China Successfully Launches Its Newest And Largest Carrier Rocket, Long March 5B

ABC News Online: China launches powerful new rocket key to building its own orbiting space station

China is celebrating the successful trial launch of a newly designed spacecraft, described a key part of its program to build an orbiting space station, Chinese state media says.

The unmanned spacecraft and its return capsule, which can carry six astronauts at a time, rather than just three, were flung into space aboard a Long March 5B rocket.

It was the debut flight of the Long March 5B, which was specially designed to propel modules of China's future space station into orbit.

China plans to build a large space facility to orbit the Earth, with multiple modules to rival the scale of the International Space Station.

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More News On China Successfully Launching Its Newest And Largest Carrier Rocket, Long March 5B

China launches trial version of latest spacecraft -- AP
China launches spacecraft via largest carrier rocket: CCTV -- Reuters
China’s first Long March 5B rocket launches on crew capsule test flight -- Space Flight Now
Long March 5B launch clears path for Chinese space station project -- Space News
China launches next-generation space capsule on Long March 5B rocket test flight -- Space.com
China’s largest rocket takes flight with its next-generation spacecraft -- Ars Technica

China's Space Program Back On Track With Successful Rocket Launch

Daily Mail: China launches a test of the 'world's most powerful rocket' as part of its planned mission to send a probe and rover to Mars in 2020

* China is one of four countries that are planning to send missions to Mars in 2020
* The others are the USA, a joint Europe/Russia mission and a UAE orbiting probe
* The launch is a test of 'key technologies' that will help China's space ambitions
* China also plans to launch the first parts of its new space station in the next year

China has launched one of the world's most powerful rockets in a major step towards its planned mission to send a rover to Mars in 2020.

The 'Long March 5' rocket left the Wenchang launch site on the island of Hainan on Friday carrying a Shijian 20 test satellite.

It launched at 12:45 GMT and the satellite was sent into its planned orbit after 33 minutes, according to Chinese news agency Xinhua.

The success of the Long March 5 launch gets the Chinese space programme back on track after a previous attempt in July 2017 failed mid-launch.

It was a test of 'key technologies related to future space missions', according to the China's National Space Administration.

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WNU Editor: This is China telling the world that it is a major space power .... China’s space programme gets back on track with successful Long March 5 rocket launch (SCMP).

More News On The Recent Success Of China's Space Program

Long March-5 rocket returns to flight with successful launch -- CGTN
China's largest carrier rocket Long March-5 makes new flight -- Xinhuanet
China's Huge Long March 5 Rocket Returns to Flight in Dazzling Nighttime Launch -- Space.com
China launches powerful rocket in boost for 2020 Mars mission -- AFP
China successfully launches Long March 5 rocket, paving way for more ambitious space projects -- CNN
China's wildly ambitious future in space just got a big boost with the successful launch of its new heavy-lift rocket -- Business Insider

Why China Is Boosting Its Space Program

China's Chang'e 4 lunar probe sent back the first-ever shot of the far side of the moon after landing early Jan. 3, 2019. China National Space Administration/CNS/Reuters

Eva Botkin-Kowacki, CSM: To the moon and beyond: Why China is aiming for the stars

For Beijing, Thursday's historic lunar landing is as much about cementing global-power status on Earth as it is a foray into the cosmos.


It’s never been done before, even by space-faring nations with decades of experience. But on Thursday, China became the first to land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon.

The Chang’e 4 spacecraft trip is just the latest of China’s space missions. The nation’s burgeoning space program has already sent astronauts into space atop their own rockets, sent several probes to the moon, and has outlined plans for much more.

“China is now a major player in the first rank of space powers, and that’s going to be the reality for decades to come,” says Michael Neufeld, senior curator in the Space History Department at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington.

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WNU Editor: When it comes to space China has realized what all other space faring countries have realized ....

.... that space capability is essential to military power, to economic power, and to reputation, to prestige.

