DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ NASA's chief says China is being 'very, very secretive' and pretending its space projects aren't linked to the military
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

NASA chief Bill Nelson accused China on Wednesday of secretly working on military projects in space. Nelson told lawmakers that NASA believes Beijing is masking these projects as civilian efforts. "We believe that a lot of their, so-called civilian space programs is a military program," Nelson continued. Related storiesThe NASA chief alluded to the Spratly Islands, an archipelago in the South China Sea claimed by several nations. Meanwhile, China has repeatedly denied that it intends to establish any military presence in outer space.

Persons: Bill Nelson, Nelson, —, Artemis Organizations: NASA, China, Service, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, South China, Artemis Accords, Alxa League, Inner, Getty, UN, Embassy, Business Locations: Beijing, China, Spratly Islands, South, Russia, Alxa, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Washington , DC

☆ China's LandSpace readies satellite launch with methane rocket
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Beijing-based LandSpace Technology, one of China's private space companies, is preparing to launch a satellite payload to orbit in the first commercial test of its rocket powered by liquid fuel using methane and oxygen. The company did not specify a launch window for the rocket, which will blast off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia. The company had fundraising rounds of undisclosed sizes since, Chinese company record tracking database Tianyancha showed. LandSpace rival OrienSpace, founded in 2020, said it plans to launch its first rocket, Gravity-1, based on solid fuel, in December. ($1 = 7.1368 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Ella Cao, Roxanne Liu and Bernard Orr; Editing by Kevin Krolicki and Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: LandSpace's, LandSpace, Elon Musk's, Jeff Bezos, Zhang Changwu, OrienSpace, Ella Cao, Roxanne Liu, Bernard Orr, Kevin Krolicki Organizations: Technology, Weibo, Jiuquan, Elon, Elon Musk's SpaceX, SpaceX, Sequoia Capital, China SME Development Fund, LandSpace's, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, Inner Mongolia, China, U.S, HongShan, Sequoia Capital China

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Tuesday morning after six months aboard China’s orbiting space station. The station is essentially complete, so the new crew will conduct medical and scientific experiments and maintain equipment. China made its first crewed space mission in 2003 and plans to put astronauts on the moon before 2030. It has brought samples back from the lunar surface and landed a rover on the less explored far side of the moon. Political Cartoons View All 1227 ImagesChina built its own space station after it was excluded from the International Space Station, largely due to U.S. concerns over Chinese military control over the national space program.

Persons: Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu, Gui Haichao Organizations: Xinhua News Agency, International, Station, U.S, SpaceX Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, China, Beijing, South, U.S

JIUQUAN SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER, China (AP) — China launched its youngest-ever crew for its orbiting space station on Thursday as it seeks to put astronauts on the moon before 2030. Tang is a veteran who led a 2021 space mission for three months. It built its own space station after it was excluded from the International Space Station, largely due to U.S. concerns over the control of the program by the People’s Liberation Army, the military branch of the ruling Communist Party. China’s first manned space mission in 2003 made it the third country after the former Soviet Union and the U.S. to put a person into space using its own resources. ___Associated Press video producer Caroline Chen at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and journalist Kanis Leung in Hong Kong contributed to this report.

Persons: Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie, Jiang Xinlin, Tang, Caroline Chen, Kanis Leung Organizations: —, China Manned Space Agency, CCTV, U.S, International, Station, People’s Liberation Army, Communist Party, Soviet Union, SpaceX, Associated Press, Center Locations: China, — China, Beijing, U.S, Hong Kong

☆ China's youngest-ever crew of astronauts heads to space station
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Ryan Woo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreBEIJING, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The youngest-ever crew of Chinese astronauts departed for China's space station on Thursday, paving the way for a new generation of "taikonauts" to advance the country's space ambitions in the future. Leading the six-month mission was former air force pilot Tang Hongbo, 48, who was on the first crewed mission to the space station in 2021. By contrast, his fellow Shenzhou-17 crew members Tang Shengjie, 33, and Jiang Xinlin, 35, both travelling to space for the first time, joined China's third batch of astronauts in September 2020. The Shenzhou-17 astronauts will replace the Shenzhou-16 crew, who arrived at Tiangong at the end of May. Shenzhou-17 marks China's 12th crewed mission since Yang Liwei's solo spaceflight in October 2003, the first Chinese national in space.

