Chinese Space Program (CNSA) & Ch. commercial launch and discussion

[steve9728]

Spoiler

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KsSSva1Kh6-2OniqwrMBgTSLXYZBIemV/view?usp=sharing

I was watched a not too worth to share video talking about the space station in the deep sea. ThenI do more searching and I found something I missed:

The simulate Mentian Module underwater for training:

And we can comfirmed the plan about shifting the solar pannels which now at the Tianhe core module to the both truss structure at end of Mengtian and Wentian module does exist:

The original source from the Huang Weifen's Weibo, who is the chief designer of astronaut system of China Manned Space Project.

Edited April 2, 2022 by steve9728

[tater]

Raining debris on... India.

 

 

[steve9728]

Sunny, with chance of CZ-3B

[steve9728]

I found a new picture of the construction of the Xuntian telescope

The orginal source: https://www.cas.cn/cm/202204/t20220402_4830439.shtml

Edited April 6, 2022 by steve9728

[steve9728]

And Xuyang 16 cargo ship which departed from Qinglan Port next to the Wenchang launch site to Tianjin at the end of last month, has departed from Tianjin and is returning Qinglan Port. I think we will see news about the arrival of Tianzhou-4 at the Wenchang launch site in 2-3 days' later.

[steve9728]

CZ-4C rocket successfully launch the GF-3 03 satellite. GF-03 is a C-SAR satellite with 1 metre resolution and 1 day revisit ability. After launch into orbit, it will operate in a network with GF-3 & GF-3 02 satellites and forming a constellation of land and sea rader satellites.

And the mission badge for this mission:

Read an article named "A design of dust analyzer for future Main Belt Comet exploration mission" (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2022.02.035)

"... MBCDA (Main Belt Comet Dust Analyzer) will measure the following physical quantities: cumulative dust mass flux from different directions, momentum, velocity and mass of single particles coming from the nucleus, dust velocity and mass distributions vs. time. Moreover, some hints about dust components can be inferred."

Spoiler

1: Sketch of the external configuration of the MBCDA instrument.

 

2. Schematic view of the MBCDA modules.

3. Schematic drawing of the Microbalance Sensor.

4. The structure design of the Dust Size Sensor.

5. Sketch of the external configuration of the Dust Momentum Sensor.

6. Sketch of the Microscopic Imaging System.

 

Edited April 7, 2022 by steve9728

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

What's going on with Chinese (govt/private) attempts to develop a reusable booster?

[steve9728]

To be honest, no new experiments have been carried out and the following is the most recent progress they have made that I could find.

State-run commercial launchers:

Company name	Rocket	Rocket type	Engine type
ExPace(科工火箭)	KZ-1, KZ-1A	Small solid launch vehicles	Solid
CHINAROCKET(中国火箭)	Jielong-1	Small solid launch vehicles	Solid

Both two company don't have any launch till now. The EXPACE test a Liquid oxygen/methane engine "Ming Feng"(I think can translate to Crying Phoenix) for 200 seconds but I can't see how much thrust does it have.

Tier 1 commercial companies:

Company name	Rocket	Rocket type	Engine
LANDSPACE  (蓝箭航天)	ZQ-1, ZQ-2	Small solid launch vehicles Medium liquid oxy-methane launch vehicle	Solids, liquid oxy-methane
i-Space       (星际荣耀)	Hyperbola-1	Small solid launch vehicles Small liquid launch vehicle	Solids, liquid oxy-methane
Onespace  (零壹空间)	OS-X, OS-M	Small and medium solid launch vehicles	Solids

