Issue 23 December 2018

Content
Chinese Space Quarterly Report
January - March 2018
.................................................. page 02

Civilian-Military Integration
- The new buzzword in China
................................................. page 16

“Our top goal was to be

committed to one hundred
percent quality...”
- interview with
Prof. Dr. Bernd Madauss
................................................. page 17

A Historic Day for Chinese NewSpace

- report from LandSpace’s
orbital launch attempt
................................................. page 20

‘First’ Flight: Aviation, Air Defence,

Space Exploration & More on Display
at China’s 2018 Zhuhai Air Show
- a visit to China’s airshow event
................................................. page 24

CASC’s Roadmap for the

Development of the Space
Transportation Systems
2017-2045
................................................. page 28

From left: Dr. Enyu Gao

(co-founder and CEO of MinoSpace),
Dr. Shufan Wu (co-founder and Board Director of
MinoSpace, co-founder of LandSpace),
Changwu Zhang (co-founder and CEO of LandSpace)
in front of LandSpace’s Zhuque 1 rocket
at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre.
(credit: LandSpace/MinoSpace)
 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

Chinese Space Quarterly Report

January - March 2018
by Jacqueline Myrrhe

emerged that the turbo pump caused the failure. Several space
SPACE TRANSPORTATION
expert websites (compare: http://spaceflight101.com/long-
CZ-9 march-5-shijian-18/china-progresses-toward-long-march-5-
The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) is return-to-flight-via-yf-77-engine-testing/) wrote that “a structural
testing designs and technologies for the heavy-lift carrier rocket problem causing the turbopump rotor shaft enclosure cap within
(core stage diameter: 10 m; height: 93 m; payload capacity to one of the YF-77 engines to break off and created a blockage
LEO: 100-140 t; to lunar transfer orbit: 50 t; to Martian transfer within the propellant line.”
trajectory: 44 t). Progress was made on the test production of
The engine has been improved and several ground ignition
the large-diameter aluminium alloy structural components and
tests on the modified engine were carried out. It is expected
a 480 t-thrust kerosene/liquid oxygen rocket engine, including
that a successful third flight of the CZ-5 Y3, planned for the
development of turbopumps and gas generators. CZ-9 will
second half of 2018 with the Shijian 20 GEO comsat on board
serve deep-space and manned lunar exploration, Li Hong, the
(compensating for the lost SJ-18), will lead to the CZ-5 Y4
Director of CALT told media at the beginning of March. The
launching the Chang’e 5 sample return mission.
CZ-9 is not yet approved by the Chinese government. Experts
confirmed that considering China’s existing technologies, the CZ-3
project could be completed within 10 years after approval with Jiang Jie, Chief Designer of CALT’s CZ-3A series of rocket
the first launch around 2030. launchers told media on the side-lines of the 13th Chinese
CZ-8 People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in March,
CALT is working on the optimisation of various designs for the that demand for the launcher is increasing. He emphasised that
new generation medium-lift CZ-8 carrier rocket with a payload the engineers pay special attention to rigorous work standards
capacity of 3 - 4.5 t to SSO. CZ-8 features are, lower cost, since they clearly understand the importance of quality and
international competitiveness, better adaptability to customers’ failure-free production for successful missions.
needs, shorter launch cycle and compatibility with multiple CZ-2
satellite launch centres. The first flight is expected in 2020. In February, CALT confirmed that the upgraded Yuanzheng-1S
CZ-5B will be put into operation in 2018 for a launch into SSO on a CZ-
At the beginning of March, the China Manned Space 2C. Yuanzheng-1S is a simplified, more efficient and economic
Engineering Office (CMSEO) announced that the CZ-5B is version of China’s upper stage.
undergoing modal testing of the fully-equipped and assembled
Technology
core module of the Space Station. Other related large-scale
Liu Zhirang, Head of the No. 6 Research Institute of CASC
joint tests on the ground will be implemented step-by-step. The
(China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation),
CZ-5B developed and built by the China Academy of Space
revealed at the beginning of March that the Institute is currently
Technology CAST (core-stage diameter: 5 m; height: 53.7
tackling problems on the key technologies of three types of
m; payload capacity to LEO: 22 t, booster diameter: 3.35 m;
liquid rocket engines for its heavy-lift rockets: the 500 t-engine
take-off weight: 837 t) will be used for the transport of the CSS
fuelled by liquid oxygen and kerosene, 200 t- and 25 t-engines
modules. First launch is planned around June 2019.
using liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as fuel, and also that
CZ-5 thermal tests on core modules together with some sub-models
In mid-April, the State Administration of Science, Technology for the engines are completed.
and Industry for National Defence finally confirmed the
cause of the CZ-5 failure from July 2017. A broken structure YF-77
of the turbopump in one of the YF-77 cryogenic engines of A successful test of the YF-77 rocket engine was accomplished
the CZ-5 core first stage led to a shortage of oxygen supply in mid-February at AAPT test site near Xi’an.
to the engine and consequently the sudden loss of thrust. A Launch Sites
number of simulations, calculations, ground experiments and The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre (TSLC) has undergone
verifications were carried out whose results pointed to structural a series of upgrades including a new Network Transmission
abnormalities inside the turbine exhaust device. Platform with a command information system for real-time
Already during the IAC2017 in Adelaide, Australia, China processing of data from 4,000 processes and hardware, as well
confirmed that the failure of the CZ-5 was related to the first as from the operation of the rocket and satellite launch platform,
stage’s core engines. In November 2017, unofficial reports refuelling operation, air conditioning and power supply. The
launch cycle was shortened from more than 20 days to 7 days.
Only the CZ-5 uses the YF-77 engines, built by the Academy of
Tracking Ships
Aerospace Propulsion Technology (AAPT), a CASC company.
The pumps are driven by a gas-generator cycle which means Yuanwang 6
a separate pre-burner is propelling the fuel pumps using The Yuanwang 6 tracking ship left its military home harbour in
some of the overall propellant. The exhaust fumes of the pre- Jiangyin on the Yangtze River in east China on 8 January to be
burner cycle are discarded without contributing to the actual positioned near the Equator. Yuanwang 6 supported the Beidou
combustion process, allowing for simpler and lighter structure, MEO-02 mission, which took-off at 23:18 UTC on 11 January
higher reliability and convenient maintenance. The YF-77 (12 January - 7:18 BJT) from Xichang. 10 minutes after launch,
engine will be improved for an up to 50 times re-usability, Yuanwang 6 took over the tracking and control of the satellite for
fuelled by methane and liquid oxygen. The YF-100 engine, 10 minutes in the early mission phase, exchanging information
burning kerosene is used in the CZ-5 booster and the main with Xichang Satellite Launch Center and Xi’an Satellite
engine for the CZ-6 and CZ-7 and the future CZ-8. Control Centre. It conducted radar tracking, establishing of an
information link, data acquisition and validation, and information
page 2
issue # 23 - December 2018
 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

exchange. In the early morning of 12 January, Yuanwang 6 training in preparation of Space Station missions, including
completed its first ocean-going observation and control mission long-term ones, as well as for regular extra-vehicular activities,
for the Beidou-3 project. in-orbit assembly and repair of the Station. The taikonauts
are currently studying space station technology, robotic arms
Again, on 30 March, Yuanwang 6 supported the launch of the
and extra-vehicular activities. They accomplished diving
Beidou 30 and 31 satellite from its equatorial position. It was the
training, strength and stamina training and preparation for
3rd time that Yuanwang 6 was responsible for a Beidou tracking
desert survival tests and space craft egress training in water.
during the early mission phase. Before the TT&C duties for
Huang Weifen confirmed that the selection of the third class of
the Beidou launch, the crew trained several contingency
taikonauts is ongoing. 1 April 2018 marked the 50th anniversary
scenarios to improve their emergency skills. After completing
of the foundation of the ACC.
the operational mission, Yuanwang 6 returned to the dock
of CSMTC - China Satellite Maritime Tracking and Control Striving makes dreams come true
- Chinese astronauts undergo daily training
Department.
Chinese astronaut candidates have to undergo years of
Yuanwang 3 training before they can qualify for a potential space flight.
Yuanwang 3 departed from Jiangyin on 12 March ready to The extensive training programme includes physical
conditioning, buoyancy and hypergravity training,
support upcoming launches of the Beidou 3rd generation
listening tests, medical training and other skills which are
navigation satellites and the APSTAR-6C commercial required for space flight. The short video by the Ministry
telecommunications satellite for APSTAR. Yuanwang-3 was of National Defense shows the training elements.
active earlier in the year.
CSS
MANNED
MANNED SPACE
SPACE FLIGHT
FLIGHT A spokesperson said that CMSEO is cooperating with the United
Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs to offer opportunities
Taikonauts for research on the Chinese Space Station (CSS), with the
At the beginning of January, on the occasion of the 20th European Space Agency (ESA) on module development and
anniversary of the PLA’s (People’ s Liberation Army) space with other countries on the lunar probe.
battalion, all 11 taikonauts with space flight experience held a
ceremony where they renewed the oath, they took upon joining Zhou Jianping, Chief Designer of China’s Manned Space
the group. The oath included a commitment of dedicated Programme and Member of the 13th National Committee of the
training to be ready for a space mission at any time. CPPCC, confirmed that the CSS will consist of three modules and
one telescope. The core module and two laboratory modules,
China has, so far, trained 21 people for its space programme, each with a mass of 20 t will be arranged in a T-shape. The
out of these, 11 have been assigned to a mission. These 11 core module is equipped with five docking interfaces, including
taikonauts have accomplished six spaceflights, over 100 one for Tianzhou cargo ships, two for manned spacecraft, and
experiments and accumulated an operations space flight two for the scientific research modules. The core module will
experience of 68 days and nights. be launched in 2020 and be followed by the two lab modules
The PR Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) making the CSS complete. These three main modules are
Central Committee awarded all taikonauts the title “role models currently assembled as well as an optical module. The optical
of our times”. In 2017, 3-time taikonaut Jing Haipeng was module, carrying a 2 m-space telescope will be launched after
awarded the country’s highest military award, the Order of Bayi. the completion of the Station and fly along with the Space
Station or will dock occasionally with it. With the same image
Yang Liwei, Deputy Director of the China Manned Space Agency resolution of the Hubble Space telescope, the field of view is
(CMSA) confirmed during an open day at the end of January at supposed to be 300 times of Hubble, capable of surveying 40
Beijing’s Astronaut Centre of China (ACC), that the selection for percent of the cosmos in ten years. The Station’s robotic arm is
the next generation of astronauts will start soon. It would be the undergoing testing. It will be used for the assembly of the CSS,
third taikonaut selection after the selection of 14 taikonauts in transfer of hardware and the support of other work outside the
1998 and another 7 taikonauts, among them 2 women, in 2000. Station.
He confirmed that not only military talents but also Chinese
scientists and engineers will be eligible to apply to “train them Chinese taikonaut Zhai Zhigang, who conducted China’s first
into engineers and payload specialists capable of working on EVA on the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft on 27 September 2008,
the Space Station.” He added that next to a minimum of three said that during the Space Station assembly phase, EVAs
years of working experience, engineers need a master degree will be frequent and each may last five-six hours. For some
and payload specialists a doctoral degree. more complex operations, several extravehicular activities are
needed. The CSS will be manned by three-person crews on
At the end of March, Huang Weifen, Deputy Head of ACC, told long-term missions. Since the Station comprises two docking
media that China’s taikonauts are undergoing comprehensive ports for manned spacecraft, a newly arriving team will add to a

Wang Yaping, a deputy to the 13th National Yang Liwei, a

People’s Congress NPC joined a pool member of the 13th
interview before the opening meeting of National Committee
the first session of the 13th NPC in Beijing of the CPPCC,
on 5 March 2018. Wang was elected from answers journalists’
the country’s armed forces as one of 2,980 questions during a
deputies to China’s 13th NPC. Before that, pool interview ahead
Liu Yang, served for a five-year term to of the opening of the
the 12th NPC. Wang, along with other first session of the
deputies, elected state officials, reviewed 13th CPPCC National
the government work report and discussed Committee at the
the Constitution’s revision. Wang told Great Hall of the
media that she and other astronauts are People in Beijing on 3
Chinese astronauts’ corps during the ceremony. preparing for work on the space station. March 2018.
credit: Chinanews.com credit: Xinhua credit: Xinhua
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issue # 23 - December 2018
 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

temporary crew of six before the longer-serving 3-person crew have been monitoring the lab for weeks with their TIRA (Tracking
returns home after hand-over activities and closing out their and Imaging Radar) system, one of the most powerful space
schedule. observation radars, supporting the German Space Situational
Awareness Centre (WRLageZ) and ESA with their re-entry
China Reinvents Itself - Space
CCTV has released rare footage, showing Chinese forecasts embedded in the IADC campaign. TIRA combines data
engineers building the main parts of the nation’s first from a Ku-band imaging radar with an L-band tracking radar. FHR
space station. The 5th episode of the documentary was requested to determine and investigate the natural rotation
series “China Reinvents Itself” introduces how China is of Tiangong 1 because
going to build its own orbital outpost, as well as the core
details of the station. Construction on the space station
the rotation has the
is expected to be finished around 2022. biggest influence on the
flight characteristics and
Shenzhou decay of the laboratory.
The Shenzhou spacecraft is undergoing upgrading. The researchers created
Compatibility tests with the Space Station module were an animated version of
concluded and operational details of Shenzhou and Tianzhou radar images, showing
cargo spacecraft for the CSS fixed. China is also conducting clearly the uncontrolled
preliminary research on low-cost spacecraft for commercial and TG1-TIRA1 IR image of Tiangong 1. rotation of the Tiangong 1
other purposes.
credit: Fraunhofer FHR module.