China Is On Its Way To Become The Global Superpower In Space

A Long March 2D rocket lifts off Saturday from the Jiuquan space base in northwestern China’s Inner Mongolia region. Credit: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

Global Times: China on the way to becoming a major space power

While commercialization has become a common noun in a world that's being propelled by business innovation, its usage in the space sector remains something new, which is especially true with China's space missions. Nonetheless, with the country's Long March carrier rocket series and an array of space start-ups gaining increased global attention, space commercialization is springing into a high frequency phrase. In an exclusive interview with Global Times reporter Li Qiaoyi (GT) earlier in December in Zhuhai, Yang Yiqiang (Yang), the first commander-in-chief of the Long March 11 solid-fuel carrier rockets project, described policy priorities and to-do lists toward turning China into a major space power.

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WNU Editor: This is very revealing .... China launched more rockets into orbit in 2018 than any other country (MIT Technology Review)

More News On China's Space Program

China Pushes for Primacy in Space -- The Wall Street Journal
The New Space Race -- WSJ
Pentagon report: China’s space program ‘continues to mature rapidly’ -- Space News
China to carry out 35th space launch of 2018 from Jiuquan on December 7 -- GBTimes
China probe reportedly readying to land on the dark side of the moon -- Reuters
China launches two more Long March rockets; another possible before end of year -- Space Flight Now
China debuts new upper stage in final launch of the year -- Space Flight Now
China is infiltrating US space industry with investments -- Sean Kelly, The Hill
China's Space Program Is Coming for Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos -- Bloomberg
The Moon's Far Side and China's Space Strategy -- The Diplomat

China’s First Private Rocket Mission To Outer Space Fails After Launch

China's first private-sector commercial launch vehicle, Zhuque-1, developed by Beijing-based private space company LandSpace, failed to send a satellite into orbit after being launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in NW China's Gansu on Sat. No other details are available pic.twitter.com/DOKozEnfX3

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) October 27, 2018

Reuters: Chinese privately developed rocket fails to reach orbit

BEIJING (Reuters) - A privately developed Chinese carrier rocket failed to reach orbit after lifting off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Saturday, in a blow to the country’s nascent attempts by private companies to rival Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

The three-stage rocket, Zhuque-1, was developed by Beijing-based Landspace. The company said in a microblog post after nominal first and second stages that the spacecraft failed to reach orbit as a result of an issue with the third stage.

“Before Zhuque carrier rocket was launched, its mission was already completed,” the company said in the post on Saturday, without giving further details.

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WNU Editor: Another reminder that getting into space is hard.

More News On China’s First Private Rocket Mission To Outer Space Failing After The Launch

China’s first private rocket mission to outer space ends in failure -- SCMP
Landspace fails to reach orbit with milestone private Chinese launch -- Space News
China's private satellite-carrying rocket fails after launch -- FOX News
China’s first private rocket effort fails mid-launch (VIDEO) -- RT
China’s first attempt to reach orbit with a private space company failed -- Verge
What you need to know about China’s first private orbital launch -- Quartz

China Has A ‘Space Force.’

Elsa B. Kania, Adjunct Fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at CNAS/Defense One: China Has a ‘Space Force.’ What Are Its Lessons for the Pentagon?

The U.S. military must find new ways to leverage commercial innovation in order to contend with China in space.

The Chinese military seems to agree that the current U.S. approach to space is hindered by some serious shortcomings.

If the United States is to maintain military advantage in space, as President Trump has promised – and as his new Space Force is meant to do – U.S. policy and strategic decisions should be informed by an understanding of China’s ambitions to become an “aerospace superpower” (航天强国) – and how the Chinese military has reorganized itself to seek dominance in space (制天权).

Start with the way space is characterized in China’s military strategy: the “new commanding heights in strategic competition.” Once a sanctuary for U.S. satellites that have fostered unparalleled military capability, space is now recognized by Chinese military strategists as a critical U.S. vulnerability. Without reliable space support, U.S. capabilities for global C4ISR and precision strike will fail, and the U.S. military could be reduced to a level of merely mechanized warfare, by the assessment of one Chinese defense academic.

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WNU Editor: A sobering read. If true, China is on course to be a dominant force in space within a decade.

China Wants To Have the Most Powerful Rocket In The World By 2030

China is pouring billions into its military-run space programme, with hopes of having a crewed space station by 2022. (Photo: AFP)

Channel News Asia/AFP: China aims to outstrip NASA with super-powerful rocket

BEIJING: China is working on a super-powerful rocket that would be capable of delivering heavier payloads into low orbit than NASA, a leading Chinese space expert was quoted as saying Monday (Jul 2).