LANDSPACE's business valuation of over 8 billion RMB at the end of 2020. And they built them "space center" at Jiaxing in last year. "... with the first phase covering an area of 40 mu (≈2667m²). The project consists of a medium to large liquid rocket assembly and testing plant, a space technology simulation and testing centre and supporting facilities, and a gathering of upstream and downstream supporting industry chain enterprises.Within three years, the project will form a cluster of launch vehicle assembly and testing facilities, including a launch vehicle assembly and testing plant, a semi-physical simulation laboratory, a comprehensive ground test laboratory, a rocket storage tank production line, a simulation design centre, a data management centre, etc., which will strongly guarantee the mass production capability of the basic and extended launch vehicles of the Zhuque II." The last news is they completed the assembly of the first-stage enignes for the ZQ-2 rocket. You can find out more in there: http://www.landspace.com/news/news_108_1_gb.html

iSpace's: since the last successful test of their reusable engine at 2020, there have been no further developments news on their engines. Last August the luanch of the SQX-1 Y5 was fail and they finished the "quality problem close loop" at last November: means checking everything that should be in the rocket and related to the rocket from the beginning. The reason they fail last time was "The silicone rubber at the cover of the fairing's release bolt box is sticking to the wind shield, resulting in the fairing not separating."

Onespace: they make the delivery of two types of Hongming series solid fuel engines. And a certain types special power engine was completed it's test (The italics imply that there is a strange mechanism of secrecy here). I think it will be a special solid fuel engine maybe.

Tier 2 commercial companies:

Company name	Rocket	Rocket type	Engine
Galactic Energy  (星河动力)	CERES-1, PALLAS-1	Small solid launch vehicles Medium liquid launch vehicle	Solids, liquid oxy-paraffin
Deep Blue Aerospace  (深蓝航天)	Xingyun-1. Xingyun-2	Small liquid launch vehicles    Midium liquid launch vehicle	liquid oxy-paraffin
Spacetrek     (星途探索)	Expore-1 Starway-1	Small solid launch vehicles	Solids

Galactic Energy has secured RMB 1.27 billion in funding, which they say will be used primarily for the development of a reusable medium-to-large commercial launch vehicle. What they plan for is finish the maiden flight at 2023. They complete the test of 40t thrust reuseble engine at 2019.

Deep Blue Aerospace completed nearly RMB 200 million Series A funding round. The last progress was the 100m Vertical take-off and landing flight test of the rocket:

Spacetrek's progress sounds a little bit "violence": they successfully launch the first supersonic cruising target D140-Y1. 

Edited April 8, 2022 by steve9728

[Beccab]

1 hour ago, steve9728 said:

To be honest, no new experiments have been carried out and the following is the most recent progress they have made that I could find.

State-run commercial launchers:

Company name	Rocket	Rocket type	Engine type
ExPace(科工火箭)	KZ-1, KZ-1A	Small solid launch vehicles	Solid
CHINAROCKET(中国火箭)	Jielong-1	Small solid launch vehicles	Solid

Both two company don't have any launch till now. The EXPACE test a Liquid oxygen/methane engine "Ming Feng"(I think can translate to Crying Phoenix) for 200 seconds but I can't see how much thrust does it have.

Tier 1 commercial companies:

Company name	Rocket	Rocket type	Engine
LANDSPACE  (蓝箭航天)	ZQ-1, ZQ-2	Small solid launch vehicles Medium liquid oxy-methane launch vehicle	Solids, liquid oxy-methane
i-Space       (星际荣耀)	Hyperbola-1	Small solid launch vehicles Small liquid launch vehicle	Solids, liquid oxy-methane
Onespace  (零壹空间)	OS-X, OS-M	Small and medium solid launch vehicles	Solids

LANDSPACE's business valuation of over 8 billion RMB at the end of 2020. And they built them "space center" at Jiaxing in last year. "... with the first phase covering an area of 40 mu (≈2667m²). The project consists of a medium to large liquid rocket assembly and testing plant, a space technology simulation and testing centre and supporting facilities, and a gathering of upstream and downstream supporting industry chain enterprises.Within three years, the project will form a cluster of launch vehicle assembly and testing facilities, including a launch vehicle assembly and testing plant, a semi-physical simulation laboratory, a comprehensive ground test laboratory, a rocket storage tank production line, a simulation design centre, a data management centre, etc., which will strongly guarantee the mass production capability of the basic and extended launch vehicles of the Zhuque II." The last news is they completed the assembly of the first-stage enignes for the ZQ-2 rocket. You can find out more in there: http://www.landspace.com/news/news_108_1_gb.html

iSpace's: since the last successful test of their reusable engine at 2020, there have been no further developments news on their engines. Last August the luanch of the SQX-1 Y5 was fail and they finished the "quality problem close loop" at last November: means checking everything that should be in the rocket and related to the rocket from the beginning. The reason they fail last time was "The silicone rubber at the cover of the fairing's release bolt box is sticking to the wind shield, resulting in the fairing not separating."