Next-Generation Manned Spacecraft On 26 March, CMSEO published the results of an analysis

CAST is undergoing preliminary work on two versions of the by the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre which predicted that
next-generation manned spacecraft for LEO and deep-space Tiangong 1 is expected to completely burn up during re-entry.
exploration. The space vehicle is required to be reusable, The re-entry window was given for the days between 31 March
versatile, modular, modern, use the latest technologies, and 4 April, Beijing Time. Two days later, the window was
adaptable to two different propulsion systems, able to host 4-6 narrowed to between 31 March and 2 April. On the 28 March,
crew, and have a launch mass of 14 t to CSS and 20 t for Moon the space lab was at an average altitude of about 202.3 km
landings. A downscaled test version of the re-entry capsule (perigee: 193.9 km; apogee: 210.8 km; inclination: 42.67°).
was flown in June 2016 on the first flight of the CZ-7, checking The UAE Space Agency joined with the International
the aerodynamics of the craft and its key technologies. It was Astronomical Centre (IAC) in Abu Dhabi to contribute to the
recovered in Inner Mongolia after 19 hours of orbital flight. The global monitoring of the Tiangong 1 re-entry. The IAC operates
next-generation spacecraft will feature a two-module design three ground stations in the UAE, equipped with astronomical
with a service section and pressurised, bell-shaped crew observation cameras. The UAE has experience in the monitoring
section. A test flight is expected for June 2019 on board of a and determination of the coordinates of space objects, meteors
CZ-5B. and meteorites.
Tiangong 1 LUNAR AND
AND DEEP-SPACE
DEEP-SPACE EXPLORATION
EXPLORATION
LUNAR
At the beginning of January, Zhu Zongpeng, CAST Senior
Scientist and reportedly the Chief Designer of Tiangong 1 Lunar
challenged Western media reports that the space lab is “out In preparation of the Chang’e 4 mission, the Applied Astronomy
of control”. It was not quite clear, what exactly he meant when Group from the Yunnan Observatories accomplished China’s
he spoke to Beijing-based Science and Technology Daily. first Lunar Laser
Maybe it was a reference to the lab itself that was in stable Ranging (LLR)
status, not disintegrating at that point. In the meanwhile, the with a 1.2-meter
IADC (Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee) telescope laser
campaign to follow the re-entry of Tiangong 1 kept the module ranging system on
under observation, meaning “controlling” in a passive way the 22 January 2018
sequence of events without being able to intervene. between 21:25 h
to 22:31 h Beijing
IADC comprises space debris and other experts from 13
Time (BJT). The
international space agencies and organisations. They join
scientists targeted
together on an annual base to train for uncontrolled re-entries
laser pulses onto the
of man-made objects or space debris. In 2017 the members
lunar retro-reflector
voted for accompanying Tiangong 1’s re-entry. The European
installed by Apollo
Space Operations Centre, in Darmstadt, Germany, hosted the
15 commander
re-entry campaign. IADC/ESOC as well as CMSA published
David Scott on 31
updated on-orbit status reports of Tiangong 1.
July 1971 in the
Tiangong 1 Latest re-entry Moon’s Hadley The 1.2-meter Telescope during the LLR.
Target Vehicle forecast R i l l e - A p e n n i n e (credit: Tang Rufeng)
Orbital Status provided Mountains region
Weekly by ESA’s
and successfully received the laser echos. By measuring the
Reports on Space Debris
the CMSA Office, ESOC, time of the laser pulse travelling, the distance between the
website: Darmstadt, retro-reflector and the Yunnan Observatories ground station
Germany: could be determined to be 385,823.433 km to 387,119.600
km. LLR technology in China has not achieved the same level
On 21 March, the German Fraunhofer Institute for High as in advanced countries like the U.S., France, and Italy. The
Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques (FHR) released researcher from the Yunnan Observatories expect that China
radar images of the Tiangong 1 space lab. The experts at FHR will install its own retro-reflector on the Moon.

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issue # 23 - December 2018
 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

Long-Term Lunar Exploration Plan on its capabilities because we have adopted new technologies
At the beginning of March, Zhao Xiaojin, Party Chief of CAST and new products. For example, Chang’e 3 could not work during
and a Member of CPPCC, confirmed that China is on track for the night, but Chang’e 4 can take some measurements at night,”
launching the two parts of the Chang’e 4 lunar far-side mission said Zhao Xiaojin, Secretary of the CPC Committee at CAST.
in 2018 and that 2019 will see the third phase of the lunar
Chang’e 4
exploration programme with the sample return mission Chang’e
5 and later Chang’e 6. He also confirmed that China is actively CASC reported that the Chang’e 4 lander and rover have
studying a fourth phase of lunar exploration, comprising the entered mechanical environmental testing in preparation for
establishment of an unmanned scientific research base on the launch later in the year. Engineers are verifying the system
Moon by 2025, and future manned Moon exploration missions performance and applying a standard set of tests: vibration
around 2030: “Intelligent robots will take care of the base in testing on the shaker, thermal vacuum and acoustic chamber
the beginning, and later we complement with manned lunar tests. The integration of previously unplanned payloads from
exploration during short-term human stays.” The main objective international partners lead to additional requirements for
is to find out whether there is water on the Moon or not, therefore spacecraft assembly and testing.
the pole regions are at the centre of interest. Zhao also laid Chang’e 4 will house a 3 kg, lunar mini biosphere, consisting
out a blueprint for deepening reform of the space industry: of an aluminium alloy container filled with water, a nutrient
“One thing we need to do is to establish the modern corporate solution, potatoes and Arabidopsis seeds, and silkworm eggs.
system. What’s more, we need asset securitisation so that we The silkworms are supposed to hatch from their eggs and
can raise the social capital on the platform of listed company start producing carbon dioxide. Meanwhile, the potatoes and
and invest the assets in the space industry. We also need to Arabidopsis seeds will emit oxygen produced by photosynthesis.
encourage people from all walks of life. For one thing, how to The configuration allows studying the interaction between
tackle key technological problems. And then how to develop our those components of the closed ecosystem under lunar gravity
technology industry. This will be very supportive,” said Zhao. conditions. Zhang Yuanxun, the Chief Designer of the container,
Conceptual
said that an integrated camera and data transmission system
artists’ will live-stream the plant’s development which can be followed
impression of a by the public.
manned Moon
base. The relay satellite for Chang’e 4 will also carry two microsatellites
credit: CAST to test low frequency radio astronomy and space-based
interferometry. The 45 kg-satellites DSLWP-A1 and DSLWP-A2
(Discovering the Sky at Longest Wavelengths Pathfinder)
have a dimension of 50 x 50 x 40 cm and are equipped with
low frequency antennas and receivers for very low frequency
astronomy (1 MHz-30 MHz). The pair will fly in formation at a
variable distance of 1-10 m.
Wu Weiren, Chief Designer of China’s Lunar Exploration Additionally, DSLWP-A1 will carry an amateur radio payload
Programme CLEP, proposed at the annual session of the 13th and DSLWP-A2 will carry the micro camera from Saudi Arabia.
National Committee of the CPPCC in March to start as soon
as possible the fourth phase of lunar exploration, focussing on Saudi engineers and researchers have completed work on an
the lunar pole regions to take advantage of the presence of optical micro camera payload, to be mounted on the DSLWP-A2
sunlight and possibly water. He called for a lunar probe sent to (Longjiang 2), one of the two microsatellites which will be
the Moon’s South Pole and the construction of a lunar research launched along with the Chang’e 4 relay satellite. The camera,
station, emphasising that research objectives are already consisting of a photographic and data processing unit, will
worked out and the needed technologies can be tackled. He take video and photos of lunar far side surface features from
urged for starting the work as soon as possible to have the different angles and altitudes. The payload was readied within
mission accomplished before 2030. 12 months, meeting the requirements for a compact payload of
only 10.5 cm3 with a high capacity and a maximum weight of
With respect to deep-space, Wu told media that a programme
630 grams. The Saudi Arabia contribution to Chang’e 4 results
for the exploration of the outer regions of the solar system was
from a Memorandum of Understanding between China and
proposed, making use of available technology: “I am visualising
Saudi Arabia, signed on 16 March 2017 during King Salman’s
the objective of reaching a distance of 15 billion kilometres by
visit to Beijing. Both countries will share the scientific data in this
2049, when the country celebrates the 100th anniversary of the
cooperation.
founding of the People’s Republic of China. By implementing
the lunar probe project, we will build a network for Earth-deep- China’s Lunar and Deep Space Exploration Centre solicited
space control and communications.” 8,000 messages out of 120,000 competition entries from all
over the world, which will be sent along with the Chang’e 4
Chang’e 4 versus Chang’e 3 communication relay satellite. From 19 December 2017 to 6
Chang’e 4, the backup of the Chang’e 3 lunar probe, requires a March 2018 suggestions could be sent to the WeChat account
relay satellite at the Lagrange L2 Point, where the satellite can “slecbj”. Three winners were selected to attend the launch.
keep communication with both the far side of the Moon and the
Earth. It will be launched in the first half of 2018, while the actual A semi-public competition for naming the communications relay
Chang’e 4 lunar lander will take-off in the second half of the year. satellite was announced on 27 March. Teams involved in the
mission were eligible. Deadline was 15 April and the winner will
The landing mode and working condition of the Chang’e 4 lunar be announced on 24 April, China National Space Day.
probe are very different from Chang’e 3 which landed on the
near side of the Moon. “Chang’e 3 used a slow and arc-shaped Chang’e 5
landing, while as for Chang’e 4 we have to adopt a steep and The launch for the sample return mission is planned for 2019.
almost vertical landing. Chang’e 4 will have huge improvements The probe is designed for an Earth re-entry at 11.2 km/s.

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issue # 23 - December 2018
 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

Lunar Palace intelligence. QTT would be built on the foothills of the Tianshan
On 26 January, four biomedicine students from Beihang Mountains, near Shihezi in Qitai County, in the Xinjiang Uygur
University, two women and two men, completed the second Autonomous Region of northwest China. 110 m in diameter,
phase of the ground-simulation experiment Yuegong 1 - Lunar it will have a slightly larger aperture than the two largest, fully
Palace 1. They spent 200 days in a self-sustaining facility steerable radio telescopes currently in operation, the Green
driven by a Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS), Bank Telescope in West Virginia, U.S.A., and the Effelsberg
in which water, air and waste can be recycled and reused antenna in Germany. QTT will be over 100 m tall and weigh
within the system. The objective of the 200-day stay was to around 6,000 t. The first observations could be possible as early
test the stability in the operation of the system as well as to as from 2023. It is projected to cover three-quarters of the sky
observe and learn about the physical and mental conditions of and will operate at 150 MHz to 115 GHz. Xinjiang observatory
humans in such an environment. For example, the volunteers is already operating a 25-meter radio telescope.
had to master three unexpected power cuts. The four Chinese DAMPE
students broke the record set by an experiment in the Soviet On the night of 29 December, the dark matter detection
Union, in which three people stayed for 180 days in a similar satellite DAMPE (Dark Matter Particle Explorer) experienced
closed ecosystem in the early 1970s. abnormalities with the satellite’s high-voltage power supply,
The first group of volunteers, causing a decrease in data recording and transmission. The
who had previously stayed DAMPE team at the Purple Mountain Observatory under CAS,
in the facility for 60 days, suspected the impact of a micrometeoroid. The experts initiated
re-entered the habitat to a series of commands for re-setting the onboard computer and
replace the second group, the re-transmission of parameters. As a result, the satellite
starting the third and final resumed normal functioning within 19 hours. By the end of
phase which will last 105 January, DAMPE “Wukong” was back to nominal operation.
days and round up the 365-
day experiment. On 31 January, the State Council of China published a document
describing guidelines in support of 20 central tasks for basic
Photo: Volunteers of the first group
science and aiming for global leadership in science by 2035.
and the second group wave from inside
the Lunar Palace 1 at Beihang University The strategy proposes more high-quality state laboratories,
in Beijing on 26 January 2018. credit: Xinhua young talent programmes, international exchanges, and
increased funding from versatile sources. As cutting-edge
Mars research areas were identified: evolution of the universe, the
Chinese-American chemist Yang Peidong, Professor of origin of life, quantum science, and others. The guideline said
Chemistry at the University of California Berkeley was a special the government would organise more international collaboration
invitee at the first session of the 13th National Committee of projects, open national research and development programs
the CPPCC. His work in the U.S. includes research on artificial to foreign participants, and implement science and innovation
photosynthetic technology to convert carbon dioxide and action plans under the Belt-and-Road Initiative. In 2016, China
nitrogen into other chemicals, including oxygen, in support of invested 82.3 billion RMB in fundamental research, up 65 %
future manned missions to Mars. During his stay in Beijing, Yang from 2012. The nation’s spending on R&D accounts for 2.15 %
advised on research funding for basic and applied research, of its GDP, reaching 1.76 trillion RMB (about 279 billion USD) in
involving a mix of funds from government, foundations and 2017, up 70.9 % from 2012.
industry.
FAST
Engineers have completed the aerodynamic design of China’s The National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC)
Mars probe and experts at the Beijing Institute of Space stated that in its test phase from September 2016 until March
Mechanics and Electricity (BISME) are testing the simulated 2018, FAST (Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio
atmospheric entry, descent and landing under Martian Telescope) has discovered 51 pulsar-like stars of which 11
conditions. have been confirmed as new pulsars by observatories in other
SCIENCE
SCIENCE countries. Scientists of NAOC confirmed that pulsars with high
density and energy are unique “celestial laboratories” and could
HXMT be used to replace navigational satellites to locate spacecraft.
HXMT, the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope, renamed “Huiyan”
(Insight) upon reaching orbit, has carried out in-orbit tests, Up to April, FAST underwent a technical upgrade which saw
including scanning and pointing observations, and gamma-ray the installation of an advanced 19-beam receiver system to
burst tests, proving the qualified functionality and capability replace the current single-beam receiver, which was easier to
of the HXMT. On 30 January HXMT was put into service for calibrate and test during FAST’s operational test phase since
scientific research. The developers of the instrument, scientists 2016. The new receiver will be at least six times more accurate
from the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) of the Chinese than the old one, and can survey the night sky 19 times faster,
Academy of Sciences (CAS), are satisfied with its performance. significantly shortening the time needed for data collection.
By observing an unusual solar flare eruption on 6 September Currently, scientists are looking into the option of setting up two
2017 and taking part in the observation of gravitational waves, to ten smaller radio telescopes of 30 or 50 m diameter around
coming from the merger of two binary neutron stars in October FAST to create a telescope array that would have a 100 times
2017, it worked beyond expectations. higher resolution and a better data accuracy.

QTT SKA Square Kilometre Array

Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory proposed to build the The 54th Institute of China Electronics Technology Group
largest steerable radio telescope in the world, the Xinjiang Qitai Corporation (CETC54) has completed the structural assembly
110-meter Radio Telescope (QTT), advancing the search for of the first Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope dish,
pulsars, dark matter, gravitational waves, and extra-terrestrial bringing together components from China, Germany, and
Italy. This 15 m-prototype dish was unveiled on 6 February in

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Shijiazhuang, the capital of north China’s Hebei Province. It will annual growth of 7.5 % over the past five years, accounting for
be used for testing before the production of a series of 6 dishes in nearly 10 % or 7.8 trillion RMB of the country’s GDP in 2017.
2019. A second dish, currently under production at CETC54 and
Jilin
funded by the German Max Planck Society, will be shipped to
In addition to the 10 currently operational high-resolution optical
South Africa and assembled there to conduct real observations
remote sensing Jilin 1 satellites, the Chang Guang Satellite
for the first time within the next few months. The SKA is an
Technology Co. Ltd., plans to build and launch 60 more Jilin 1
international effort by 20 countries to build the world’s largest
video satellites by 2020.
radio telescope using arrays in Western Australia’s Murchison
Shire region and South Africa’s Karoo region. 3,000 individual BNU 1
radio telescopes will be linked to create a total collecting area of On 9 February, Beijing Normal University (BNU) and China
about 1 million m2. After completion the SKA network will detect Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) signed a cooperation
faint radio waves from deep-space with a sensitivity about 50 agreement on the development of the polar observation
times greater than that of the Hubble telescope. Data will be fed microsat BNU 1. The 20 kg BNU 1 will monitor the planet’s polar
into data centres in Australia, China, UK and Europe. regions every second day and record high-resolution multi-
spectral remote sensing data, useful for ship navigation. It will
become the first remote sensing, scientific university satellite.
BNU 1 will be jointly developed by BNU, CGWIC and Shenzhen
Aerospace Dongfanghong Development Ltd., and is scheduled
for launch in December 2018.
TanSat
Based on data of the carbon dioxide recording satellite TanSat,
Chinese researchers were able to construct a global map of
solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence, indicating the intensity
of vegetation. The data map shows the vegetation productivity in
the corn belt in North America, European plain, and agricultural
Combined photo taken on 6 February 2018 shows the front (left), side (centre)
and the back of the prototype dish for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio
regions in East Asia in July 2017 and in the Amazon forest in
telescope. credit: Xinhua/SKA December 2017.

