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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.

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


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"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News

4 comments

  • David Eastman

    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?

  • Dick Eagleson

    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.

  • Mitch S

    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?

  • Michael G. Gallagher

    Meanwhile, NASA continues its suicidal death hug with the SLS.

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