Onespace: they make the delivery of two types of Hongming series solid fuel engines. And a certain types special power engine was completed it's test (The italics imply that there is a strange mechanism of secrecy here). I think it will be a special solid fuel engine maybe.

Tier 2 commercial companies:

Company name	Rocket	Rocket type	Engine
Galactic Energy  (星河动力)	CERES-1, PALLAS-1	Small solid launch vehicles Medium liquid launch vehicle	Solids, liquid oxy-paraffin
Deep Blue Aerospace  (深蓝航天)	Xingyun-1. Xingyun-2	Small liquid launch vehicles    Small liquid launch vehicle	liquid oxy-paraffin
Spacetrek     (星途探索)	Expore-1 Starway-1	Small solid launch vehicles	Solids

Galactic Energy has secured RMB 1.27 billion in funding, which they say will be used primarily for the development of a reusable medium-to-large commercial launch vehicle. What they plan for is finish the maiden flight at 2023. They complete the test of 40t thrust reuseble engine at 2019.

Deep Blue Aerospace completed nearly RMB 200 million Series A funding round. The last progress was the 100m Vertical take-off and landing flight test of the rocket:

Spacetrek's progress sounds a little bit "violence": they successfully launch the first supersonic cruising target D140-Y1. 

Only tangentially related, but when do you think we could see the first launch of the Zhuque 2? I know it doesn't actually matter, but I'm still curious about which methalox rocket will be the first to orbit out of the three that are NET this year

[steve9728]

On 4/8/2022 at 1:23 PM, Beccab said:

Only tangentially related, but when do you think we could see the first launch of the Zhuque 2? I know it doesn't actually matter, but I'm still curious about which methalox rocket will be the first to orbit out of the three that are NET this year

It shouldn't take long if everything goes well. Becuase a satellite image from February 19 shows an additional 70m shadow at Landspace's launch site, estimated to be about 50m long based on solar altitude angle, which means that the rocket launch test for Zhuque-2 was probably carried out: https://weibo.com/2645044133/LgkDVxoCD?refer_flag=1001030103_ If I really had to guess I'd say probably around mid to late this year.

Personally I prefer the Landspace

Edited July 12, 2023 by steve9728

[steve9728]

Someone got a interesting idea: make hatches like the Common Hatch in the ISS but doesn't open in the same way:

”A large diameter rectangular sealed hatch device for manned spacecraft“

And weeks before I saw a image but I couldn't found the original source:

Make a highly rigid and high load-bearing tursses and dock at the second core module may launch in the future. Attach the exposure test platform, on-orbit fuel replenishment system, on-orbit maintenance of satellites, a smart little trolley and berths for additional solar panels. In terms of aesthetics, I don't really like the idea.

Edited April 11, 2022 by steve9728

[steve9728]

And a idea about "inflatable waste stowage cabin" (this source got pay wall)

When it folding:

Deployment process of the inflatable garbage cabin:

"The developed 2.5 m diameter, 3 m long, 120 kg (including 2 sets of hatches 79.6 kg) prototype rubbish module can be folded into a rectangular body with a side length of 1.5 m and a height of 0.1 m. The ratio of folded to unfolded volume is about 1:40. The results show that the inflatable rubbish module is light in mass, can be folded flexibly, has high folding efficiency, has a stable and orderly unfolding process, can be used for smaller volume launch of the folded inflatable module It can also be unfolded in orbit to become a large space station trash module."