Southwest China’s Guizhou Province, home to the FAST DFH-5 satellite platform
telescope, will apply to build an Asian Data Centre for the According to Zhang Hongtai, President of CAST, the first test
Square Kilometre Array (SKA) this year. Guizhou has become of the CAST-developed DFH-5 satellite platform is planned for
a leader in big data with a suitable climate, power supply and November. The new satellite bus is capable of increasing the
network infrastructure. Apple and Huawei have big data centres data transmission capacity from 20 Gbps to 300 Gbps.
there. Hosting the SKA Asian Centre could take Guizhou to the On 11 January 2018, the 3 m-diameter ground-based
front of the big data industry. prototype Geostationary Millimetre-wave Atmospheric Sounder
eXTP Demonstrator, jointly developed by the NSSC of CAS and
At a kick-off meeting in Beijing on 2 March, China’s National ESA passed the Joint Acceptance Review, which is the first
Space Science Centre (NSSC) announced that it would start substantial achievement for CAS-ESA cooperation in the field
with a new flagship X-ray space observatory for the research of of advanced payload technology of Earth observation, paving
black holes, neutron stars and quark stars. The enhanced X-ray the way for future Millimetre-wave exploration for the Chinese
Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) satellite will succeed the Hard GEO meteorological satellites.
X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT) launched in 2017. eXTP,
designed to consist of a large-area spectroscopic focusing NAVIGATION
NAVIGATION – BDS-Beidou
array, a large-area collimator array, a sensitive polarimetry From 17-19 January, the 33rd Meeting of the Satellite Based
focusing array and a wide field monitor, is expected to have Augmentation Systems SBAS Interoperability Working Group
a much better comprehensive performance than previous IWG was held in Madrid, Spain.
X-ray astronomy satellites. Open for cooperation, the eXTP
has attracted more than 100 research institutions from over 20 Dr. Jun Shen, Chief Scientist of Beijing UniStrong Science and
countries and regions, including Italy, Germany, Spain, Britain, Technology Co. Ltd., reported on the development, status and
France, the Netherlands and Switzerland. It is hoped to become planning of BDS and the BeiDou Satellite-based Augmentation
the largest international astronomical satellite project initiated System BDSBAS on behalf of the Chinese delegation. He
and led by China. China will cover about two-thirds of the cost also spoke about the progress of the BDSBAS PRN number
(about 3 billion RMB), the rest of the expenses will be met by assignment process, Service Provider Identification Number
contributions in kind by the partners. SPIN, and system standard time identification and the
integrated test of the first BDSBAS GEO satellite. Chinese
SATELLITES
SATELLITES experts exchanged details on the progress of BSDBAS ground
station construction, single-frequency enhanced service
CFOSat design, enhanced signal ranging capabilities, and improved
In January, the Chinese-French Oceanography Satellite signal generation methods. Professor Mingquan Lu of Tsinghua
(CFOSat) was in its final integration phase. At the end of University presented the technical report on the new BDS civil
March, CALT announced that it is planned to launch CFOSat in signals B1C and B2a. He detailed the design, performance
September aboard a Long March 2C rocket. characteristics and receiving methods of the BDS signals, as
The State Oceanic Administration (SOA) reported on 21 January well as their superior performance. The BDS Signal Interface
that China plans to put three maritime satellites into space Control Documents (ICD) were provided at the conference.
to improve maritime research. SOA stressed that the gross For the global use of the BDS open service signals, the BeiDou
production value of China’s maritime industry showed an average Satellite Navigation System Signal in Space Interface Control
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Document for Open Service Signal B3I (Version 1.0) (in Chinese TELECOMMUNICATION
TELECOMMUNICATION
and English) was released on 9 February 2018.
CASIC - Hongyun and Xingyun
All the key components of China’s Beidou navigation satellites,
CASIC (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation)
such as traveling-wave tube amplifiers, microwave switches, and
has two ambitious LEO communication constellations, Hongyun
high-power current source controllers are now made in China,
and Xingyun, for broadband and narrowband (IoT) respectively.
ending the reliance on imports. Additionally, all core technologies
for the global Beidou network of satellites are mastered, aiming Hongyun
to make it as good as the Global Positioning System (GPS). Zhang Zhongyang, President of the 2nd Academy of CASIC,
confirmed on the side-lines of the first session of the 13th
The quick positioning platform “Qianxun” of the Beidou navigation
National Committee of the CPPCC, that CASIC is working
and positioning system is serving more than 200 countries
on the Hongyun constellation, a 156 satellite, wideband
and regions around the globe. Qianxun Spatial Intelligence
communication network, operating at an altitude of 1,000 km
Inc., co-founded by NORINCO (China North Industries Group
in LEO. As of 2022, worldwide coverage is planned, including
Corporation Limited) and Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba,
remote areas. Within 2018, an experimental technology
has more than 90 million customers. Qianxun’s centimetre-level
verification satellite will be launched.
service is expected to cover the Chinese mainland in 2018, when
the high-accuracy positioning service of Beidou will go public. Xingyun
On 16 March, CASIC founded a new subsidiary, the Xingyun
NORINCO has already set up a network system and statistics
company. Xingyun will build a constellation of 80 small sats to
processing centre for Beidou’s ground-based augmentation
provide space-based internet services to countries along the
system, which consists of 1,355 ground stations.
Belt-and-Road Initiative as the main target market. The first
The company has also won the bid for the construction of a Xingyun satellite (XY-S1 - Xingyun Shiyan 1) was launched
ground station network for foreign navigation satellites, enabling on 9 January 2017 onboard a Kuaizhou 1 rocket. The Xingyun
the application of the Beidou system overseas. company will focus on the research, manufacturing and launch
of low orbit satellites, building a network and finally a space-
On 10 February, Chinese President Xi Jinping who is also
based ‘Internet of Things’. Cloud computing and Big Data
chairman of the Central Military Commission, visited the military
services will be part of a planned information ecology system to
base of Xichang Satellite Launch Centre (XSLC) in southwest
allow world-wide internet access.
China’s Sichuan Province, ahead of the launch of two Beidou 3
satellites. He inspected the preparation work for the launch Shijian 13 - Zhongxing 16 (ChinaSat 16)
and spoke to scientists and technicians, asking them about After the successful test of a two-way high-speed laser
their research, work and lives. They were told to keep pursuing communication between satellite and ground by a laser
precision and perfection communication research team at the Harbin Institute of
to ensure the success Technology (HIT), China’s first high-throughput communication
of the launch. Through satellite Shijian 13, became operational on 23 January and was
a video conference renamed Zhongxing 16 (ChinaSat 16). It achieved an average
connection, Xi talked laser-beam capturing time of 2.5 seconds and an hour-long
with soldiers stationed stable link at the maximum transmission speed of 5 Gbps.
at Xisha Islands in the ChinaSat 16 has a transfer capacity of 20 Gbps (Ka-band)
South China Sea and at a and a designed orbital life of 15 years. It is positioned in GEO
prelaunch testing station at 110.6° East. It will serve distance education, emergency
in a coastal region. Xi communication, internet access on planes and high-speed
President Xi Jinping visits the Beidou launch greeted all servicemen trains with a maximum download capacity of 150 Mbps and an
site. credit: Xinhua for the upcoming Spring upload capacity of 12 Mbps. According to the medium-to-long-
Festival. term development plan for civilian space infrastructure, China
intends to operate 22 communication satellites by 2025.
China’s Satellite Navigation System Committee proposed
to the Roscosmos State Space Corporation to work towards CAST Hongyan
compatibility and interoperability between GLONASS and CAST plans a 300 satellite LEO constellation, named Hongyan
Beidou. Such a system could go under the framework of (wild goose), for global communication services, also in remote
the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, realising real-time areas. The first satellite to test the availability of LEO frequency
exchange of correction information and data such as status, resources and data forwarding services, will be launched this
capacity, and signal quality of the navigation satellites. It year. Six satellites will follow before the end of 2020 to test a
is expected that chips and navigation devices based on local area network. The whole constellation, along with data
both systems, Beidou and GLONASS, will arise. China and processing centres is expected to be completed in 2023 to
Russia are considering building joint design centres and joint meet increasing demand for internet services, including faster
enterprises for the R&D and production of navigation devices. and more stable global broadband access. The constellation,
Discussion about these issues will be continued at a meeting made up of 54 core satellites and 270 other smaller satellites
in Harbin in May. for coordination, will operate at an altitude of 1,100 km.

Glimpse of unsung heroes behind Beidou 3 ADVANCED

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY
navigation system breakthrough
At the end of January, the Financial Times reported that CGWIC
Wang Yibo is a commander of the satellite tracking
system at Xichang Observatory. He and his team provide
is talking with NPO Energomash about the procurement of RD-
the mission with optical and radar tracking services. This 180 engines, preferably as a licence or the full technology. The
was the case also for the successful launch of the 5th and RD-180 would help China to improve the development of its
6th satellites of the Beidou 3 network in November 2017. own launch systems but also to improve the Russian RD-180
technology and become a competitor on the world market. For

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that reason, Russia and China signed an agreement on trade

COMMERCIAL SPACE
COMMERCIAL SPACE
in aerospace technologies, ratified by Russia’s parliament,
the Duma, in November 2017. A concern is that China is not Sea Launch
a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime, a global In February, more details on the sea-launch plans became
non-proliferation agreement. public. Yang Yiqiang, Commander-in-Chief of the Long March-11
rocket project of the China Aerospace Science and Technology
CALT has announced the development of an aerospace
Corporation (CASC) said that 2018 would see the first Chinese
vehicle capable of morphing its shape during its flight through
sea launch, using the CZ-11 rocket. CZ-11 is booked for five
the Earth’s atmosphere and by doing so reduce air resistance
commercial payloads - four launches from land, and one at sea
and be more fuel-efficient. The space craft designers took
in an area near the Equator for low-inclination orbits. The solid-
inspiration from the flight dynamic of a bee.
propellant CZ-11 rockets combine quick-response ability with
SPACE APPLICATIONS
SPACE APPLICATIONS low prices, for better, competitive services and the adaptation
to various launch conditions.
Technology for encryption and transmission of confidential data,
originally developed for space science projects is at the core of CALT – Micro Launcher
an expedited business registration process for entrepreneurs China plans to develop micro solid-propellant carrier rockets
in south China’s city of Guangzhou. Combined with artificial for commercial use to meet growing needs for launching micro-
intelligence, automated processing, face recognition via mobile nano satellites. CALT said that its subsidiary company, China
phone, the applicants license can be ready within minutes, Rocket, was in the process of evaluating the plan. The micro
provided all information is correct and approved. The system rockets will be developed with strong abilities, high precision,
was provided by Aisino Corporation in October 2017. The low cost and a short launch preparation cycle.
company intends to use space technology also for exit and OneSpace
entry systems, food and drug safety and government affairs. At the end of January, OneSpace announced that it is working
Chinese scientists are using a high-precision electric motor for towards a launch in the first half of 2018. OneSpace’s launcher
the pump of artificial hearts derived from the servo system of OS-XO is 9 m long and can generate a thrust of 35 t. Testing of
space rockets. The “space hearts” have been co-produced by the solid-propellant rocket engines was completed by the end
CALT with CASC and are expected to enter clinical trials in a of 2017.
few years. Six sheep survived with the artificial “space hearts” OneSpace is taking advantage of the state policy of Military-
for more than 100 days. Civilian Integration and the overall promotion of commercial
A team at the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) space start-ups. In cooperation with military enterprises,
modelled the evolution of smog from 1979 to 2013 and then such as China NORINCO and China Aerospace and Industry,
used ultraviolet sensors on satellites to predict long-term trends OneSpace was able to develop a cost-effective and highly-
and variations. The GEO satellite Fengyun 4, launched in reliable carrier rocket. The company’s focus is on small
December 2016, can take clear pictures of the movement of launchers for small payloads for an affordable price. Shu
smog used for tracking the sources of pollution and improve Chang, founder of OneSpace, hopes to break-even in 2019.
forecasting. China has started to provide other countries with Shu Chang told media that his company has so far received
pollutant monitoring services, helping them establish their own 500 million RMB (80 million USD) in funding. He stressed that
remote sensing networks. The Fengyun series of meteorological he has big hopes for entering the African market, without giving
satellites cover 42 countries and regions along the Belt-and- details.
Road project. In 2017, CMA trained nearly 400 specialists and CGWIC - Nigeria
awarded 71 scholarships to meteorological and hydrological By the end of January, Adebayo Shittu, Nigeria’s Communication
students from abroad. “We share the same environment and Minister signed an agreement with CGWIC for two Chinese
the same Earth. Helping others is actually helping ourselves. communication satellites. The total financial volume of 550
That’s what ‘a community with shared future’ means”, said million USD will be financed by CGWIC and the China Ex-Im
Zhang Xingying, Chief Scientist of atmosphere composition Bank. Instead of repayment, CGWIC will become a shareholder
remote sensing at the CMA who is also China’s Chief Scientist in the governmental company Nigcomsat which is responsible
for an EU-funded remote sensing research programme. for the management of Nigerian satellite communications. Both
parties praised this deal as innovative. The production and
CASC weather modification
launch of the satellites is planned for accomplishment in 2020.
CASC space scientists designed and constructed a weather
The two satellites will provide communication services to other
modification test system to bring substantially more rain to
African countries.
the Tibetan plateau, Asia’s biggest freshwater reserve. The
system consists of a network of ten-thousand fuel-burning CGWI - Cambodia
chambers to produce cloud-seeding silver iodide. As the moist On 11 January, CGWIC and the investment company Royal
monsoon wind from south Asia hits the mountain, it produces Group of Cambodia signed a Framework Agreement for the in-
an upward draft and sweeps the silver iodide particles into the orbit-delivery of the Techo 1 Communications Satellite Project in
clouds to induce rain and snow. The chambers’ daily operation Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The contract includes ground systems,
will be guided by highly precise real-time data collected from insurance and technology transfer. The signature ceremony
a network of 30 small weather satellites monitoring monsoon was witnessed by visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and
activities over the Indian Ocean. CASC signed an agreement Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen. Techo 1
with Tsinghua University and Qinghai province on the project. will become the first integrated satellite communication system
It is not clear whether the government will approve the project, for Cambodia, which will greatly enhance the Cambodian
as intercepting the moisture in the skies over Tibet could have communication infrastructure and provide communication and
a knock-on effect and reduce rainfall in other Chinese regions. broadcasting services for local users. It will also promote the
The project is controversial and questioned by many Chinese construction of the Belt-and-Road space information corridor,
scientists. and improve the interoperability between China and Cambodia