Persons: Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie, Jiang Xinlin, Tang, Tiangong, Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu, Gui Haichao, Zhu, Gui, Yang Liwei's, Ryan Woo, Tom Hogue, Gerry Doyle Organizations: taikonauts, People's Liberation Army, NASA, Space, U.S, Thomson Locations: Jiuquan, Gansu province, China, BEIJING, Hong Kong, Macau, Tiangong

☆ Shenzhou-17 launch: China has sent its youngest-ever astronaut crew to the Tiangong space station
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Marc Stewart | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It now has its own permanent outpost in orbit – a fully operational space station – and routinely rotates crews to live and work there. On Thursday, three Chinese astronauts lifted off on the Shenzhou-17 spacecraft from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center deep in the Gobi Desert, heading for the Tiangong space station for a six-month stay. With a lifespan of 15 years, it could become the only one left when the NASA-led International Space Station (ISS) retires in 2030. That exclusion has at least in part spurred Beijing to build its own space station. “We’ve been operating spacecraft, space shuttle, space station for decades.

Persons: China’s, Yang Liwei, Yang, ” Yang, “, ”, – Tang Shengjie, Jiang Xinlin, Tang Hongbo, Tang, Tang Shengjie, Tiangong, Leroy Chiao, they’ve, ” Chiao, “ We’ve Organizations: China CNN, CNN, NASA, Space, ISS, US, Positioning Locations: China, US, Russia, Europe, Japan, Canada, Beijing, United States, Soviet, Venezuela, South Africa

☆ China's Youngest-Ever Crew of Astronauts Heads to Space Station
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Ryan WooBEIJING (Reuters) -The youngest-ever crew of Chinese astronauts departed for China's space station on Thursday, paving the way for a new generation of "taikonauts" to advance the country's space ambitions in the future. Leading the six-month mission was former air force pilot Tang Hongbo, 48, who was on the first crewed mission to the space station in 2021. Tang, from China's second batch of astronauts in 2010, had to wait more than a decade before he was picked for his inaugural spaceflight in 2021. By contrast, his fellow Shenzhou-17 crew members Tang Shengjie, 33, and Jiang Xinlin, 35, both travelling to space for the first time, joined China's third batch of astronauts in September 2020. China has already kickstarted the selection process for the fourth batch of astronauts, seeking candidates with doctoral degrees in disciplines from biology, physics and chemistry to biomedical engineering and astronomy.

Persons: Ryan Woo BEIJING, Tang Hongbo, Tang, Tang Shengjie, Jiang Xinlin, Ryan Woo, Tom Hogue, Gerry Doyle Organizations: taikonauts, People's Liberation Army Locations: China, Hong Kong, Macau

☆ China beats SpaceX and Blue Origin to reach orbit with a methane-fueled rocket, edging ahead of the US in the space race
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China pulled ahead in the space exploration race by reaching orbit with a methalox rocket first. The fuel, based on methane, is coveted by companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin. SpaceX's own methalox-fueled rocket Starship exploded before reaching this milestone in April. Chinese firm LandSpace launched their Zhuque-2 rocket from the Gobi Desert on Tuesday, reaching orbit shortly after. Meanwhile, the future of New Glenn, Blue Origin's methalox rocket, is uncertain after its BE-4 engine exploded during testing in June, per Space.com.