I've just imagined it painted white and it's not only a bit familiar to a KSP mod, it's even a bit cute

[steve9728]

 

[steve9728]

CZ-7 Y5 rocket which will launch the Tianzhou-4 cargo ship has arrived and leave the Qinglan port, heading to the Wenchang Launch site

https://weibo.com/6142289604/LnNgmzvz2

[SunlitZelkova]

On 4/9/2022 at 5:18 AM, steve9728 said:

Someone got a interesting idea: make hatches like the Common Hatch in the ISS but doesn't open in the same way:

https://www.patentguru.com/cn/inventor/陈同祥

And weeks before I saw a image but I couldn't found the original source:

Make a highly rigid and high load-bearing tursses and dock at the second core module may launch in the future. Attach the exposure test platform, on-orbit fuel replenishment system, on-orbit maintenance of satellites, a smart little trolley and berths for additional solar panels. In terms of aesthetics, I don't really like the idea.

How would satellites get there? Space tug?

It will be interesting to see more proposals for the next phase of expansion of the station come out. I wonder if it will get a “space dock” like that that was proposed for Space Station Freedom.

Also, could Tianzhou launch from Jiuquan?

Seaborne transport is an interesting choice. It seems to contrast with the effort on self-sufficiency with the rest of Chinese industry/infrastructure. All it might take is a single submarine slipping through a patrol line, and the station would be left without supplies for months.

Maybe this could be a job for an An-225 equivalent? Or could the Y-20 do this sort of transport?

[steve9728]

There got four different types of Tianzhou: fully enclosed and pressurised, semi-enclosed semi-open bins, fully open bins types and open bins with non-pressurised cargo inlet and outlet walls. Just let the astronaut and robotic arm grab it if it launched

Technically I think it should be fine: the tallest rocket launched here would be the CZ-2F/G, which is 58.34m. The CZ-7, which launched the Tianzhou, was 53.075 metres high, so the launch tower should be able to handle it. However, you need to consider the latitude: 40 degrees north versus 19 degrees north, which is about the difference between Virginia and Mexico City Haiti, and the extent to which this saves rocket fuel is not negligible.

I was chasing the ship for several days. The route it ran basically is close to the shore no more than 10 to 15 nautical miles. It's not going to middle of somewhere pacific so it is safe. CZ-7 is a rocket that got 3.35m diameter. The height of the AN-225 cargo hold was 4.4m and Y-20 is 3.5m . Considering that there is another container in the outer layer, it must be quite hard to shove it into the cargo hold even the An-225. And not to mention the cost of air transport: needless to say, one sortie is certainly not enough.

Edited April 11, 2022 by steve9728

[steve9728]

You know, in a weightless environment you can ride your bike in positions that no one else on earth can do:

[DDE]

https://thespacereview.com/article/4365/1

[steve9728]

45 minutes ago, DDE said:

https://thespacereview.com/article/4365/1

Fully use every gram of fuel

[steve9728]

Unlike riding bike, you can't jump rope in space

Video of the version without the Chinese text being erased: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1UY4y1H7JW?spm_id_from=333.337.search-card.all.click

[steve9728]

A no-fly zone has been established at the Dongfeng landing site near the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre from 9:35-10:05 BST on 16 April.

Yep, Shenzhou-13 crew is going home and will return in fast mode for the first time. Comparing with last time the Shenzhou-12 crew used nearly 28 hours, this time will be compressed to within 4-8 hours. Fist time used fast mode for docking to the station and fast mode for going home. And first time let the crew stay at station for half year. All space station-related technologies should have been verified by now.

Anyway, welcome home!

[steve9728]

New research results from the Yutu II rover: A 2-year locomotive exploration and scientific investigation of the lunar farside by the Yutu-2 rover

"When the sinkage exponent and the equivalent stiffness modulus (denoted by Ks) were both assumed to be above the typical values of lunar regolith, the wheel sinkage (the intersection of the two gray dashed lines) was about 15.5 mm, larger than the average wheel sinkage observed, implying that the regolith at the landing site is stronger than the typical lunar soil of Apollo missions. As demonstrated in Fig. 4C, the bearing property of the regolith at the landing site on the lunar farside is analogous to that of dry sand and sandy loam (table S2) on Earth (18)."

[tater]

 

 

[steve9728]

"I don't suggest you get so that close"

[Beccab]