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and the ASEAN region. The Techo 1 satellite is expected to be of 78 t and a payload capacity of 1.5 t to LEO (or 1 t to SSO) it
launched in 2021. will become China’s largest solid-fuel-propelled carrier rocket
and will have a short preparation period of a few days only.
NanoRacks
CASIC is developing the “Tengyun Project” (Cloud Riding
On 21 February 2018, the second meeting of the U.S.
Project), a reusable space plane for transport of people and
National Space Council took place in the high-bay of the
payload into LEO (satellites, space station supplies, emergency
Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space
response) and back. It will be composed of two planes, with the
Center, hosted by Vice President Mike Pence.
larger aircraft acting as a carrier aircraft. The core technology
The Council’s theme was “Moon, Mars and Worlds Beyond: of the larger aircraft is an air-breathing rocket engine using
Winning the Next Frontier” and included testimonials from hydrogen fuel. Zhang Hongwen, Director of the 3rd Research
leaders in the civil, commercial and national security sectors Institute under CASIC stressed that the project is difficult. The
about the importance of the United States’ space enterprise. research and development of the technology is still at an early
After the event, policy recommendations were given to the stage. “Unlike rocket recycling adopted by the SpaceX, the
U.S. President for streamlining the regulatory environment space plane can take off from an ordinary airport to transport
for commercial space companies. spacecraft into the orbit. It intends to revolutionise the future
aerospace transportation,” said Zhang. A first test flight is
One of the invited speakers was Jeffrey Manber, CEO of
expected for 2030.
NanoRacks, which “operates the only commercial laboratory
in outer space” and which flew the first Chinese experiment CASIC is also researching and developing a solar drone,
to the ISS in 2017. Jeffrey Manber took the opportunity to enabling a local area network in near-space. Test operation
make a strong statement before the National Space Council of the drone system in limited areas is intended by the end of
regarding the regulations for U.S. companies intending to 2018 or early 2019. The area it covers is not as wide as by
work on a commercial basis with China. He said: satellite, but it is closer to the ground, highly mobile, can stay
in the air for a long time, provide internet or telecommunication
... “Finally, as I look overseas, the United States cannot
services unrestricted by regions, and also assist in remote
simply ignore China’s commercial space ambitions. China
sensing images and meteorological observation. It will provide
is quietly developing a robust commercial space industry.
a suitable way for surveillance or for communication.
I say quietly because Americans are blinded by our own
regulations, and mindset, from participation. Reusable satellite
By 2020, China will offer its recoverable satellite capability to
Large Chinese companies are creating commercial launch
commercial customers for scientific research. Zhang Hongtai,
efforts while young Chinese entrepreneurs are raising funds
President of CAST under CASC told media that retrievable
from Silicon Valley to Hong Kong. On a governmental level,
satellites have been one of China’s first space projects and
the European Space Agency has astronauts training to visit
have become a proven capability through the successful
the planned Chinese space station. But the United States is
implementation of more than 20 projects since 1975 and the
barred. NanoRacks and others are limited on what we can
use in manned space mission. CAST is currently upgrading the
sell in this marketplace.
technology for better service to commercial customers. Also,
Avoiding this emerging marketplace, albeit due to justified CAST intends to build an industrial chain to support the service.
concerns over technology transfer and other legitimate
Earth observation
challenges, is not the American global leadership that we
UK satellite company Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., has
strive to achieve.
signed a 35 million USD (25 million GBP) contract with Beijing-
Now, while my time today is brief, I urge us to negotiate based Twenty First Century Aerospace Technology Co., in
a stern but fair agreement with China, and allow U.S. Beijing in February. The Chinese commercial satellite operator
businesses to do what we do best: innovate and compete will lease the high-resolution Earth observation satellite, to be
better than anyone else.” launched by ISRO’s PSLV in August, for seven years. Both
companies have cooperated since 2011. But that time Surrey
Full text of the statement
Satellite Technology Ltd., built three new satellites, the TripleSat
can be read here:
Constellation, for Twenty First Century Aerospace Technology
Co., which were launched in 2015, and have provided over the
past seven years pictures of land use and landscape changes
Kuang-Chi - NanoRacks
from space. That contract was closed for 110 million pounds.
At the end of March, Kuang-Chi Science Ltd., and NanoRacks The new satellite and the triple sat constellation are identical.
LLC announced a partnership to cooperate on Kuang-Chi’s
“Traveller” Near Space helium spacecraft. Kuang-Chi’s (Already in 2017, the China Academy of Space Technology Xi’an
Traveller uses high-altitude helium buoyancy to transport and the University of Surrey’s Institute for Communications
people and payloads into near-space, 25 km above the Earth. Systems signed a two-year contract to develop high-throughput
The Traveller programme conducted a series of successful test satellite and 5G mobile satellite systems.)
flights in New Zealand and China in recent years. Kuang-Chi
and NanoRacks seek to cooperate to establish the Traveller
INTERNATIONAL
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
COOPERATION
as a commercially viable solution and a platform for scientific APSCO
research from a number of locations in China and worldwide. On invitation of the China National Space Administration
(CNSA), an APSCO (Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation
CASIC
Organisation) Delegation witnessed the launch of the CSES -
CASIC reported that the development of its Kuaizhou 11 solid-
China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite or Zhangheng 1 - ZH-1
fuelled carrier rocket is progressing and that breakthroughs in
from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre (JSLC).
key technologies relating to the engine have been achieved. In
a next step, the integrated system tests will be conducted. The APSCO Member States will be able to share the ZH-1 remote-
plan is to launch in the second half of 2018. With a lift-off mass sensing data through the newly established APSCO Ground-
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 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

Based Ionospheric Monitoring and Information Sharing Platform data. Guo, an academician with CAS, points out that sharing
(GIMISP), and the dedicated web portal containing ionospheric big data from satellite imagery and other Earth observations
monitoring data processing and analysis tools, for the prediction across the regions covered by the Belt-and-Road initiative
of earthquakes and for disaster management. was key to sustainability. Guo has been the chairman of the
Digital Belt and Road (DBAR) programme which was initiated
AUSTRALIA
in 2016 by Chinese scientists in cooperation with experts from
Jan Elizabeth Adams, Australia’s Ambassador to China told
19 countries and seven international organisations. The aim
media in March that the scientists of the FAST project are
of the Digital Belt and Road programme is to promote global
cooperating with the team of the Parkes radio telescope in
sharing of expertise, knowledge, technologies and data through
Australia: “The FAST telescope in Guizhou and the Australian
Earth observation and big Earth data from satellites and other
telescope in Parkes are roughly on the same longitude, but, of
sources. The information will be applied to research, decision
course, one in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern
making, project development and monitoring in seven primary
hemisphere, so they can work together to look at the same
areas: environmental protection, disaster risk reduction, water
part of the sky at the same time and validate the results. The
resources management, urban development, food security,
future already holds even more promise, and we’re working
coastal zone management and the conservation of natural and
together on not just the mechanics of the telescopes, but also
cultural heritage.
the analysis of the data.”
The National
FRANCE
Research Council
At the beginning of January, French President Emanuel Macron
of Thailand (NRCT)
paid a 3-day State Visit to China. On 9 January, Jean-Yves
together with the
Le Gall for French Space Agency CNES and Wu Yanhua for
Chinese Academy
CNSA signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) on
of Sciences (CAS)
climate actions and space exploration. The signature ceremony
announced in
was witnessed by both Presidents, Emmanuel Macron and
Bangkok on 27
Xi Jinping. Under this MoU the two nations agree to widely
February, the
disseminate CFOSat data and to work towards the creation of a
establishment of an
Space Climate Observatory (SCO).
international centre Innauguration of the DBAR International Centre of
On the same occasion, Dassault Systèmes and CASC signed for the Digital Belt Excellence Bangkok. credit: Xinhua/CAS
a strategic cooperation agreement. CASC is interested in and Road (DBAR)
Dassault Systèmes’ software solution 3DEXPERIENCE to project. The DBAR International Centre of Excellence Bangkok
support the digital transformation of CASC and accelerate will focus on cooperation on climate change, disaster risk
efficiency and innovation. reduction, environmental research and capacity building.
Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries have similarities
On 10 January, during the last day of his stay, French President
in biological diversity with China’s Yunnan, Guangxi and
Emanuel Macron visited the China Academy of Space
Guangdong, making it easier to develop cooperation.
Technology at its AIT facility in Beijing, where he received a
scale model of the China-France Oceanography Satellite co- GERMANY
developed by the two countries and readied for launch this year. OHB expands activities in the NewSpace sector with the
founding of Blue Horizon Deutschland, researching biological
On the conclusion of the State Visit both sides released the
techniques to ensure plant growth on lunar and Mars rock.
“Joint Declaration between the People’s Republic of China and
OHB succeeded in growing higher plants on lunar rocks using
the French Republic”, which reads under point 17: “China and
a suitable biological technology. These applied biological
France intend to continue to deepen their cooperation in the
techniques can be used 1 to 1 to make the deserts green. A
fields of space science and technology and their applications.
cooperation with scientists in China, who work on this topic in
They wish to actively promote the development of the Chinese-
Inner Mongolia, is under way.
French oceanographic and astronomical satellites with a view
to launching them in good condition and according to schedule. LUXEMBOURG
They are working to strengthen their cooperation on the joint On 16 January 2018, the Ministry of Economy of the Grand
study of climate change using space technologies and on space Duchy of Luxembourg and the National Space Science
exploration.” and under 19: “France welcomes the Belt and Center (NSSC) of CAS signed in Beijing, a Memorandum
Road Initiative. China and France agree to explore concrete of Understanding (MoU) that provides the framework for the
cooperation projects based on the principle of mutual benefit.” development and implementation of scientific, technical,
economic and political cooperation between Luxembourg and
News agency Reuter journalists, who accompanied the French
China in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful
President during this China Academy of Space Technology visit,
purposes. The potential cooperation would include economic,
reported that the President hoped to find French technology
legal, regulatory and technological aspects of the utilisation of
used for China’s extensive exploration plans. The CAST
space resources.
engineers told him that the space transportation technology
is entirely Chinese. Macron was accompanied by the head of Furthermore, a cooperation agreement was signed to establish
CNES, Jean-Yves Le Gall, who felt obliged to tell the President a Research Laboratory of Deep-Space Exploration (RLDE) in
that France is providing all medical instruments for the CSS and Luxembourg. The Laboratory would carry out scientific research
that he only quietly added that, by doing so, CNES hopes “to and technology development including the research of universal
keep a foot in the door”. interplanetary communications network related technology
or advanced deep-space communications technology. The
DBAR
Luxembourg Minister of Economy, Étienne Schneider, also
On 30 January, Chinese scientist Guo Huadong published
met with senior officials from CASIC and with Ant Financial
an article on the website of the academic journal, Nature,
executives.
calling on global scientists to build a digital Silk Road using big

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All about the Chinese Space Programme

DPRK MISCELLANEOUS
MISCELLANEOUS
Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea and
Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic The top 10 achievements in China’s science and technology in
People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) paid an unofficial visit to 2017 were elected from among the 270 candidate achievements
China from 25 to 28 March. During his stay, he showed his voted by more than 2,200 academicians of sciences and
admiration for China’s accomplishments in the development engineering, experts and scholars. They included the thousand-
and innovation of science and technology during a round course kilometre-level quantum entanglement distribution, high-speed
of an exhibition quantum secret key distribution between the satellite and the
showcasing ground and quantum teleportation between the ground and the
the innovation satellite.
achievements Tang Dengjie, Administrator of the China National Space
of the Chinese Administration (CNSA) has been appointed to the post of
Academy of deputy governor of Fujian Province in Eastern China.
Sciences since Russian cinema movie “Salyut 7”, telling the true story of two
the 18th National cosmonauts who repaired the Soviet Salyut 7 orbital module,
Congress of impressed the Chinese audience and received high ratings
the Communist from Chinese cinema lovers.
Party of China
(CPC). Kim left At the Baselworld 2018 Show, an exhibition on China’s Lunar
DPRK’s leader Kim Jong Un shows an interest in Exploration Program (CLEP) was jointly organised by China’s
China’s space science - having a stop at the model of a note in the
book of visitors Chang’E Aerospace Technology (Beijing) LLC and TAG Heuer,
FAST in the CAS exhibition in Beijing. credit: Xinhua
to mark his visit. the Swiss watchmaker, strategic partner and official timekeeper
RUSSIA of CLEP. Zuo Wei, Deputy Chief Designer of CLEP Ground
In March, information emerged that Roscosmos State Application System confirms launch of the Chang’e 4 relay
Corporation is planning for scenarios to work closer with China. satellite in May 2018 and the launch of Chang’e 5 mission in 2019.
Those options would include Russian hardware contributions In August 2016, the Swiss watchmaker and China’s Mars
to the CSS and joint Russian-Chinese projects for human lunar Exploration Programme set-up a partnership.
exploration. In June, Roscosmos confirmed a Chinese invitation
ON A
ON A SIDENOTE
SIDENOTE
for participation in the CSS. But its 41-43° orbital inclination,
less favourable for launches from Russian territory, has been In March, retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly spoke to news
considered an obstacle. However, a flexible sea launch platform website “Business Insider” about his one year stay on the ISS
could improve this situation. but also about his opinion on China’s space programme: “I
think that China will overtake the U.S. in the space business
Russian space analyst Anatoly Zak wrote at the beginning - if we allow them to. I think we should stay a leader in space.
of March, that Russia might get closer to China’s space I think it’s important. ... International partnership in space is
programme at the cost of its cooperation with the U.S. He important, and it’s one of the great things about the space
noted that Roscosmos State Corporation had begun work program. That’s one of the highlights of the International Space
on a contingency plan that could shift its human spaceflight Station: We were able to do this as a cooperative international
cooperation from the U.S. to China. One option could see effort. A couple of things holding back any kind of partnership
Roscosmos leaving the International Space Station programme. with China: issues of technology transfer, arms proliferation,
Zak learned that Russian experts were asked to think of ideas and human rights.”
for potential contributions to the CSS and for a joint Russian-
Chinese manned lunar project. Former NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson promoted in an
interview with FOX Business, the idea that more partners and
Igor Komarov for Rosсosmos and Wu Yanhua for CNSA signed countries should be welcomed on the ISS: “Well I think we need
on 3 March during the International Space Exploration Forum everyone. If I were the king, I would try to negotiate and figure
(ISEF) in Tokyo, the Agreement of Intent for cooperation on the out a way to bring China and India in with us as well. If you work
exploration of the Moon and the Outer Space as well as on the with people in space, you don’t fight with them on the ground.”
creation of a Joint Data Centre on lunar projects. Both sides The online news service “Business Insider” also quoted Robert
consider cooperation on the Russian Luna-Resurs-1 (Luna- Bigelow, famous for his inflatable space modules and plans
26) orbital mission in 2022, as well as on the planned Chinese for space hotels composed of inflatable structures. Bigelow
mission for landing in the region of the South Pole of the Moon reflected on China by saying that the current ISS partners are
in 2023. “systematically courted” by China to cooperate on the planned
EDUCATION
EDUCATION Chinese Space Station: “They’re offering very attractive terms
and conditions and features that the commercial sector is going
China’s first Immersive Future Experience Science and to have a horrible time trying to compete with.”
Technology Museum in Shenzhen opened on 6 February. The The participants of a panel discussion on 12 March at the
2000 m² museum emphasises the integration and association Satellite 2018 conference in Washington, comprising launch
of scientific exploration, practical skills, space science, social providers Firefly Aerospace, Virgin Orbit as well as rideshare
humanities and artistic aesthetics. The exhibits are mainly providers Spaceflight, NanoRacks, expect that the development
interactive to give the visitors an immersive experience of of small launchers in China will lead to a significant reduction in
science and art. launch costs, satellite development and operations.
For the first time China has admitted foreign students in the Yang Yuguang, Senior Researcher at CASIC, told China
aerospace field. The Shenzhou Aerospace Institute under the Daily that Chinese space workers appreciate SpaceX’s spirit
China Academy of Space Technology enrolled on 19 March, 8 of innovation and creativity and are determined to continue to
students from Pakistan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Venezuela and explore their own road maps toward success. “The rapid rise of
Cambodia for a 2-year Masters Study in aerospace science. SpaceX can’t be copied in China because NASA has granted it
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All about the Chinese Space Programme

