China now predicts more than 40 launches in 2020
The new colonial movement: China has increased its launch prediction for 2020 from 30 to more than 40 launches.
The key planned achievements:
The highlights of the space activities include the launch of China’s first Mars probe, the Chang’e-5 lunar probe, which is expected to bring moon samples back to Earth, the final step of China’s current lunar exploration program, as well as the completion of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System constellation.
Three new types of carrier rockets including the Long March-5B, Long March-7A and Long March-8 will make their maiden flights in 2020.
It sure looks like 2020 is shaping up to possibly be the most spectacular year for space since Sputnik.
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The new colonial movement: China has increased its launch prediction for 2020 from 30 to more than 40 launches.
The key planned achievements:
The highlights of the space activities include the launch of China’s first Mars probe, the Chang’e-5 lunar probe, which is expected to bring moon samples back to Earth, the final step of China’s current lunar exploration program, as well as the completion of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System constellation.
Three new types of carrier rockets including the Long March-5B, Long March-7A and Long March-8 will make their maiden flights in 2020.
It sure looks like 2020 is shaping up to possibly be the most spectacular year for space since Sputnik.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
I see over and over again pronouncements about how China is launching so much stuff and doing so awesome, without any recognition that many of their launches are the BeiDou constellation. The US had a lot of launch activity for GPS, and then the constellation was complete and launches fell off. I would expect the same from China, a bunch of launches this year to finish that constellation, and then those are done and they’ll be down to the occasional probe, satellite, or station mission.
They plan a decent number of those, but nothing like 30+ per year. Unless they have some kind of some other follow-on constellation that I haven’t heard about?
The Chinese have announced the intention of orbiting their own LEO Internet broadband constellation of 300 – 400 satellites. Initial launches toward this end may be part of the intended 40 or so launches planned for 2020.
While any successful launch is an accomplishment, I think it might be interesting to track tonnage lofted (of course where it’s launched to is also a factor – it’s easier to get tonnage to LEO than geosynchronous).
After all is a Rocket Lab launch carrying a few small sats weighing 150kg in total, the same as a Falcon 9 lofting 15,000kg?
Meanwhile, NASA continues its suicidal death hug with the SLS.