Tag: satellites

#CNSA #ChinaNationalSpaceAdministration #国家航天局 |#WenchangSpacecraftLaunchCenter #文昌航天發射場 #BRI #July2024 | Hainan Commercial Space Launch Center, #长征十二号 #ChangZheng12 #LongMarch12 Yao 1  will become China’s most powerful single-core rocket for low-orbit transport…

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2024 is another year of progress for China, People’s Republic of China China’s space industry, with about 100 orbital launches planned for the whole year. At the same time, many rocket models will have their first flights this year, and the national team’s “Long March” series of rockets will also have their first flights, including the “Long March 6C” (already launched), “Long March 12” and “Long March 8A”. The “Long March 12” is the most special one among them, and it will be the first carrier rocket with a diameter of 3.8 meters among the “Long March” rockets.

China’s most powerful single-core rocket for low-orbit transport…

The Long March 12 (LM-12/CZ-12) is a new generation of carrier rocket developed by the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. It is a medium-sized cryogenic liquid carrier rocket with a two-stage tandem configuration. The first and second stages are all powered by liquid oxygen-kerosene engines. The rocket was originally the Eighth Academy’s bid for a new generation of manned carrier rockets, and was later renamed XLV20. The original 5CBC configuration (5 cores in parallel for the takeoff stage) was changed to a single core stage configuration.

The first stage of the Long March 12 has four main engines

The first stage of the Long March 12 is equipped with four YF-100K liquid oxygen/kerosene engines, using an oxygen-rich staged combustion cycle, using pump-back swing, supporting bidirectional swing of ±8 degrees, and a thrust adjustment range of 65%~105%. The sea level thrust of a single engine is about 128 tons (1250 kN), and the sea level specific impulse is 301.84 seconds. The second stage is equipped with two YF-115 liquid oxygen/kerosene engines, using an oxygen-rich staged combustion cycle, supporting bidirectional swing of ±4 degrees, a thrust adjustment range of 80%~100%, a vacuum thrust of about 18 tons (180 kN), and a vacuum specific impulse of about 342 seconds.

“Long March 12” joint archery practice (Photo source: Weibo 
@曹梦-Aerospace ​​​

The Long March 12 rocket is 59 meters high, with a first and second stage diameter of 3.8 meters. It can be equipped with optional fairings with diameters of 4.2 meters and 5.2 meters. It has a takeoff mass of 433 tons and a maximum takeoff thrust of about 510 tons (5,000 kilonewtons). The rocket has a carrying capacity of no less than 10 tons in a low-Earth orbit (LEO) at an altitude of 300 kilometers and a carrying capacity of no less than 6 tons in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at an altitude of 700 kilometers.

The Long March XII rocket is the first 3.8-meter-diameter model of the Long March rocket. It will also become China’s single-core-stage carrier rocket with the largest takeoff mass and the strongest low-orbit carrying capacity in service.

The first flight of the YF-100K engine!

On April 28, 2024, the YF-100K liquid oxygen-kerosene engine developed by the Sixth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation completed a four-engine parallel ignition test. The total thrust of the engine exceeded 500 tons. This was the first large-thrust liquid oxygen-kerosene engine four-engine parallel ignition test, and the four-engine parallel scheme was fully verified.

YF-100K test run picture

The YF-100K was born with the proposal of China’s manned lunar landing plan and the need to demonstrate the new generation of manned carrier rockets. It is based on the improvement and optimization of the YF-100. This engine is the main power of China’s new generation of manned carrier rocket “Long March 10”. It adopts pump back swing. Compared with the YF-100 in use, it has the advantages of small mass eccentricity, small swing envelope, and easy layout of swing components.

The maiden flight of the Long March 12 rocket is also the maiden flight of the YF-100K engine, which will test its performance in actual launches and accumulate flight samples for the main power of the Long March 10 takeoff stage. At the same time, the YF-100K will pave the way for the improvement and upgrading of the new generation of carrier rockets currently in service, such as the Long March 5, whose four boosters are equipped with a total of 8 YF-100 engines. By replacing them with the YF-100K engines with better performance, the rocket will further release its already powerful carrying capacity.

Joint archery training of Long March XII

China’s Hainan commercial space launch site launches first rocket

It is expected that in August 2024, the Long March 12 (Yao-1) carrier rocket will carry out its maiden flight at the No. 2 station of the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Center in China, and China’s new generation of carrier rockets will welcome a new member. At the same time, this is also the first rocket launch of the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Center, which means that China’s first commercial space launch center has officially been put into use.