an unprecedented level of support, ranging from infrastructure deployable solar arrays. Additionally, the satellites carry laser
and technology to experience,” he said. “That is why it has been retro-reflectors for high-precision location determination. Beidou
able to grow so fast. By comparison, we have to accumulate 3rd generation satellites are designed for long-endurance, are
experience and technology on our own.” However, some of based on a lightweight satellite platform, are equipped with an
the US company’s technical approaches can be considered by intersatellite data link system and advanced self-navigation
Chinese researchers as a reference, Yang said, noting China technology. The signals are synchronised by rubidium atomic
should particularly research and learn its expertise in producing clocks, transmitted in the B1 frequency band (1,561048 -
and optimising rocket engines. 1,57542 GHz). Signals in the B2 and B3 frequency band are
LAUNCHES also operational.
LAUNCHES
Both satellites were built by the Shanghai Innovation Academy
2018-002A for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Media
2018-002B have stressed that 90 % of the key components were developed
9 January - 03:24 UTC (11:24 BJT) by China. In 2018, it is planned to launch 18 Beidou-3 satellites
launch site: Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre - TSLC, LC9 to cover the Belt-and-Road region. By around 2020, the
launcher: Chang Zheng 2D modernised network with 27 MEO and 5 GEO satellites will
payload: Gaojing 1-03 / Gaojing 1-04 (SuperView 1-03/04) enable global coverage. The launch was delayed from 2017
For the further assembly of its commercial, high-resolution Earth because of problems with the CZ-3 rocket.
remote sensing network, Beijing Space View Tech Co. Ltd., 2018-006A
launched another pair of Gaojing (SuperView) imaging satellites 13 January - 7:10 UTC (15:10 BJT)
into a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit. By joining the first pair of
launch site: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre - JSLC, LC 43
satellites, phased 90° from each other, they combine to form
launcher: Chang Zheng 2D
the initial SuperView 1 constellation. The final multi-sensor
payload: LKW 3 - Ludikancha Weixing 3
configuration, will consist in 2022 of 24 satellites (16 optical (0.5
m resolution) + 4 super-high-resolution of less than 0.5 m + 4 VHR The 3rd LKW 3 very high-resolution Earth observation satellite
X-band SAR satellites + additional micro video and hyperspectral was added to a constellation in a 500 km polar orbit. LKW 3
satellites). It is a state-certified satellite system, managed by the is 45° apart from LKW 1 and 2. The LKW satellites are based
Siwei Survey and Mapping Company. The Gaojing satellites are on the CAST2000 bus, have an elongated, hexagonal satellite
built by the CAST/DFH Company and based on the CAST3000B body with three deployable solar panels. No detailed information
bus, featuring low mass (560 kg), high agility, high image quality, was published. Officially declared for remote sensing, LKW
advanced AOCS and a highly integrated electronic system. The satellites may serve military purposes.
projected operational life is 8 years. One Gaojing satellite has an 2018-008A 2018-008C 2018-008E
onboard data store capacity of up to 2 terabytes and can image 2018-008B 2018-008D 2018-008F
an area of 700,000 km² per day. The panchromatic resolution is 19 January - 4:12 UTC (12:12 BJT)
0.5 m and multi-spectral imaging (in blue, green, red, and near- launch site: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre - JSLC, mobile
infrared) resolution is 2 m with a 12 km swath width. The cameras launcher: Chang Zheng 11
can operate in nadir mode, rolling imaging, long strip mode, payload: Jilin 1-Shipin 07 / Jilin 1-Shipin 08 / KIPP / Huai’an /
multiple strip collection (high-res and large swath), multiple point Quantutong 1 / Hunan Xiangjian Xinqu
target collection and stereo imaging. The maximum single scene The third CZ-11 flight lifted two more Jilin 1 video satellites and
is around 60 km x 70 km. four small satellites into orbit. The launch was also the 100th
The SuperView constellation can offer remote sensing data for orbital launch from JSLC.
land and resource surveys, mapping, environmental monitoring, The two commercial Jilin 1 video satellites were built and are
finance and insurance as well as for the internet industry. owned by Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co., (CGSTL) in
China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) is the prime Changchun, Jilin province.
contractor of the SuperView 1 satellite programme, and China Jilin 1-07 was named “Deqing 1” (DQ-1) and Jilin 1-08 “Linye
Siwei Surveying and Mapping Technology Co. Ltd., Beijing 2”. Both video satellites produce high-resolution (92 cm) remote
(Space View’s sister-company) will be the owner and operator. sensing imagery for government and industry users. The Jilins
SuperView 1 satellites are designed and developed by the are box-shaped satellites, with a mass of 95 kg and are equipped
China Academy of Space Technology (CAST)/DFH Company. with an objective and two solar panels. The initial Jilin constellation
CGWIC, Siwei, CAST and SAST are all subsidiaries of China in 500 km SSO will consist of 12 satellites. More launches are
Aerospace Science & Technology Corporation (CASC). planned for 2018. Also compare 2017-074A/B/C in issue 22.
Originally, the launch was planned for 25 December 2017 but The 4 cubesat payloads
was postponed to give priority to the launch of a Yaogan triplet.
Xiaoxiang 2 (TY-2, Tianyi 2) and Xiaoxiang 5 (TY-5, Tianyi 5)
2018-003A
Both these 6U cubesats were developed by SpaceTY
2018-003B
Aerospace Co. at the Tianyi Research Institute in Changsha,
11 January - 23:18 UTC (12 January - 7:18 BJT)
Hunan province. The 8 kg Tianyi 2 (also: Hunan xiangjiang
launch site: Xichang Satellite Launch Centre - XSLC, LC2 xinqu hao weixing, named after Hunan Xiangjiang New Area)
launcher: Chang Zheng 3B/YZ-1 is equipped with four technology experiments: testing optical
payload: Beidou 3M7 / Beidou 3M8 fibre sensing technology, space radio software, amateur radio
Three hours after lift-off, the Yuanzheng 1 (YZ-1) upper stage and image stabilisation. SpaceTY operates Tianyi 2 on behalf
positioned the navsat pair into a circular medium Earth orbit at of the Changsha Gaoxinqu Tianyi Research Institute. It is the
21,500 km, inclined by 55.5°. The two 3rd generation navigation 2nd satellite of a commercial series of nanosats in preparation
satellites are also named Beidou 26 and Beidou 27, indicating for future astronomical missions using smallsats.
that they are the 26th and 27th satellite in the Beidou family. Quantutong 1 (also Tianyi 6) serves for search-and-rescue
The box-shaped satellites have a mass of 1,014 kg and a service experiments for the Beijing-based Quan Tu Tong
dimension of 2,25 x 1.0 x 2,2 m. Their projected lifetime is 12 Co., (All Graphic Location Network Co.) It carries navigation,
years. The phased-array antenna unit is completed by two communication, micro remote sensing cameras, AIS, and
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 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

amateur radio payloads. Danish GomSpace contributed a astronomer and seismologist of the Han-Dynasty, carries six
number of components. instruments to detect and measure high-energy particles,
KIPP (named after the fictional robot from the movie ‘Interstellar’) plasma, and electric and magnetic fields: a search-coil
or Kepler 1 is a 3U cubesat built by Scotland’s Clyde Space for magnetometer, an electric field detector, a high-precision
Kepler Communications of Toronto, to serve as a technology magnetometer and a GNSS occultation receiver. It is also
demonstration for the planned Ku-band telecommunications equipped with a Langmuir probe, a plasma analyser, and a
constellation of 10 to 15 satellites in polar orbits. It is designed tri-band beacon to measure in-situ plasma and ionospheric
for a 2-year operational life. The satellite stores and forwards profile. While the High-Energy Particle Detectors are an Italian
data, is able to connect marine vessels, oil & gas platforms, contribution, the High Precision Magnetometer is a China-
mines, agriculture fields, and other businesses without real time Austria cooperation. The same type of magnetometer will be
requirement. Kepler says its satellite will eventually be able to also be used for ESA’s Jupiter mission JUICE in 2022.
connect to other satellites, space stations and space transport The satellite is mainly known as an experimental seismo-
vehicles. electromagnetic probe to monitor and study the ionospheric
KIPP is the first Canadian satellite launched on a Chinese perturbations which may possibly be associated with earthquake
rocket and also the first commercial low-Earth-orbit satellite to activity, especially with those of high magnitude. The aim is to find
use Ku-band frequencies. Delft-based Innovative Solutions in factors which would enable short-term earthquake forecasting.
Space (ISIS) arranged the launch. But the instruments will also contribute a wealth of data
Huia’an hao Enlai xing (Huaian 1 - HA 1), is a 2 kg, 2U on the space environment of the Earth’s electromagnetic
cubesat built by 20 undergraduate students at Huai’an Youth field, ionospheric plasma and energetic particles and try to
Comprehensive Development Base in Jiangsu province, and understand the possible impact of human activity on the Earth’s
named in honour of former Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, who near-space environment. Data will also allow for studying solar-
was from the area. Equipped with a HD optical camera, the terrestrial interactions and phenomena including Coronal Mass
satellite can take pictures of the Earth’s surface and hosts a Ejections and solar flares and may also serve aerospace and
voice transmission and a deorbit experiment. navigation communication purposes.
2018-011A 2018-011C Zhangheng 1will run in-orbit tests for about six months to assess
2018-011B 2018-011D its data quality before it is formally put into service. A second
25 January - 05:39 UTC (13:39 BJT) seismo-electromagnetic satellite is under evaluation in China.
launch site: Xichang Satellite Launch Centre - XSLC, LC 3 The piggy-back payloads
launcher: Chang Zheng 2C The two 8 kg, 6 U cubesats GomX-4A and 4B were built by the
payload: Yaogan 30-01 (Chuangxin 5-10) / Yaogan 30-02 Danish company GOMSpace.
(Chuangxin 5-11) / Yaogan 30-03 (Chuangxin 5-12) / GomX-4B has 6 payloads. It will test S-band inter-satellite
Weina 1A (Chuangxin 6-6) and High-Speed satellite-to-ground links with high data rate
The fourth triplet of identical Yaogan 30 remote sensing satellites capacities. Also, on board is a cold gas micro-propulsion unit
was the main payload on this launch. They complement the (developed by Sweden’s NanoSpace) for orbit controlling
network of nine in 2017 launched satellites in similar 600- during formation flight with GomX-4A at a distance of 100 to
km, 35° inclined orbits. The satellites, built by Microsatellite 4.500 km. GomX-4B carries the Cubesat Highly Integrated
Innovation Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences Memory Radiation Assurance experiment (Chimera) for testing
(CAS), will conduct electromagnetic environmental probes and of COTS components in the space environment. Additionally,
other experiments. There is very limited information available it hosts two new optical devices from the Netherlands; the
on these satellites. 45-channel HyperScout Hyperspectral Camera from Cosine
and a Star Tracker developed by ISIS.
The Weina 1A nanosatellite for technology experiments was
an additional payload on this launch. It is owned by MicroStar GomX-4A, named “Ulloriaq”, will be operated by the Danish
Technology Co. Ltd. Currently, no further information is given Ministry of Defence for technology demonstration and
but it was reported that six more Weina satellites will be surveillance of the Arctic. It is fitted with radio receivers capable
launched in 2018. of capturing position signals from ships and aircraft.
The life expectancy of both nanosatellites is 3-5 years. They will
2018-015A 2018-015C 2018-015E 2018-015G
be fully operated by GomSpace.
2018-015B 2018-015D 2018-015F
2 February, 7:51 UTC (15:51 BJT) ÑuSat-4 and ÑuSat-5 (Ada / Maryam) The two Earth observation
launch site: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre - JSLC, LC 4 satellites are the fourth and fifth satellites for the commercial Aleph
launcher: Chang Zheng 2D 1 constellation of Argentinian Satellogic S.A. Aleph 1 will consist
payload: Zhangheng 1 / GomX-4A (Ulloriaq) / GomX-4B / of up to 25 satellites. Satellogic have launched before on the Long
ÑuSat-4 (Ada) / ÑuSat-5 (Maryam) / Shaonian Xing / Fengmaniu 1 March rocket, indicating the launch cost of between 1-2 million
USD per satellite. For 2018, three more satellites are planned.
ZH-1, also named ESEM (ESEM - Experimental Satellite on The two satellites were named “Ada” after Ada Lovelace and
Electromagnetism Monitoring) or CSES-1 (China Seismo- “Maryam” after Maryam Mirzakhoni. The body-shaped, 37 kg
Electromagnetic Satellite), was placed in a 98° Sun-synchronous remote sensing satellites have a dimension of 40 x 43 x 75 cm
circular orbit at an altitude of around 500 km. It is based on the with an integrated telescope. The optical imager delivers 1 m
CAST2000 satellite bus, has a mass of 730 kg, is cube-shaped resolution panchromatic data, the infra-red sensors image
(1,4 m), and equipped with one three-segment solar panel and with a 90 m resolution and the multi-spectral data are of 30 m
six long booms which will deploy and keep electromagnetic resolution.
detectors more than 4 m away from the satellite. CNSA,
together with the China Earthquake Administration and the Juvenile 1, a 3 kg, 3U observation cubesat, was built and tested
Italian Space Agency (ASI) are jointly operating ZH-1. The by Beijing CommSat Company, for space education and outreach.
expected operational lifetime is 5 years. It is designed for wireless storage and transmission of radio
ZH-1, named after Zhang Heng (78-139), a Chinese polymath, waves at UV frequency, space imaging and the verification of user

