of the military organizations and operational concepts, through the next 20 years."
Within the report's pages, a number of items are flagged specific to China's space capabilities.
The document points out that China's space launch vehicle industry is expanding to support the national emphasis on satellite launch capability and its human spaceflight program.
Credible ASAT capability?
In the arena of anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons, China is making headway, the report claims.
"China is working on, and plans to field, ASAT systems. Beijing has and will continue to enhance its satellite tracking and identification network - the first step in establishing a credible ASAT capability. China can currently destroy or disable satellites only by launching a ballistic missile or space-launch vehicle armed with a nuclear weapon. However, there are many risks associated with this method, and consequences from use of nuclear weapons," the report says.
China is also conducting research to develop ground-based laser ASAT weapons.
The report cites the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency as believing that Beijing "eventually could develop a laser weapon capable of damaging or destroying satellites."
Given this technology -- at lower power thresholds - "Chinese researchers may believe that low-energy lasers can 'blind' sensors on low-Earth-orbiting satellites," the report suggests, but whether Beijing has tested such a capability is unclear.
No evidence to back up claims
Jeffrey Lewis, a Research Fellow at the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland's School of Public Policy in College Park, Maryland, is skeptical of some of the Pentagon's assertions.
The important point to ask, according to Lewis, is how does this report compare to previous years?
"In general, the 2005 edition is much more detailed than previous reports. But not when it comes to Chinese ASAT capabilities," Lewis told SPACE.com. "Although the 2005 edition does flatly state--as have previous reports--that China intends to field ASAT systems, the 2005 edition omits most of the evidence cited in previous reports, including discredited claims about the development of a parasite microsatellite and a ground-based direct ascent ASAT that was supposed to be fielded as early as this year."
Lewis said that, although the U.S. Department of Defense is still willing to assert that China intends to deploy ASATs, "it's pretty clear they don't have any evidence to back that up."
Modernization efforts
In a section on China's "Space and Counterspace" activities, the report contends that Beijing has focused on building the infrastructure to develop advanced space-based command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) and targeting capabilities.
"Building a modern ISR [Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance] architecture is likely one of the primary drivers behind Beijing's space endeavors and a critical component of its overall C4ISR modernization efforts," the report states.
Beijing's ongoing space-based programs with potential military applications include its manned spacecraft activities. The U.S. Secretary of Defense assessment notes that China launched its first manned spacecraft into Earth orbit on October 15, 2003. Furthermore, Chinese press reports indicate that it will send up a two-person crew on a five-day mission in September of this year.
Possible military applications
Other space-based programs with possible military applications are also discussed in the report:
China has two remote-sensing satellite programs known as Ziyuan-1 (ZY-1), also known as the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite, and ZY-2. China launched the ZY-1B in October 2003. A third ZY-2 satellite was launched in October 2004. ZY-2 payloads probably are digital imagery reconnaissance satellites and have worldwide coverage. Beijing also tested new film-based imagery satellites and small digital imagery satellites in 2003 and 2004.
China is interested in electronic intelligence (ELINT) or signals intelligence (SIGINT) reconnaissance satellites. Although these digital data systems probably will be able to transmit directly to ground sites, China may be developing a system of data relay satellites to support global coverage. Furthermore, Beijing has acquired mobile data reception equipment that could support more rapid data transmission to deployed military forces and units.
China is studying and seeking foreign assistance on small satellites. It has launched a number of them, including an oceanographic research satellite, Haiyang (HY)-1, in 2002 with at least two more satellites in this series, HY-2 and -3, expected. Beijing launched four small satellites during 2004; two of these probably have imagery missions and the other two possibly are conducting space environmental research. Other missions for satellites of this class include Earth observation, communications, and navigation.
China is developing microsatellites - weighing less than 220 pounds (100 kilograms) - for remote sensing and networks of electro-optical and radar satellites. In April 2004 Beijing launched a microsatellite with a probable imagery mission. A joint venture between China's Tsinghua University and the United Kingdom's University of Surrey is building a constellation of seven mini-satellites.
The U.S. Department of Defense report also scopes out various trends in space modernization, including the goal of rapid launch satellites. "With ever-better satellites, China is becoming a peer in quality to the world's leading producers," the report says.
Space walks and space stations
In human spaceflight, after China's two-person mission scheduled for this fall, the report explains that China hopes to conduct space walks and docking missions with a space lab by 2010, followed by a full space station by 2020.
The report observes that in 2004, China placed 10 satellites into orbit, the most of any year, and has a similar schedule through 2006. "It hopes to have more than 100 satellites in orbit by 2010, and launch an additional 100 satellites by 2020."
In the next decade, the report continues, Beijing most likely will field radar, ocean surveillance, and improved film-based photo-reconnaissance satellites. "China will eventually deploy advanced imagery, reconnaissance, and Earth resource systems with military applications."
In the interim, the report adds, China probably will supplement existing coverage with commercial SPOT (France), LANDSAT (U.S.), RADARSAT (Canada), Ikonos (U.S.), and Russian satellite imagery systems.
China: beyond any crossroads
John Tkacik, Jr., a Senior Research Fellow in China Policy in the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation, a Washington, D.C. conservative think tank advised that the Pentagon report deserves a careful reading.
Doing so would leave a reader with no doubt that China's "ambitious" weapons modernization and doctrinal reforms are aimed at promoting vast increases in its "comprehensive national power."
The compendium of Pentagon facts in the new report describe a China already well past any "crossroads" he stresses in a July 25 press statement from the group.
Tkacik notes that China's next steps--disputing the Pentagon's view--is, in his opinion, not hard to forecast. He suggests that the report's view of "current trends" indicate China has already chosen a pathway along which China would emerge to exert dominant influence in an expanding sphere.
DTN News: China Starts Developing New Rockets For Space Mission*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) BEIJING, China - September 6, 2009: China has started developing the Long March 6 carrier rockets for its space programs, the China National Space Administration announced on its official website.
The Long March 6 rockets will be non-toxic and pollution-free while featuring a number of new technologies used for the first time in China, according to the administration.
The Long March 6 rockets are expected to be ready for blast off in 2013, it said.
The rockets will be designed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, developer of the Shenzhou VII spacecraft, from which Chinese taikonauts carried out the country's first space walk in 2008.
The payload capacity of the Long March 6 rockets are not revealed. Neither are specific space programs the rockets are to be involved in.
China aims to set up a simple space lab in 2011 and a manned space station in 2020. It also intends to go further in space and has set its eyes on a moon landing.