In addition to launching from Hainan Commercial Aircraft Corporation, the Long March 12 can also be transported by rail to a land launch site to carry out launch missions, which will help the rocket quickly form a batch launch capability, support launches into sun-synchronous orbits and low-Earth orbits, and be used for low-orbit satellite constellation launch missions such as StarNet.

Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration

#CNSA #ChinaNationalSpaceAdministration #国家航天局 |#WenchangSpacecraftLaunchCenter #文昌航天發射場 #BRI #June2024 | #长征七号#ChangZheng7A #LongMarch7A sending a large communications satellite to geosynchronous orbit #Zhongxing-3A #ChinaSat-3A….

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At 1957 29th June  2024  Beijing time CNSA –China National Space Administration, successfully launched by the Long March 7A Yao-8 carrier rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan Province,  China, People’s Republic of China

At 19:57 Beijing Time- Hong Kong SAR Time  on June 29th , 2024, at the 201 workstation of the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan, China, the Long March 7A Yao-8 carrier rocket carrying the ChinaSat 3A communications satellite was ignited and launched, sending the satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO).

The payload of this mission, the large high-orbit communications satellite ChinaSat-3A, was developed by the Communications and Navigation Department of the 5th Academy of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and is used to provide voice, data, and radio and television transmission services…

The Long March 7A (Long March 7 Modified / Long March 7A) was developed by the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. It is a medium-sized three-stage semi-cryogenic liquid carrier rocket, mainly used to carry out medium and high earth orbit launch missions. The maximum height of the rocket is 60.7 meters (with a 3.7-meter diameter fairing), the booster diameter is 2.25 meters, the core first and second stages have a diameter of 3.35 meters, the core third stage has a diameter of 3 meters, the takeoff mass is about 573 tons, the takeoff thrust is 727 tons, and its geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) capacity is not less than 7 tons. Since the Long March 7A Yao II (the second launch), the rocket has achieved 6 consecutive victories.

This rocket uses a newly developed satellite bracket to further increase the available longitudinal envelope space of the fairing and improve the mission adaptability of the rocket; optimize the design to improve the accuracy and anti-interference capability of the inertial group; implement reliability growth measures to improve the flight reliability of the rocket; and further streamline the launch site process. This rocket uses a 4.2-meter diameter fairing and the entire rocket is 60.13 meters high.

This launch is the first launch of the Long March 7A carrier rocket in 2024, the fifth launch at the Wenchang Launch Center, the 30th launch in China and the 124th launch in the world. At the same time, this launch is the seventh launch of the new generation of Long March series carrier rockets this year and the 15th launch of the Long March 7 series carrier rockets.

Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration

#CNSA #ChinaNationalSpaceAdministration #国家航天局 |#BRI #June2024| #酒泉卫星发射中心 #JiuquanSatelliteLaunchCenter – #中国航天科技集团#ChinaAerospaceScienceAndTechnologyCorporation  – China’s first 10-kilometer-class vertical take-off and landing flight test of a #ReusableCarrierRocket was a complete success…

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[China’s first 10-kilometer-class vertical take-off and landing flight test of a reusable carrier rocket was a complete success]

On June 23rd 2024, China’s first 10-kilometer-class vertical take-off and landing flight test of a reusable carrier rocket was a complete success. The rocket was developed by the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

 At about 1300 hours Beijing Time, at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Inner Mongolia, China, People’s Republic of China , a 3.8-meter-diameter reusable carrier rocket new technology verification arrow was erected on the launch pad. Three variable thrust liquid oxygen-methane engines were ignited, spewing blue tail flames. The rocket body rose to an altitude of about 12 kilometers. The central engine adjusted the thrust, and the rocket descended in a controlled manner. At 50 meters from the ground, the four landing legs unfolded, and then the rocket slowly descended, approaching zero altitude, and landed steadily on the recovery field, achieving a fixed-point vertical soft landing.


This test is currently the largest-scale vertical take-off and landing flight test of a reusable carrier rocket in China, and it is also the first application of the domestically developed deep variable thrust liquid oxygen-methane engine in a 10-kilometer-class return flight.
The entire test took about 6 minutes. The rocket went through five stages: accelerated ascent, decelerated ascent, accelerated descent, decelerated descent, and slow descent, achieving “take-off, accurate control, unfolding, and stable landing”.