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 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

links to the Internet of Things (IoT). Shaonian Xing is also called Two more navigation satellites, the number 30 and 31 of all Beidou
Young Pioneer 1, Junior Star, Teenager Satellite, Youth Satellite satellites since 2000, entered their pre-set orbit in the A plane
or Ministar 1 reflecting on its origin within the school project of the constellation after more than three hours of flight. After
“SatChina”, engaging in a way more than 1,000 primary and initial testing, the navsat twins joined the 6 previously launched
secondary schools from across the country. Data from the satellite satellites in the Beidou-3 satellite network. The now eight BDS 3
is open to all schools in China equipped with adequate facilities. sats form the simplest global system and will undergo integrated
FengMaNiu 1 is a 3U, 4 kg cubesat, built by LinkSpace test operations. The new generation satellites were developed
Aerospace Technology. It is a technology testing satellite for, by the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites Shanghai.
among others, an optical camera unit and an amateur radio. For details on the 3rd generation Beidou satellites also compare:
Fengmaniu means “wind mill”. 2018-003A / 2018-003B and Quarterly Report 2017-4 in issue 22.
2018-018A 2018-031A
2018-018B 2018-031B
12 February 2018 - 05:03 UTC (13:03 BJT) 2018-031C
launch site: Xichang Satellite Launch Centre – XSLC, LC2 31 March - 03:22 UTC (11:22 BJT)
launcher: Chang Zheng 3B/YZ1 launch site: Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre - TSLC, LC9
payload: Beidou 3M3 / Beidou 3M4 launcher: Chang Zheng 4C
Another pair of Beidou navigation satellites of the 3rd generation, payload: Gaofen 1-02 / Gaofen 1-03 / Gaofen 1-04
also named Beidou 28 and Beidou 29, were launched into MEO. The three civil high-resolution optical remote sensing satellites
Three hours after lifting off, the satellites entered the circular will join the 2013 launched GF-1-1 satellite on a 3+1 network.
target orbit of 21.500 km. Both satellites were built by CAST. For The new triplet provides a 2-day revisit coverage and a 15-day
more details on the Beidou satellites also compare: 2018-003A / global coverage, but will improve to a 11-day global coverage
2018-003B and Quarterly Report 2017-4 in issue 22. within the 3+1 network.
2018-025A Each satellite, based on the CAST 2000 small satellite bus
17 March - 07:10 UTC (15:10 BJT) and designed by China Spacesat, has a launch mass of 805
kg and an operational lifetime of 6 years. The box-shaped
launch site: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre - JSLC, LC 43-94
Gaofens of 1,56 x 1,65 x 1,87 m in size, are equipped with
launcher: Chang Zheng 2D
two solar panel wings, each with three solar panels, providing
payload: LKW 4 - Ludikancha Weixing 4
1.000 W performance. For the Earth monitoring tasks within
LKW 4 is another satellite in the constellation of very high-resolution CNSA’s CHEOS programme, each GF-1 is equipped with a 2 m
Earth observation satellites. Limited information concerning resolution panchromatic CCD camera, an 8 m resolution multi-
the LKWs is published. Also compare 2018-006A - above. It is spectral imager, and a 16 m resolution wide-field multi-spectral
believed that the LKW satellites serve military purposes. imager for simultaneous observations.
2018-029A China Spacesat Co. Ltd., is the commercial subsidiary of CAST.
2018-029B The Gaofen constellation is part of China’s civil space
29 March - 17:56 UTC (30 March - 1:56 BJT) infrastructure, to be completed in 2025. The data will serve
launch site: Xichang Satellite Launch Centre – XSLC, LC2 fields such as disaster prevention and mitigation, environmental
launcher: Chang Zheng 3B/YZ-1 protection, urban and rural development, transportation,
payload: Beidou 3M9 / Beidou 3M10 emergency management.

Ralf Hupertz and Arno Fellenberg kindly contributed information to the section Chinese Space Launches. Other sources of informations are:
http://news.xinhuanet.com https://www.nasaspaceflight.com https://spaceflightnow.com
http://spaceflight101.com/china/ http://www.spaceflightinsider.com http://www.planet4589.org/space/jsr/jsr.html

ACC Astronaut Centre of China CNES French Space Agency IAC International Astronomical Centre
Academy of Aerospace Liquid Propulsion CNSA China National Space Administration Inter Agency Space Debris Coordination
AAPT IADC
Technology Committee
CPC Communist Party of China
Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of
APSCO CPPCC Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference IAMCAS
Organisation CAS
BDS BeiDou satellite navigation Systems CSES China’s Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite Inter Agency Space Debris Coordination
IADC
China Satellite Maritime Tracking and Committee
Beijing Institute of Space Mechanics and CSMTC
BISME Electricity Control Department IHEP Institute of High Energy Physics
BJT Beijing Time CSS Chinese Space Station/China Space Station LLR Lunar Laser Ranging
BNU Beijing Normal University CZ Changzheng, Long March MoU Memorandum of Understanding
China Academy of Launch Vehicle Techno- DAMPE Dark Matter Particle Explorer NAOC National Astronomical Observatories of China
CALT logy, 1st Academy of China Aerospace DBAR Digital Belt and Road
Science and Technology Corporation CASC NORINCO China North Industries Group Corporation Limited
DPRK Democratic People’s Republic of Korea NPC National People’s Congress
CAS Chinese Academy of Sciences
Discovering the Sky at Longest Wavelengths NSSC National Space Science Center
China Aerospace Science and Technology DSLWP
CASC Pathfinder
Corporation PLA People’ s Liberation Army
ESOC European Space Operations Centre
China Aerospace Science and Industry R&D Research and Development
CASIC Corporation ESA European Space Agency
SJ Shijian
CAST China Academy of Space Technology EVA Extravehicular Activity
SKA Square Kilometre Array
CCTV China Central Television Five-Hundred Metre Aperture Spherical
FAST Radio Telescope SOA State Oceanic Administration
CFOSat China-French Oceanography Satellite
Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency SZ Shenzhou
CGWIC China Great Wall Industry Corporation FHR Physics and Radar Techniques
TG Tiangong
CLEP China’s Lunar Exploration Programme GDP Gross Domestic Product
TIRA Tracking and Imaging Radar
CMA China Meteorological Administration GEO Geostationary Orbit
UAE United Arabic Emirates
CMC China’s Central Military Commission GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System
UNOOSA UN Office for Outer Space Affairs
CMSA China Manned Space Agency HIT Harbin Institute of Technology
UTC Coordinated Universal Time
CMSEO China Manned Space Engineering Office HXMT Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope
QTT Qitai 110-meter Radio Telescope

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All about the Chinese Space Programme

China’s new buzz phrase: integration of military and civilian development

by Jacqueline Myrrhe

At the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China structural conflicts, institutional handicaps, policy problems
in November 2012, the integration of military and civilian etc. Much can be achieved, once a functioning information
development was declared a national strategy. Considering this exchange system has been established between military and
process as crucial for China’s prosperity, Chinese President Xi civilian entities. There are concerns that it might be difficult for
Jinping put this topic on his personal agenda. In March 2015, the older generation of military to show an open mind to those
Xi reiterated his commitment to turn this long-term mechanism changes and that both sides will take some time to understand
into reality and he established under his leadership the Central each others requirements. Also, coordination and sharing of
Commission for Integrated Military and Civilian Development in resources as well as the modernisation of policies, regulations,
January 2017. management mechanisms and institutional structures are a
President Xi identified sea, outer space, cyber space, biology and challenge. Civil enterprises wish to get easier access to licences
new energy as the core areas for the integration development. and procurement processes. For military departments is it hard
On the civilian side, the “Four Civil Industries”: civil aerospace, to judge the maturity of civil technologies. A good idea is the
civil aircraft, civil nuclear power and establishment of a demonstration project
high-tech shipping, are in the focus. of military-civilian integration from which
On the military side, military high-tech others could learn.
industries such as satellite navigation In April 2018, the Central Military
and remote sensing application, ocean Commission has for the first time
engineering and scientific equipment, declassified and published 4,038 national
network information security, smart city defense patents in the field of aerospace.
development are relevant. What China is testing, is not
In this whole process the proven method unprecedented. The internet, the Global
of combining state guidance with the Positioning System GPS, nuclear power
market’s role is applied. It is recognised and space technology are just a few
that over the last decades, China has examples of dual-use technologies
poured substantial resources into the and prove how integrated military and
development of the military sector and President Xi Jinping leads the 1st Plenary Session of the 19th civilian development has been improving
military high-technologies. The size of China’s Central Military-Civilian Integration Development people’s lives across the globe.
China’s military occupies a significant Committee in March 2018. Credits: Xinhua GPS was originally developed by
number of talents, just for the only the U.S. Department of Defense and
purpose of national defence which was until now a closed sector. operated by the U.S. Air Force. Only in 1996, U.S. President Bill
One of the results of the military-civilian integration is to make Clinton signed a policy document, which allowed for the civilian
those resources, paid by the taxpayer, directly accessible and use of certain GPS signals. Also, today’s internet is based on
benefitting the taxpayer with significant gains for the overall a military technology. In the 1960s, the Advanced Research
economic and societal development. Projects Agency, ARPA, of the U.S. Department of Defense
There is also the awareness, that feeding the limited national financed the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network
social resources organically into the society can translate into ARPANET which later opened up to civil use.
“twice the benefit with half of the investment”. In particular, the The example of the Cold War shows how the investment of
application of military technologies to the civil sector should national resources into the military field has been an immense
boost the national economy. But this is not a one-way road burden for the economies of the Soviet Union but also for the U.S.
because also, the reverse dynamic should work: advanced civil After the break-up of the Soviet Union, Russian military
technologies support the military industry. Once this two-way enterprises established cooperation and applications while
process gains momentum, the military-civilian integration has using military technologies such as microelectronic, computer,
come to fruition, the two parts mutually promote, interact, blend radar and nuclear technologies.
and support each other to narrow the gap between the Chinese
In China, the space industry is the most apparent beneficiary
and leading nations in the world. As a consequence, the two
of the military-civilian integration. Until recently, only Chinese
objectives of “making the country rich” and “making the military
state-owned firms were permitted to build, launch and operate
strong” can be achieved.
satellites. In 2014, new regulations allowed private companies
In March 2018, the first Plenary Session of the 19th China’s to participate.
Central Military-Civilian Integration Development Committee
On 5 September 2018, iSpace became the first Chinese
hosted by President Xi Jinping passed a series of relevant
commercial provider to launch a suborbital rocket from the
decisions.
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre since it began operation in
The meeting deliberated and adopted a guideline on military- 1958. Only two days later, OneSpace, which is supported by the
civilian integration, a working plan of the central commission for state defence contractor Aviation Industry Corporation of China,
integrated military and civilian development in 2018, and a plan successfully completed its first suborbital rocket launch from
for building innovation demonstration zones of national military- Jiuquan. This is a concrete measure towards the implementation
civilian integration with a list of the zones. The meeting also of the strategy of military-civilian integration.
reiterated the combination of top-level plans with local research
Connected with China’s move for integration of military and
to achieve progress in mechanism, policy, and development
civilian development is the hope that economic growth in the
mode innovation.
21st century is no longer defined by expansion of production but
Chinese military-civilian integration is still at the transitional rather by expansion of knowledge which enables innovation and
stage from initial integration to deep integration, along with some efficiency for smart and green growth.
page 16
issue # 23 - December 2018
 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

“Our top goal was to be committed to one hundred percent quality...”

interview with Prof. Dr. Bernd Madauss
Prof. Dr. Bernd Madauss is a renowned and risk management. He gained his Prof. Madauss lectured project
international expert on project project management experience as project management at some renowned
management in the aerospace sector. control manager at ELDO Paris and MBB universities across Europe and is Visiting
He started his professional career in the Munich and thereafter as Senior Program Professor and Faculty Member of the
Hanseatic city of Bremen, Germany, Manager at SES Astra, Luxembourg. International Space University (ISU) in
where he completed his engineering Strasbourg, France.
Since 2004, his expertise was requested
studies in naval architecture. In the late
by many of the leading European space As of today, he has accumulated more than
seventies he finished his studies for a
enterprises which included Airbus, five decades of professional experience in
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
MT Aerospace, OHB Bremen, IABG, project management and engineering of
at the Pacific States University (PSU),
Yuzhnoye, and institutions such as the international space projects.
Los Angeles, U.S.A. In the mid-eighties,
German Aerospace Centre, DLR. His
Bernd Madauss finished his PhD studies Prof. Madauss is the author of numerous
vast amount of international space project
at PSU. The University appointed him to a articles and book contributions and is
management (PM) experience and his
full professorship two years later. the author of the handbook “Project
capability in PM training became known
Management”, of which the 7th edition has
He was involved in aircraft and rocket also outside of Germany. He performed
been published in 2017.
design, project planning and control, PM-training in China, Oman, UAE and
acquisitions including requests for proposal Ukraine. In 2007 he was employed as GoTaikonauts! had the opportunity to
(RFP) and proposal preparation, contract Corporate Advisor by Yahsat, UAE, were talk with him about his experience in
management, cost control management, he also took over the position of acting project management training and project
documentation and configuration control CTO. management activities in China.

GT!: You were involved in the project management for I always had the feeling that the Chinese liked the name of my
Chinese State-owned space companies. How did this company which reads “ACT” and can be interpreted as “active”.
happen? After contract signature, ACT immediately started with the
Prof. Madauss: In 1998 I provided a training course for project monitoring tasks. The launch of the satellite was set for 21st
management in Toulouse. Some Chinese engineers from China December 2013. The date was the wish of Evo Morales,
Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) attended the course. President of Bolivia. The tight deadline was very challenging for
They liked the training and therefore one of them approached the Chinese engineers. Before sending the satellite to the launch
me and asked whether I could give such training also to his site a Pre-Shipment Review (PSR) had to be performed. The
colleagues in China. One year later, in 1999, I trained personnel ACT representative in China demanded that the data package
of CGWIC in project management. for the PSR had to be presented in the English language.
Almost a decade later, in 2011, I met again with one of the GT!: Which problems did you encounter during the
participants of the 1999 training course at the CABSAT Expo management of the project and how did you resolve them?
in Dubai. His colleague, a CGWIC manager asked me whether Prof. Madauss: Our top goal was to be committed to one
I would mind to come again to China in order to give a PM hundred percent quality to guarantee that the TKSat-1 satellite
training course in Beijing. I happily agreed and I received an will remain fully functioning in orbit for at least fifteen (15) years.
invitation for the PM training course at CGWIC, Beijing. This is the hallmark of my company and the characteristic of
During my stay in China, I had discussions about the possibility the performance of our team. We knew that the first Nigerian
that my company “Angermann Consulting and Training GmbH - satellite, built by CAST, encountered technical problems in orbit.
ACT” may perform in the name of the Bolivian Space Agency ABE That gave us some headaches. Therefore, ACT encouraged
a monitoring function for the production process of the Bolivian the Chinese colleagues to improve the quality assurance
satellite TKSat-1 - Túpac Katari 1. TKSat-1 is a geostationary (QA) aspects. The project manager approached ACT, since
telecommunication he realised that we
satellite, which was built, were hesitating and he
launched and delivered asked for support. As a
into orbit by Chinese consequence, Professor
companies. Victor Billig, the ACT
I wrote an offer for field colleague in charge at
office activities and that time, set-up a two-
formed a team of five day training on QA, to
highly qualified space help them to understand
engineers and colleagues the situation and the
which I knew from my processes involved.
earlier work for the All Chinese team
German space company members participated
Messerschmitt Bölkow in that training course.
Blohm MBB in Munich. Thereafter, ACT issued
a certificate for the
Throughout the year 2012
successful completion of
we had several rounds of The ACT Team. From the left: Arnold Jablonski, Victor Billig, Klaus Polzer, Bernd Madauss, Hans-
the training.
negotiations until we got Jürgen Tscheulin. credit: Bernd Madauss, book on project management, 2017
the contract.
page 17
issue # 23 - December 2018
 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

