The new colonial movement: China’s first probe to Mars is now set for a November launch.
China on the march! The next flight of their Shenzhou manned spacecraft could be a three week unmanned mission designed to test rendezvous and docking with their soon-to-launch Tiangong 1 space laboratory.
The military space war between China and the U.S.
Some educated speculations about the next manned mission in the Chinese space program.
Chinese female astronaut identified.
Videos from the Chinese lunar probe, Chang’e 2.
Take a look at these spectacular images China released from its Chang’e 2 lunar probe that they say show potential landing sites for later Chinese probes.
China today released the first photos taken by Chang’e 2, its second lunar orbiter launched on October 1. More here, including one image.
China today announced plans to complete its first space station by 2020.
China is expanding its embargo on exporting rare earth minerals, blocking shipments to Japan, Europe and the United States. Key quote:
China mines 95 percent of the world’s rare earth elements, which have broad commercial and military applications, and are vital to the manufacture of products as diverse as cellphones, large wind turbines and guided missiles. Any curtailment of Chinese supplies of rare earths is likely to be greeted with alarm in Western capitals, particularly because Western companies are believed to keep much smaller stockpiles of rare earths than Japanese companies.
The possibilities for China’s Chang’e 2 lunar probe include travel far beyond the Moon.
The effort of NASA administrator Charles Bolden to increase cooperation with China is apparently in direct conflict with the wishes of Congress.
China’s new lunar orbiter, Chang’e 2, has arrived in lunar orbit.
The second Chinese probe to the Moon did more than take off on Friday. It also rained pieces of metal down on a Chinese villages in Suichuan County, Jiangxi, China.
China has launched its second unmanned lunar probe, designed to photograph the Moon from an orbit altitude of 9 miles.
The launch of China’s next lunar probe, Chang’e 2, could occur as soon as this Friday.
NASA administrator Charles Bolden’s diplomatic efforts aren’t ending in Saudia Arabia. He will also be heading to China in October.
Update: Bolden is right now in Prague, the Czech Republic, attending the 61st International Astronautical Congress. You can watch some of his remarks during one panel session, posted on SpaceRef.
China is continuing the mysterious maneuvers of the two satellites that might have actually touched earlier this month. Key quote:
The maneuvers, which appear to involve rendezvous operations between the SJ-06F satellite and the more recently launched SJ-12 craft, could amount to practice for space station dockings or coordinated satellite observations from orbit. Few folks would have a problem with that. But they also could be aimed at developing the expertise for lurking near someone else’s satellte and eavesdropping, or even knocking that satellite out of commission in the event of a crisis. That’s the worrisome part.
Set to launch before year’s end, construction of China’s next lunar probe, Chang’e 2, appears to be on schedule, at least according to Chinese news sources.
It appears that the Chinese have successfully maneuvered two unmanned satellites to a rendezvous in space. It is even possible that they might have touched!
China successfully launches the fifth satellite in its own GPS system.