By 2030, the Long March-9 rocket under development will be able to carry 140 tonnes into low-Earth orbit - where TV and earth observation satellites currently fly - said Long Lehao, a senior official from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

This compares to the 20 tonnes deliverable by Europe's Ariane 5 rocket or the 64 tonnes by Elon Musk's Falcon Heavy, which in February catapulted one of the US entrepreneur's red Tesla Roadster cars towards Mars.

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WNU Editor: China has made no secret that they want to have a top notch space program, and they are pouring the resources and billions in dollars to achieve it. Having a powerful rocket is certainly one of he needed steps that they must accomplish to make this happen.

China Wants To Deploy Lasers In Space To Destroy Space Junk. Could This Also Be Used As A Weapon?

Popular Mechanics: Could a Chinese Space Junk Laser Double as a Weapon?

A space laser could be useful for dealing with more than just junk.

There are two reactions to a paper regarding space junk that was published this week by researchers at China’s Air Force Engineering University. One, it seems good that the spacefaring nations of the world are considering ways to clean up an increasingly cluttered low Earth orbit. And the Chinese are putting forward a new plan, one that proposes to use a laser to zap the debris. Then there’s the other reaction—maybe it's not just about space junk.

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WNU Editor: Just a side note, but the biggest creation of space debris came from an anti-satellite missile test by China in 2007 .... 2007 Chinese anti-satellite missile test (Wikipedia).

More News On China Wanting To Deploy Lasers In Space To Destroy Space Junk

Is China Really Planning to Destroy Space Junk With Lasers? -- Gizmodo
China has a plan to clean up space junk with lasers -- Phys.org
Trash-Blasting Lasers Could Help Clean Up Space Junk, China Says -- Live Science
China Plans to Destroy Space Junk With Giant Lasers -- Newsweek
China plans to destroy space debris using giant orbital lasers -- IBTimes

Update: The Chinese Are On The Verge Of Dominating A New Domain: Near Space (Task and Purpose)

China Gets Ready For War In Space

Bill Gertz, Asia Times: China’s Great Leap in space warfare creates huge new threat

China is building an array of high-technology space arms – anti-satellite missiles, lasers, GPS jammers and killer satellites – that Beijing says will give its military strategic advantage in a future conflict with the United States.

The People’s Liberation Army now has the capability of attacking, destroying or disrupting the 500 US satellites circling the earth at heights of between 1,200 miles and 22,000 miles, according to a new study by a US think tank, the National Institute for Public Policy.

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WNU Editor: The Chinese still have a long way to go.

Will China's New Space Plane Give It An Edge In Space?

An artist impression of what China’s new spacecraft, which will be able to take off and land on an airstrip in the same way as aeroplanes, may look like. Photo: Handout

South China Morning Post: Can China’s spaceplane give it the edge against US in space race?

Key feature will be its horizontal take-off, instead of vertical like traditional spacecraft – and it will be able to land at an airport.

China has made “significant ­progress” in building a spacecraft that can take off and land using an airstrip the way planes do, a development that one expert says could narrow the space technology gap with the United States.

The spaceplane is being developed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (Casic) as part of Beijing’s space programme. The aim is for it to carry both astronauts and cargo to and from space missions, Liu Shiquan, vice-president of Casic, a key defence contractor, said.

Liu revealed the plan at the Global Space Exploration Conference in Beijing on Monday.

A key feature of the spaceplane would be horizontal take-off, ­instead of vertical like traditional spacecraft, Liu told the official ­Science and Technology Daily.

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WNU Editor: According to the article .... a test of this "space plane" will be happening soon.

China Is Aiming To Be A Major Player In Space

#ChinaSpaceProgram raises #security concernhttps://t.co/w4GO7o6RkL pic.twitter.com/6zcDtVnyun

— China Cheat Sheets (@ChinaCheatSheet) March 19, 2016

Sputnik: Get Out of My Space! China's Extraterrestrial Goals Prompt US Ire

China plans to initiate 20 space missions this year including the testing of its most sophisticated rocket and the launching of a habitual space module. But security analysts in the US are expressing suspicions they have military implications.