In November 2013 ACT participated in the PSR for TKSat-1. Prof. Madauss: First of all, the general idea of establishing a
Four parties had to confirm and sign the PSR readiness friendly human relationship. In some situations, I have applied
documents: namely CAST (the satellite manufacturer), CGWIC this also to other projects, for example in the cooperation with my
(the Chinese management company), ABE (the Bolivian colleagues in Europe and the U.S. To start a project in a friendly
Space Agency), and ACT (the management and field office environment is helpful for managing complex international
consultant). The responsible ACT colleague had concerns projects. This is especially true for building a bridge to another
because some documents were missing or written in the culture. Therefore, and that is what we learned in China, one
Chinese language. The documents were really crucial for the should invest in some warm-up time prior to starting the project.
judgement that everything was OK for shipment to the launch Also, my ACT colleagues enjoyed their stay in Beijing and we
site. Some of those documents would contain changes which learned how to eat with chopsticks. Secondly, we learned that
he had initiated and without those documents he could not know it is good to take some time for solving critical aspects without
whether the changes were implemented or not. He assumed rushing. Europeans sometimes have the tendency to be too
that the Chinese colleagues had not the same understanding fast because we assume efficiency means: working as fast as
as ACT about the relevance of those documents. Then, literally possible.
overnight, all missing documentation were translated into GT!: You are the author of the seventh edition of the
English and handed over to ACT. textbook “Project Management”, which also provides some
I have to admit, that for a short moment we were also thinking information about the project management experience in
about what would have happened if we had not counter-signed China?
the PSR document. Fortunately, we did not have to worry about Prof. Madauss: Yes. The book is a compilation of 26 project
this because all four parties involved jointly concluded to give management topics, containing also two chapters in the English
green light for shipment of the satellite to the launch site. All language. Prof. Victor Billig, a member of the ACT team wrote
agreed: ‘Let’s go!’ about the developments in space since the launch of Sputnik.
What is important to add is the fact, that we had throughout the He also wrote about the special experience made in China.
whole satellite production process an open dialogue with all The photo (previous page) shows the five ACT members which
Chinese colleagues who were building the satellite and full access provided the TKSat-1 field office support in Beijing.
to all relevant documents. On-site at the CAST satellite factory GT!: How do you assess China’s current space ambitions?
in Beijing, ACT had full visibility as required for the monitoring
Prof. Madauss: China is very determined to catch-up with
tasks. As far as I can judge and as far as it was important for our
Western competitors in Europe and the U.S. and in recent
work all important information were provided to ACT.
years much progress has been made in the space domain of
GT!: How have you experienced your Chinese colleagues? China. I therefore consider any reservations and limitations in
Which strengths are Chinese space experts contributing to cooperation with China as short-sighted. I am looking respectful
international projects? to the space developments in China as a future competitor with
Prof. Madauss: In all my business visits to China I have products as good as the Western products. The Chinese are
experienced a constructive and very friendly atmosphere. All smart people. At the moment they may miss in special areas
were cooperative and contributed to a good work environment. some space experience but this is just a matter of time to
On special occasions we were invited for a typical Chinese become fully competitive reaching a world class standard.
dinner sitting at a round table. Everybody at the table could try
out all of the different dishes. It was also very popular to speak a
toast. For that, all would cheer with a small glass of spirit and that Projektmanagement
was the way to celebrate brotherhood. It was everybody’s turn. Theorie und Praxis aus einer Hand
Author: Madauss, Bernd-J.
We also appreciated the patience of the Chinese colleagues
ISBN-10: 3662544318
and their listening skills.
ISBN-13: 978-3662544310
During my project in China I have not experienced any
hiding of important information. We experienced a very 2017
open and transparent atmosphere and all required technical 914 pages
documentation and information were accessible to the ACT Springer Vieweg
personnel. hard cover: 109,99 Euro
GT!: Is there anything European companies could learn
from China?

credit: ABE - Bolivian Space Agency

page 18
issue # 23 - December 2018
 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

The TKSat is mounted in a protective cover, sitting on top of its

launcher, the CZ-3B. credit: Xinhua
Bolivian President Juan Evo Morales Ayma
delivers a speech after the successful launch of
the Bolivian communications satellite Túpac Katari
at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC),
in China’s southwestern Sichuan Province, on 21
December 2013. credit: Xinhua/Yan Yan

left: Túpac Katari launched from the Xichang

Satellite Launch Center (XSLC) on 21 December
The Túpac Katari communications satellite in the
2013. credit: Xinhua/Yan Yan
space testing facilities of CAST. credit: CAST

Iván Zambrana, Executive General Director Túpac Katari 1 at low interest rates, with repayment starting only
of the Bolivian Space Agency (ABE) and Yin TKSat-1 after the satellite became operational in orbit.
Liming, President of China Great Wall Industry After its testing phase, the satellite entered its
Corporation (CGWIC) signed on 13 December 2010 in La operational life and was handed over to Bolivia on 1 April
Paz, a contract for the in-orbit delivery of the Túpac Katari 1 2014. Two years after the launch of TKSat-1, ABE said that
communications satellite and the delivery of the relevant 75 % of the spacecraft’s transponders have been sold, all
ground application system to Bolivia. The spacecraft, named to Bolivian government and commercial entities. The state-
after the national hero, Túpac Katari, who fought off the run National Telecommunications Company (Entel) is the
Spanish conquistadors, is the first communications satellite main user of the satellite, which occupies about 50% of the
for Bolivia serving its 11 million inhabitants. For CGWIC it was capacity. That percentage is used to expand coverage in
the sixth communications satellite in-orbit delivery contract mobile telephony, satellite television, telecentres and Internet
with an international customer. services. Nearly two million people in rural areas benefited
Túpac Katari is based on CAST’s DFH-4 satellite bus and has from the services. Iván Zambrana of ABE said at the end of
a projected service life of 15 years. The satellite is 2.36 m 2018 that internet access doubled in the last five years thanks
long, 2.1 m wide and weighs 5.3 tonnes. Launched on 21 to the satellite Túpac Katari, from 30% of Bolivians who
December, it was positioned in GEO at 87.2° W. It is equipped had that service in 2013, to 64% in 2018. TKSat’s capacity
with 26 Ku-band, 2 C-band and 2 Ka-band transponders. It enabled national TV channels Bolivisión and ATB to make
will not only provide communications and broadcasting use of high definition broadcasting, beginning 1 November
services to the whole territory of Bolivia and the surrounding this year. At the same time, the satellite’s revenues are close
areas, but also facilitate the development of civil projects like to 100 million US-dollar. Over the satellite’s 15-year life, its
remote education and telemedicine. The 302 million US-dollar total revenue is estimated to be around $500 million, a level
programme cost (other sources say: 295 million) was covered that ABE said is sufficient to justify a replacement. Already
with 85 % financing from the China Development Bank and before the launch of TKSat-1, Bolivian media reported that
with the Bolivian government contributing 15 %. ABE did not the country intends to purchase another satellite from China,
disclose the specific terms of its China Development Bank but an Earth observation satellite which would be named after
loan, but it can be assumed that the funds were advanced the wife of Túpac Katari, Bartolina Sisa.

left: Bolivian President

Evo Morales speaks
at the satellite hand
over ceremony in April
2014.
credit: cochabandido blog

right: Bolivian
President Evo Morales
is presented with a
model of the Túpac
Katari communications
satellite.
credit: CGWIC

page 19
issue # 23 - December 2018
 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

A Historic Day for Chinese NewSpace

by Chen Lan

Launch Site in the Desert foreign faces walking along the street. They may be from
On 27 October, invited by MinoSpace, a Chinese start-up France or Belarus, as two days later on 29 October, the Sino-
satellite company, I went to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center France CFOSat ocean satellite and a piggyback Belorussian
(JSLC) and witnessed the inaugural launch of the LandSpace small satellite would be launched here.
Zhuque 1 (ZQ-1) solid fuel small launcher. It was not only the
first orbital launch by LandSpace, China’s leading private rocket After a quick lunch, we headed to the launch site. It was not
company, but also China’s first private rocket to be launched into too long before we got to the gate of the fenced launch centre.
orbit. The payload on top of this rocket was the first deliverable After we entered the area, our bus reduced speed and then
by MinoSpace - the Weilai 1 (Future 1) educational satellite passed by the VAB. I saw the mobile launch platform for CZ-
developed for CCTV (China Central Television). 2F sitting in front of the huge building on two rails, 20 metres
apart. I noticed the base on top of the platform was blackened.
It was a nice day with comfortable temperature and a clear Without stopping, the bus then slowly approached the Pad 921
blue sky. Our bus departed from Jiayuguan before sunrise from where the Shenzhou spaceships depart. When the launch
and started a 4-hour journey through the Gobi Desert. In the tower got closer and closer, I remembered the first time I saw it
beginning, the bus ran on a section of desert expressway. 19 years ago when the first two photos of the Chinese manned
Along the expressway, greens, villages and farmlands were space programme were leaked on the internet. The bus turned

Highway to the launch center. (credit: Go Taikonauts!) The CZ-2F manned launch tower in JSLC. (credit: Go Taikonauts!)

occasionally seen between sand- around at the bottom of the tower, soon
stabilised facilities. And we saw a drove out a small gate, and then went
beautiful sunrise. However, after East. After driving for a few kilometers,
about three-quarters of the journey, I saw a white-red colored small rocket
an immense flat bare desert was standing on a small flat concrete
suddenly before my eyes. All living ground, without an umbilical tower or
things were gone, replaced with any tall supporting structure.
sparsely located strange facilities. The
two-lane highway goes straight into the This is a simple launch facility for
distance, with a railway accompanying mobile small launchers, and is a
it on the left-hand side. I felt that the fenced area as well, but much, much
atmosphere became serious, with a smaller than the one we just passed
little excitement. Finally, I discovered by. We entered the launch area while
the familiar launch towers and the VAB eight buses that took us to the site
(Vertical Assembly Building) on the and a few more light vehicles parked
horizon that I saw hundreds of times outside. When approaching, I found
in photos and on TV. At about 11:00 that the Zhuque 1 rocket was actually
h, we reached the checkpoint to enter standing on a blue-colour mobile
Dongfeng, the so-called “space city”. platform that includes the erecting
mechanism and the flame diversion
Dongfeng is a clean and silent baffle. Not far away, there are two
small town. There are many old- lightning towers and a white low
era low buildings among golden building with unknown purpose. It was
autumn woods, but with only sparse to my surprise that we were allowed to
pedestrians and vehicles. We seemed go near to the rocket so very closely
to have arrived in the middle of the last - it was almost touchable! Zhuque 1
century. It is said that all its residents is a 3-stage solid fuel launcher with
are launch centre staff or their family a length of 19 metres, a diameter of
A public space sculpture in Dongfeng City.
members. From the bus, I saw some (credit: Go Taikonauts!) 1.35 metres and a launch mass of

page 20
issue # 23 - December 2018
 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

From left: Dr. Enyu Gao (co-founder and CEO of

MinoSpace), Dr. Shufan Wu (co-founder and Board
Director of MinoSpace, co-founder of LandSpace),
Changwu Zhang (co-founder and CEO of LandSpace) The Zhuque 1 launcher, taken 2 hours before launch. Close-up of the third stage of Zhuque 1. (credit:
(credit: LandSpace/MinoSpace) (credit: LandSpace) Go Taikonauts!)

27 tonnes. It has a lifting thrust of 45 tonnes and is capable photographs. It was also to my surprise that, unlike previously
of putting a 300 kg payload into LEO and 200 kg into SSO. rumoured, we were allowed to carry our mobile phones and
The Weilai 1 satellite, based on MinoSpace’s MN-10 bus and use them all the way. The 4G signal at the launch site was also
integrated with an in-orbit experiment and imaging payloads, quite strong.
was supposed to be sent into a 500 km SSO with a working life
of 2 years. When a string of vehicles evacuated from the distant launch
pad and came close to us, and another string of fire engines
People crowded around the rocket and enjoyed being there. and ambulances came from the opposite direction, I realised
Other people stood a little further away and talked to each that the launch was imminent. The launch was scheduled for
other. They all took a lot of photographs. It was more like a 16:00 h Beijing Time and it was T-30 minutes at that moment.
tourist attraction. After staying for about 20 minutes, the bus People became calm. There was only the countdown voice
took us back to the launch centre. from the loudspeaker. A drone was hovering over our heads.
At T-10 seconds, people started to shout out loud: ten, nine ...
A Beautiful Launch zero! But there was no sign of life from the tiny rocket on the
After another short but close visit to the Pad 921 where horizon. About four or five seconds later, maybe shorter but for
Shenzhou manned spaceships take off, at about 15:00 h, we me it seemed so long, a bright flash came to my eyes followed
were transferred to an open space around 2 km away from by smoke rising from the ground. All happened in silence until a
the ZQ-1 rocket, waiting for its launch. There were about 200 few seconds later when I heard a not-so-loud rumbling sound. I
people, mostly staff of the two companies wearing the space- even felt the sound was quite enjoyable. The small rocket went
blue uniform and the guests they had invited. The CCTV “Go up faster and faster. It was hardly visible, only a bright flash
to the Future” programme crew occupied an exclusive space with a long white trail of smoke extending behind the flash light.
because the Weilai 1 satellite was specially designed to serve The rocket went over our heads and then flew south. As the
this TV programme. At such a distance, the rocket could hardly sound faded, it finally disappeared high up in the sky. But the
be seen. There was a happy and relaxed atmosphere. People long white smoke, which became twisted by high altitude winds,
were enjoying the unique scenery of the desert under a blue lingered in the blue sky for a long time. It was the most beautiful
sky. Some even went out of the specified viewing area to take scene of the day.

Close-up of the mobile launch platform. (credit: Go Taikonauts!) The wind was writing on the sky. (credit: MinoSpace)
page 21
issue # 23 - December 2018
 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

pending further investigation will be released later. LandSpace

responded to the accident very quickly, showing the company’s
good business sense and PR capability.

Reaction from the public and media was also quite positive.
Most people understand the risks in space exploration.
On the internet, they gave LandSpace a lot of support and
encouragement. Mainstream state media including CCTV, the
customer of the launch, also gave simple but positive reports.
Many people knew at this time that China has private companies
developing space rockets.