[Take off, control accurately, deploy, and land steadily! China’s first 10-kilometer-level vertical take-off and landing flight test of a reusable carrier rocket was a complete success]

Three variable thrust liquid oxygen-methane engines were ignited, spewing blue tail flames. The rocket body rose to an altitude of about 12 kilometers. The central engine adjusted the thrust, and the rocket descended in a controlled manner. At 50 meters from the ground, the four landing legs unfolded, and then the rocket slowly descended, the altitude approached zero, and landed steadily on the recovery field, achieving a fixed-point vertical soft landing.



The entire test took about 6 minutes. The rocket went through five stages: accelerated ascent, decelerated ascent, accelerated descent, decelerated descent, and slow descent, achieving “take off, control accurately, deploy, and land steadily.”

The test fully verified the 3.8-meter diameter rocket body structure, large load landing cushioning technology, high-thrust strong variable thrust reusable engine technology, dual cryogenic pressurization delivery technology, high-precision navigation guidance control technology for return and landing, and health monitoring technology, laying a technical foundation for the first flight of a 4-meter-class reusable carrier rocket as scheduled in 2025. This test is currently the largest-scale vertical take-off and landing flight test of a reusable carrier rocket in China, and it is also the first application of the domestically developed deep variable thrust liquid oxygen-methane engine in a ten-Kilometer-class return..


The test fully verified the 3.8-meter-diameter rocket body structure, large-load landing buffer technology, large-thrust strong variable thrust reusable engine technology, dual low-temperature pressurization delivery technology, high-precision navigation guidance control technology for return and landing, and health monitoring technology, laying a technical foundation for the first flight of a 4-meter-class reusable carrier rocket as scheduled in 2025.


The apex of the flight profile of this test is the stratosphere at an altitude of about 12 kilometers. Subsequently, the research and development team will carry out a 70-kilometer-level vertical take-off and landing test of a reusable carrier rocket, which will basically cover the flight profile of the first stage of the rocket, and take another big step towards the goal of the first flight of a reusable carrier rocket.

Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration

#CNSA #ChinaNationalSpaceAdministration #国家航天局 |#BRI June2024 |#西昌衛星發射中心 #XichangSatelliteLaunchCenter – #AstronomySatellite #Satellites  Sino-French #SVOM Space-based Multi-band Astronomical Variable Object Monitor launched  with advance #ChangZheng2C #LongMarch2C CarrierRocket ..  #ASummary

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On the 22nd June 2024 schedule to launch  CNSA _China National Space Administration -China – People’s Republic of China 1500 Hours Hong Kong –Beijing Time China- People’s Republic of China…. at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province.

Long March 2C rocket successfully launches Sino-French astronomical satellite…… On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, at 15:00 on June 22, the Long March 2C carrier rocket, developed by the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, ignited and took off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, and then successfully sent the Sino-French astronomical satellite into the predetermined orbit. The launch mission was a complete success.


The Sino-French Astronomical Satellite is a space science satellite jointly demonstrated and developed by China and France. It is the satellite with the strongest multi-band comprehensive observation capability of gamma-ray bursts in the world to date, and will play an important role in scientific discoveries in the field of space astronomy such as gamma-ray burst research. The Xi’an Branch of the Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation undertook the development task of the satellite’s data transmission subsystem.


This launch is the 525th launch of the Long March series of carrier rockets

The CATCH project of the Hunter Constellation for Tracking All-Variable Sources was proposed by the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It aims to conduct multi-target, uninterrupted, and multi-parameter observations of massive variable sources. The CATCH-1 satellite is the first test satellite of the constellation. It is developed by the Microsatellite Innovation Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Its main task is to conduct in-orbit verification of space technologies such as lightweight X-ray focusing mirrors, silicon drift detector systems, remote sensing cameras, satellite rapid steering capabilities, high-precision extension mechanisms, and intelligent control. It also cooperates with the observation and early warning of the Sino-French astronomical satellite SVOM to quickly carry out opportunity observations and promote subsequent cooperation between China and France. This mission is the 56th satellite launch mission of the Microsatellite Innovation Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. So far, it has successfully launched 105 satellites covering communications, navigation, remote sensing, science, micro-nano and other fields.

Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration

#MadeInChina #中國製造| #中科宇航 #ZhongkeAerospace #ChinaAcademyOfScience #CASSPace #June2024 | #CarrierRocket #ReusableCarrierRocket #CarrierRocket Series Lijian-2 China Aerospace Science and Technology has completed the joint test of the 85-ton kerosene #YF102  #CarrierRocketEngine in full flight conditions.  #ASummary

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Beijing Zhongke Aerospace Exploration Technology Co., Ltd. is the first domestic aerospace enterprise with mixed ownership, and it is also the target enterprise that Oriental Aerospace Port focuses on introducing. Relying on the scientific research strength and resource advantages of the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Aerospace Flight Technology Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Aerospace Science and Technology has been committed to the research and development and integration of space technology and aerospace vehicles as a platform for the transformation of major national scientific research projects, as well as the transformation and provision of technological achievements. Aerospace launch service. The Lijian-1 rocket project also adds a brand-new name card to the Oriental Space Port, which will surely promote the construction of the Oriental Space Port to take a solid step forward.

On the Week of 17th June 2024 China Aerospace Science and Technology has completed the joint test of the 85-ton kerosene engine in full flight conditions.

Recently, China Aerospace Science and Technology has completed the joint test of the 85-ton liquid oxygen-kerosene engine and servo matching in the first stage of the Lijian-2 liquid carrier rocket. The test engine is in a two-way swing state, which can meet the control requirements of a 6-degree swing circle. The swing test simulating the full-scale operation of the first stage during the test was successful, verifying the matching of the first-stage engine of the Lijian-2 and the servo system, and obtaining key data such as the dynamic swing characteristics of the engine. At the same time, this test tested the first flight state of the first-stage engine of the Lijian-2.


This test assessed the two-way swing performance of the first-stage engine of the Lijian-2 and verified the working coordination of the servo control system and the engine. In the future, the engine will continue to carry out life test on this basis.
Lijian-2 adopts a CBC configuration, with a universal core stage diameter of 3.35 meters, a total length of 53 meters, a take-off weight of 625 tons, and a take-off thrust of 766 tons. The SSO carrying capacity is 8 tons, and the LEO carrying capacity is 12 tons. It is scheduled to fly for the first time in 2025…

[The joint test of the 85-ton liquid oxygen-kerosene engine YF-102 and servo matching flight conditions of the first stage of the Lijian-2 liquid carrier rocket of China Aerospace Science and Technology was successfully completed]

Recently, China Aerospace Science and Technology completed the joint test of the 85-ton liquid oxygen-kerosene engine and servo matching flight conditions of the first stage of the Lijian-2 liquid carrier rocket. The test engine is in a two-way swing state and can meet the 6-degree swing circle control requirements. The swing test simulating the full-scale operation of the first stage during the test process was successful, verifying the matching of the first stage engine of the Lijian-2 with the servo system, and obtaining key data such as the dynamic swing characteristics of the engine. At the same time, this test tested the first flight state of the first stage engine of the Lijian-2.


This test simulated the process of increasing the oxidizer and fuel inlet pressure caused by the flight overload of the first stage engine of the Lijian-2 by changing the engine inlet pressure. The engine thrust and specific impulse met the overall design requirements, the engine parameters were stable, and the performance indicators such as the oxygen self-pressurization met the design requirements.



During the test run, the engine extreme swing angle test, small swing angle joint training, load calibration, pressurized cold swing test, hot test combined swing test, etc. were carried out successively. During the ignition process, various waveform conditions such as square wave, triangle wave, and sine wave were tested. The maximum swing angle of the engine was 6°, and the servo feedback position and command tracking were good. The two-way swing performance of the first-stage engine of Lijian No. 2 was assessed, and the coordination between the servo control system and the engine was verified. Later, the engine will continue to carry out life survey tests on this basis.

Combined with this engine test run, liquid oxygen circuit immersion precooling, small flow precooling and large flow precooling tests were carried out simultaneously to obtain more accurate engine precooling characteristics and verify the correctness of the rocket body precooling scheme. In

addition, the low-order modal characteristics of the first-stage engine were obtained through structural modal tests of the installation process pull rod state and the installation servo mechanism state, providing important data support for the design of the attitude control system on the rocket. Environmental measurement points were added nearby to obtain environmental parameters such as noise.

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