China is already testing surface-to-air missiles that could strike targets in orbit and it’s also working with experimental lasers that can scramble or “blind” satellites. But as China keeps looking up to space, it’s raising some concern down below. Particularly from the US, according to China Cheat Sheets.

The United States is already at odds with Beijing over cyber-warfare accusations and China’s militarization in the South China Sea. Now, security officials are worried that China’s armament might spread to outer space, home to US satellites vital to American interests.

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WNU Editor: China's space program is a military program .... so yes .... these U.S. concerns are justified. But the U.S. is also being accused of doing the same thing .... US Military's Top-Secret X-37B Space Plane Mission Nears 3-Month Mark (Space.com).

China Prepares For Space Warfare

Washington Times: China preps for space warfare

Following recent tests of anti-satellite missiles and near-space hypersonic vehicles, China’s military will soon create a new Space Force within the People’s Liberation Army, a sign Beijing is preparing for future space warfare.

Military analysts say there has been no official announcement of the new space warfare unit; however, unofficial sources in China revealed the unit will be part of a new Strategic Support Forces service that will include nuclear missiles — currently under the Second Artillery Force — along with an electronic information forces, cyber warfare units and electronic and signals intelligence.

The shift to space and information warfare is part of a major military reorganization that has been underway in China for the past several years. It’s designed to transform the once ground forces-heavy PLA into a high-technology force.

WNU Editor: The Chinese are not the only ones who are investing in space warfare .... Russia Flight Tests Anti-Satellite Missile (Washington Free Beacon). More on Russia's space "warfare program" is here.

Update: Maybe, maybe not .... Could a war in space really happen? (Chris Bowlby, BBC).

China Has Opened Its Satellite GPS System Completely To It's Asian Neighbors

China successfully launched another satellite into space for its indigenous global navigation and positioning network in this file photo. Photo taken on Oct 25, 2012 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan. (Photo/Xinhua)

China Says Satellite Network To Be Big Asset, Others Can Use It Too -- Reuters

(Reuters) - China's homegrown satellite navigation system will bring untold economic, social and military benefits and other countries in Asia are welcome to use it, the director of China's satellite navigation agency said on Friday.

The year-old Beidou satellite navigation system is a rival to the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) and Russian GLONASS. Beidou's 16 satellites serve the Asia-Pacific but the number of satellites is expected to grow to 30 by 2020 as coverage expands globally.

The system would bring benefits across the board, in both civilian and military applications, said Ran Chengqi, the director of the Satellite Navigation Office.

Read more ....

More News On China Opening Its Satellite GPS System Completely To It's Asian Neighbors

China Wants to Expand Satellite Navigation Service Coverage -- ExecutiveGov
China offers satellite system use to neighbours in strategic push -- The Hindu
Beidou to cover world by 2020 with 30 satellites -- Xinhua
China to take free navigation system global -- CCTV
China to take free navigation system global -- Xinhua

China Launches It's First High - Resolution Satellite. State Media Says It Will NOT Be Used By The Military For Spying

China Launches High-Resolution Satellite -- IBTimes

China's first satellite to conduct high resolution earth observation launched on Friday (April 26) from the north-western China's Gansu province, state media reported.

The satellite was launched on a Long March-2D carrier rocket at 1213pm (0413 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, which marked the 175th launch in China's Long March series of rockets, state television CCTV reported.

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More News On China Launching It's First High - Resolution Satellite

China launches Hi-Res Gaofen 1 Earth observation satellite -- Digital Journal
China puts high-definition Earth observing satellite into orbit -- UPI

China launches earth-observation satellite -- Emirates 24/7
China Successfully Sends First Gaofen Satellite Into Space -- RIA Novosti
Four satellites launched on China's Long March rocket -- Space Flight Now
Watch: China launches hi-res imaging satellite, definitely not for spying -- Shanghaiist

The Rapid Rise Of China As A Space Power

A Delta II rocket launch. Photo: Air Force

China Now Tops U.S. in Space Launches -- Danger Room

For the first time ever, China has launched more rockets into orbit in a year than the U.S. In 2011, the Chinese sent 19 rockets into space. The U.S. sent just 18. Russia, the Walmart of space launches, fired off no fewer than 31 rockets.