There were even salutes from competitors. Shu Chang, founder

and CEO of OneSpace, another startup rocket company, said
on WeChat, ”….it was a special day for Chinese commercial
The Zhuque 1 launch. (credit: LandSpace)
space. It was a great attempt. Exploration is without end. Never
give up!”. “Whatever the result was, today is memorable as it
People on the ground were excited. They cheered loud and was the first orbital launch attempt by a private company”, said
threw their colleagues high up. We gathered around Dr. Shufan Hu Zhengyu from LinkSpace.
Wu, co-founder of MinoSpace and co-founder of LandSpace.
He had the latest information on his mobile phone from the NewSpace Pioneers
control room. All looked perfect. First stage separation and Though the ZQ-1 failed to reach orbit, the launch was still
second stage ignition, fairing jettison, second stage separation considered a great achievement, made by LandSpace. As a
and third stage ignition, all went well. We were anxiously pioneer, the company encountered a lot of difficulties and
waiting for the payload separation, the final signal to claim setbacks before this day. LandSpace was founded in 2015
success. However, Dr. Wu’s face got serious and then he left. and is the earliest private rocket company in China. In early
An investment guy told me that he felt that something may have 2017, LandSpace signed a contract with the Denmark based
gone wrong. About a dozen minutes later, we got a clue via a GomSpace to provide a commercial launch service using its
mobile phone as someone had already posted a message on solid launcher LS-1. Unfortunately, the deal was suspended
the internet saying that the third stage lost attitude and failed to because LandSpace’s solid motor supplier CASC, the state-
enter orbit. owned space giant, ceased execution of the agreement signed
with LandSpace of providing solid motors, giving as reasons
Mission Almost Accomplished sensitive technology control. This forced LandSpace to
Back in Dongfeng for dinner, people, including those from the independently develop a liquid engine to get rid of the external
two companies and their investors, were a little upset but still reliance. The future Zhuque 2 (ZQ-2) liquid-fueled medium
congratulated LandSpace and encouraged each other. Many launcher will be LandSpace’s flagship product while the solid-
people compared it with the first three failed launches of the fuel small launcher plays only a transitional role.
SpaceX Falcon 1. The fact is that this first private space launch
has completed most steps and only failed in the final stage. ZQ-2 is a two-stage launcher with LEO payload capability of 4
It was almost successful. History has already been made. tonnes and an SSO capability of 1.8 tonnes. It has a length of
Undoubtedly it was a milestone in Chinese commercial space 48.8 m and a diameter of 3.35 m, and a launch mass of 216
activities. tonnes. Four Tianque methane engines at its first stage provide
268 tonnes of ground thrust. And the second stage is equipped
Dr. Wu came at the end of the dinner. He confirmed the launch with a 10-tonne class (vacuum thrust) Phoenix engine. The
failure and told us that the third stage and the satellite had development of LandSpace’s liquid oxygen and methane
reached an altitude of nearly 340 km and a velocity of more engines have made fast progress since then. On 9 October,
than 6.2 km/s, both are records in China created by a private the Tianque 1 80-tonne class (vacuum thrust) engine made
rocket. In fact, the ZQ-1 launch has made another achievement. a successful chamber hot test firing in LandSpace’s Huzhou-
Compared to development and assembly of the rocket, acquiring based test and manufacturing facility.
the orbital launch permission from the government and setting
up the procedure for private companies to enter the national
space launch centre were more difficult and complicated. With
full support from its cooperation partners, LandSpace finally
made it after months of long hard work. LandSpace was the
first Chinese private company who obtained the orbital launch
licence. At the end of September 2018, the first ZQ-1 was
transported to JSLC. Having the rocket in Jiuquan - ready for
launch - has already been a big success. The ZQ-1 has already
accomplished its mission before launch, said Zhang Changwu,
LandSpace co-founder and CEO.

Four days later, LandSpace released the preliminary result of

the failure investigation with exactly the same information that
Dr. Wu had revealed at the end of the launch day. The cause
of the failure was suspected to be a broken pipe at one attitude
Dr. Wu Shufan in front of LandSpace’s banner poster. “Land your dream in
control thruster. It happened at T+402 seconds when the third space” - China’s NewSpace demonstrates that PR is not alien - even not in the
stage motor had already worked for 37 seconds. Final results deepest desert. (credit: MinoSpace)
page 22
issue # 23 - December 2018
 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

In parallel, LandSpace managed to get a new solid engine from They all are supported by private capital. It is expected that
another channel. The result is Zhuque 1, and this launch story. many of them will not survive but the remaining companies will
have a chance to become great companies like SpaceX.
In comparison, the journey of MinoSpace, founded in August
2017, was much smoother. In just about one year since its One interesting fact from my observation on LandSpace and
establishment, the company has secured satellite deals valued MinoSpace is that the staff of these two companies are very
more than 200 million RMB (USD 30 million). It not only showed young. They are energetic and passionate. Many of them have
that China has a large requirement for small satellites, but Western education and working background. And of course,
also proved that MinoSpace has a strong competitive power. professionals from Chinese state-owned space giants (CASC
Its founder and board director Dr. Shufan Wu had worked in and CASIC) played a very important role in these companies.
Europe for 17 years, including 12 years working in ESA, and In the 21st century, talent is the most important resource. Are
was former CTO of Shanghai Microsatellite Engineering Centre, these young and talented people an implication of the future of
CAS. While the other co-founder, MinoSpace CEO Dr. Enyu the Chinese NewSpace?
Gao is from CAST, China’s most renowned satellite developer.
The next day after I returned home, MinoSpace announced
LandSpace and MinoSpace represent the fast-growing that a satellite with two sub-systems provided by MinoSpace
private space sector in China. They are pioneers in China’s was successfully launched into space with the CFOSat, the
NewSpace. Meanwhile, more than 100 startup space Sino-France Oceanographic Satellite. One week after the ZQ-1
companies have emerged in China these years. LandSpace’s launch, a partner from Essential Capital that financed Galactic
private competitors include OneSpace, Interstellar Glory (or Energy, another private rocket company, told me that they had
Space Honor or iSpace in another translation), Galactic Energy, just test-fired China’s largest privately developed solid motor
Jiuzhou Yunjian, LinkSpace, Dragon Drive, S-Motor and with a thrust of 60 tonnes.
Space Engine, etc., the latter two currently focusing on space
propulsion systems. MinoSpace has also a lot of competitors The story of Chinese NewSpace has just started.
including SpaceTy, CommSat, SpaceOK, Chang Guang, etc.
There are more satellite operation and application companies. This reporting about China’s NewSpace will be continued in the next issue of GoTaikonauts!

Flight model of the Weilai 1 (Future 1) satellite. (credit: MinoSpace) The solid motor of Galactic Energy. (credit: Galactic Energy)

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page 23
issue # 23 - December 2018
 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

‘First’ Flight: Aviation, Air Defence, Space Exploration & More on

Display at China’s 2018 Zhuhai Air Show
by Donovan Cosby (www.Donesladventure.com)

I just might be the luckiest expat in China. After People’s Liberation Army Air Force, or PLA Air
all, over the past 7 years I’ve had the most Force. In other words, it was time to celebrate!
incredible experiences that I never could
So, open up an airbase, put on some well-
have imagined before stepping foot in the
crafted aerial stunts featuring China’s latest

E S L A d ve nture
country. And truth be told, many of them
fighter jets, and throw in a bunch of cool
- scratch that, the majority of them, have
displays showcasing the world’s second
actually been a ‘first’.
largest economy’s stronghold on modern
For instance, I caught my first ever space and futuristic aircraft, comprehensive air
rocket launch at Hainan Island’s Wenchang defence systems, and yet-to-be-revealed
n ’s
Do

Satellite Launch Center. Now that was epic. space-tech? Well, that’s an easy guess -
it:

Let’s see, I’ve watched my first ever live count me in!

ed
cr

dragon boat race in Fenghuang Ancient Town, w.

ho THE CROWDS
hopped aboard my first international cruise from A ir s
The i
a uth or at Z h u h a
China to Japan, and heck, I even played badminton First up, you should know that I’ve travelled far and
for the first time. I can’t think of ever seeing anyone play wide across China, and in a land filled with 1.3 billion people,
that back in the US! never had I ever seen so many people gathered together at
once. Ever.
What’s more, I’ve recently added a new event to my ever-
expanding list: I visited my very first air show - China’s much No kidding, the crowd size itself was a spectacle of its own
talked and hyped about 2018 Zhuhai Air Show, and like many merit. Forget Shanghai’s Bund during Golden Week, or Beijing’s
of those awesome first experiences, this too would turn out to Great Wall on any holiday, the Zhuhai Air Show’s numbers, at
be an experience of a lifetime. the very least, were in the tens of thousands. And you know
what? It was all for good reason.
COUNT ME IN
AERIAL STUNTS
It was Nov. 11th - Veteran’s Day back in the States. But in China,
this particular day held another, yet, similar commemorative It was early morning and I arrived just in time. Five Chinese
purpose: It was the 69th anniversary of the creation of the fighter jets had just flown across the sky in sequence and at

page 24
issue # 23 - December 2018
 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

The full-scale model of the core section of the Chinese Space Station. all photos credit: Don’s ESL Adventure/www.Donesladventure.com

The author in front of the Long March models. A full scale model of the next generation Shenzhou manned space craft.

break-neck speeds, leaving behind a mile-long smoke trail of And you know what? Those weren’t even the hottest items in
the most vibrant colors I’d ever seen a few hundred meters up. my book. Instead, the coolest aircraft on deck had to be the
“What an entrance!,” I thought. Blade Runner-esque, flying car and hovercraft prototypes of the
future. Ah, if they only offered free test-drives!
They went up, down, around, and zigzagged over our heads
nearly a dozen times. On their own, they’d twirl 360-degrees, There were some other standout vehicles thrown into the mix. A
shoot high into the sky at 90-degrees, and then swoop down couple of new-aged fire trucks and bulldozers, high-end tanks,
and zip pass one another at close range - head on and at full and even a few military-grade naval speedboats.
speed. It was incredible!
It was enough eye-candy scattered around to see for days - 6
What’s more, the jets produced the loudest, most deafening days to be exact. And guess what? That was only half of what
sounds I had ever heard. In fact, they were so loud that I felt the air show would offer!
my entire body tremble and the ground shake beneath my feet
AIR DEFENCE
each time the planes roared by. I could only imagine how it’d
feel to sit in the cockpit! How would modern day China defend itself against foreign
threats? More specifically, how would it engage enemies from
There were back-to-back shows afterwards, too, complete with
the air, and what type of network was required to protect its
various styles of aircraft and plenty of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ from
airspace? Hey, this was the 69th anniversary of the PLA Air
the crowd. But on ground level, what really stood out was the
Force - any and every angle had to be covered.
strong sense of nationalistic pride I could feel streaking across
the air, literally. This was China at its best, and at the same And therein lay these bunkers, huge bunkers, sprawling with all
time, it was only a small snippet of what’s yet to come in the kinds of sophisticated tech and powerful military arsenal used
near-future. to detect threats and fend off attacks from the air. And in this
day and age, drones and ground-based air-defence systems -
AVIATION
radar, anti-aircraft, and missile interceptors - proved king.
Spread out across the lot were some of China’s best
I saw drones big and small, from skateboard-sized
homegrown aircraft, along with a few exceptions provided by
reconnaissance bots to plane-sized attack weapons. There
the international community. I spotted everything from gliders,
were a bunch of jeeps and Humvees too, decked out in military
gyroplanes, seaplanes, and landplanes, to helicopters, drones,
camouflage patterns and stocked with radars, heavy machinery,
amphibious planes, and military air power.
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issue # 23 - December 2018
 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

and massive anti-missile silos. It was awesome! In front of the module sat a real taikonaut spacesuit that
reached parts of Earth’s outer atmosphere that I might never
Additionally, the exhibition housed plenty of charts detailing
have had the chance to see in this lifetime. And on another
China’s comprehensive network and strategic action plan to
end? Television screens, props, and more models covering
safeguard its airspace, which also included communication and
China’s ambitious goals for lunar exploration, satellite mapping
detection satellites, command centres, and naval craft.
and navigation, and even commercial space flight.
Jeez. If China’s goal was to showcase how meticulous,
Growing up in the States, I’d always hear of the history,
organised, and fully prepared they are to defend its borders,
accomplishments, failures, and zealous aspirations of countries
then, (*claps hands*) job well done!
like the USA and Russia in their unrelenting quest to reach
SPACE EXPLORATION the cosmos. Having lived in China for the past 7 years, not
only has it been an incredible journey laying witness to its
And finally, the ‘one.’ The ‘big Cahoona.’ The ‘Crème de la
emergence as a powerful player on the world stage - it’s also
crème’ of sections. The ... well, you get the picture. It was
been thrilling to learn and observe first hand, China’s progress,
China’s space industry on full display.
growing expertise, and enhanced technical prowess in the
Let’s see, I’d already seen a rocket launch. Check. Back in 2017 race to ‘conquer’ space. Hmm ... I wonder what kind of space
I visited the Five-Hundred Meter Aperture Spherical Telescope achievements they’ll unveil at next year’s air show?
in Guizhou. Double-check. And this time around? I’d lay eyes on
THAT’S A WRAP
a full-sized replica model of the Tianhe core module belonging
to China’s Tiangong Space Station, which is estimated to be And well, that was the last stop on my tour of China’s 2018
completed in 2022. I repeat: the luckiest expat in China. Zhuhai Air Show. It was everything I hoped it would be: Air
stunts, aviation displays, cool tech, military weapons, space
It was unveiled for the very first time, too - the centerpiece for
components – I discovered more about China’s grasp on these
which Chinese astronauts would live, control, dock, and conduct
industries than I ever could have imagined.
experiments onboard their space station. At 16.6-meters long
and 4.2-meters at its widest, the core module was easily the And you know what? That’s not bad for a ‘first’ time. Safe &
hottest item in the room, so much so that it was an unwritten happy travels!
rule to not leave without snapping a selfie in front of it.
How to get to the Zhuhai Air Show?
There were other displays in the room to satisfy my inner-space
geek as well. Across from the module sat 10 small-scale models
1. The Zhuhai Air Show is located at the China International
Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, which is about 10-15
of rocket ships - mostly members of China’s Long March family
minutes from Zhuhai Jinwan Airport by car. Stay at a
- that have blasted Chinese satellites and taikonauts into space.
hotel in the area and grab a taxi or Didi.

A model of the Chang’e 3 lander and rover. The Beidou Satellite Navigation Constellation.

page 26
issue # 23 - December 2018
 GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

top left: The exhibition of

CASC.
top right: The 10 variants
of the Long March rocket
family.
right: The core module
of the Chinese Space
Station with EVA suit (far
right).
all photos credit: Don’s
ESL Adventure/www.
Donesladventure.com

2. There’s not much to do around the airport, so if you’re 3. I purchased my tickets for the 2018 Zhuhai Air Show
looking to stay in a busier district of Zhuhai, I highly via Trip.com. The air show website: http://www.airshow.
recommend crashing near Zhuhai Railway Station (not com.cn - provided the QR code, I scanned it using the
Zhuhai North Railway Station), which you can reach by Trip.com app, and was able to buy my tickets from there
airport shuttle bus for less than 30 RMB. The great thing is (485 RMB). Remember, you’ll need to present your
that the Zhuhai Air Show offers free shuttle buses from the physical passport to get in.
railway station directly to the venue. You’ll need to make
reservations for seats via mobile registration, but if you
4. There were huge food tents setup at the air show that
offered Chinese meals in addition to KFC, Burger King,
can’t read Mandarin or have no Chinese friends to help,
and Subway. The venue also supplied a bunch of power
don’t worry; I saw plenty of people registering on the spot!
banks that could be used after placing a deposit, but
you’ll need to have WeChat or Alipay.
Furthermore, if you’re not able to catch the venue
shuttle, I suggest taking the airport shuttle bus from 5. Every hotel in Zhuhai may not accept foreigners, even
Zhuhai Railway Station to Zhuhai Jinwan Airport, then though their business is listed on hotel booking websites.
catching a taxi. If you can, try calling your intended hotel ahead of time
to confirm.
for more photos, please visit the travel blog of our author:
https://www.donesladventure.com/china-blog-china-attractions-china-things- a short video, nicely reflecting the atmosphere at the airshow, can be found here:
to-do-live-in-china/first-flight-aviation-air-defense-space-exploration-more-on- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt6r4ho9OP0
display-at-chinas-2018-zhuhai-air-show

all photos on pages 24, 25, 26, 27: Don’s ESL Adventure/www.Donesladventure.com

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issue # 23 - December 2018
GO TAIKONAUTS!
All about the Chinese Space Programme

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issue # 23 - December 2018