The numbers, parsed in recent reports from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the nonprofit Space Foundation, might seem to herald America’s orbital decline relative to its most bitter rival. In terms of sheer numbers of rocket launches, China has been steadily catching up to America for several years. In 2010, China fired off 15 rockets, matching the U.S. for the first time.

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My Comment: The trend is for China to surpass even Russia within the next 5-10 years.

China Hints At Developing Offensive Weapons For Space

Xu Qiliang, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force Commander, gestures during an interview with Xinhua. (Xinhuanet Photo)

China's PLA Eyes Future In Space, Air: Air Force Commander -- China View

BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- China will develop an air force with integrated capabilities for both offensive and defensive operations in space as well as in air, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force Commander Xu Qiliang said Sunday.

Calling militarization in the space and in air "a threat to the mankind," Xu said China must develop a strong force in the two arenas in order to face challenges of that threat.

"Only power could protect peace," the 59-year-old air force commander said in an interview with Xinhua, 10 days ahead of 60th anniversary of the founding of the PLA air force.

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My Comment: And so .... the weaponization of space continues.

China's Space Program And Its Impact On U.S. Security

This photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency shows Chinese astronauts Fei Junlong, left, and Nie Haisheng sit beside the re-entry capsule of China's second manned spacecraft, Shenzhou 6, after landing in Siziwang Banner County, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Monday, Oct. 17, 2005.

China, Space Weapons, And U.S. Security
-- Council Of Foreign Relations

China’s successful test of an anti-satellite weapon in 2007, followed by the U.S. destruction earlier this year of an out-of-control U.S. satellite, demonstrated that space may soon no longer remain a relative sanctuary from military conflict.

As the United States, China, and others increasingly benefit from the information that military and intelligence satellites provide, the temptation to attack these satellites provides troubling potential for instability and conflict in space that could dramatically affect U.S. military capabilities on earth.

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DOWNLOAD THE FULL TEXT OF THE REPORT HERE (1.6 MB PDF)

Is There An Arms Race Brewing In Space?

U.S., China Urged To Avoid Arms Race In Space -- MSNBC

Think tank advises the two nations to pursue diplomatic options

WASHINGTON - China's demonstrated anti-satellite capability makes it critical for Washington to work with Beijing to avoid an arms race in space, a leading U.S. think tank said on Thursday.

The Council on Foreign Relations report, "China, Space Weapons, and U.S. Security," urges the next U.S. administration to update policy for "an era where space is a potentially far more contested domain than in the past, with few rules."

China's destruction of one of its defunct weather satellites in January 2007 showed the Chinese military's ability to attack satellites, the report said. The United States and former Soviet Union demonstrated that capability in the 1980s.

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My Comment: The Chinese not only expect to have a space program, but they expect it to be a program that will pass what the Russian and NASA programs have achieved. Because of U.S. success in using space to coordinate bomb strikes and UAV flights in their military operations on Iraqi and Afghan insurgents, the Chinese (and others) are going to try to neutralize this American strategic advantage.

China A Growing Threat In Space And Cyberspace, U.S. Military Says

From The International Herald Tribune:

WASHINGTON: The U.S. military said that China poses a growing threat to the United States and others in space and cyberspace.

China is "aggressively" honing its ability to shoot down satellites, along with other space and counter-space capabilities, Brigadier General Jeffrey Horne of the U.S. Strategic Command said Tuesday.

Such know-how has major implications for Beijing's potential to curb access to the Taiwan Strait "and well beyond," he told the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a congressionally created advisory group.

Read more ....

Other News Sources:
U.S. military cites growing China space, cyber threat -- Science News Review
US military cites growing China space,cyber threat -- Sinolinx
Oops, They Goofed (Explaining Away the PRC ASAT Test) -- In From The Cold

My Comment: I have been going back and forth from China since the eighties. From my first trip there, it was drilled into my head that the goal of the Chinese is to be like us. For the uninformed, this would mean our standard of living, our culture, our diet, our cars, our technology, our fashions, and ..... last not but least ..... our international standing, influence, and military might.

I learned this all over 20 years ago, and nothing has changed. They are still doing what they told me they were going to do. A free press, democratic institutions, tolerance of religion and beliefs .... these are never mentioned. Even today .... the goal of China's youth is the same as their old leaders .... it is China's destiny to be the world's super power.

The space race and militarization of space is just one of their many goals.