Persons: LandSpace, Jonathan McDowell, Relativity, New Glenn, Blue, Jonathan Newton Organizations: SpaceX, Service, Privacy, China, US Space Force, Washington, Getty, Reuters Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, New, Starbase, Jiuquan, Gansu Province

☆ China beats rivals to successfully launch first methane-liquid rocket
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, July 12 (Reuters) - A private Chinese company launched into orbit on Wednesday the world's first methane-liquid oxygen rocket, beating U.S. rivals in sending what could become the next generation of launch vehicles into space. The Zhuque-2 carrier rocket blasted off at 9 a.m. (0100 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China and completed its flight according to plan, state media reported. It was the second attempt by Beijing-based LandSpace, one of the earliest firms in China's commercial launch sector, to launch the Zhuque-2. LandSpace also became the second private Chinese company to launch a liquid-propellent rocket. In April, Beijing Tianbing Technology successfully launched a kerosene-oxygen rocket, taking another step towards developing rockets that can be re-fuelled and reused.

Persons: Elon Musk's, Jeff Bezos, LandSpace, Ryan Woo, Robert Birsel Organizations: U.S, Elon, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Beijing Tianbing Technology, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Beijing, U.S

☆ China launches crewed mission to its space station
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Audrey Wan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Shenzhou 16 spacecraft and its carrier rocket lift off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on May 30, 2023 in Jiuquan, China. China launched its Shenzhou-16 spacecraft crewed by three astronauts on Tuesday, the China Manned Space Agency said in a statement, declaring the launch a "complete success." The spacecraft is heading to China's space station and will relieve the crew of Shenzhou-15, who have been living there since November. Tuesday's launch marks China's fifth crewed mission to its space station since it first sent astronauts in 2021. A CMSA official said China aims to launch a crewed mission to the moon by 2030, according to state media.

☆ China launches Shenzhou-16 mission to Chinese space station - state media
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China Daily via REUTERSBEIJING, May 30 (Reuters) - China sent three astronauts to its now fully operational space station as part of crew rotation on Tuesday in the fifth manned mission to the Chinese space outpost since 2021, state media reported. The astronauts on Shenzhou-16 will replace the three-member crew of the Shenzhou-15, who arrived at the space station late in November. China has already announced plans to expand its permanently inhabited space outpost, with the next module slated to dock with the current T-shaped space station to create a cross-shaped structure. Leading the Shenzhou-16 mission was Jing Haipeng, 56, a senior spacecraft pilot from China's first batch of astronaut trainees in the late 1990s. Also by the end of 2023, China is due to a launch space telescope the size of a large bus.

☆ Shenzhou-16 launch: China sends first civilian astronaut to space
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —China sent its first civilian astronaut into orbit on Tuesday, as it launched the Shenzhou-16 mission to its space station for its second in-orbit crew rotation, marking another step forward for the country’s ambitious space program. It is China’s fifth manned mission to the space station since 2021. Several media outlets on Monday responded to the online discussion over how a person without perfect vision could be physically cleared for a space mission. This could make it the sole in-orbit outpost for scientific research after the expected end of operations for the International Space Station in 2030. Tiangong’s core module first entered orbit in 2021, marking the first major step in a space station dream envisioned by the government since 1992.

☆ China lands its secretive space plane after 9 months in orbit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China landed its mysterious reusable space plane after nine months in Earth's orbit. The space plane launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in August 2022. The nine-month mission was the longest yet for the new space plane. In the absence of photos or details from China, multiple news outlets have suggested that the Chinese space plane may resemble the X-37B space plane developed by Boeing for the US military. Adam Shanks/US Space ForceThe Chinese space plane took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in August 2022 and in October mysteriously ejected something into orbit, according to Space.com.

☆ Mystery Chinese spacecraft returns to Earth after 276 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, May 8 (Reuters) - An experimental Chinese spacecraft returned to Earth on Monday after staying in orbit for 276 days, China's state media reported, completing a landmark mission to test the country's reusable space technologies. The uncrewed spacecraft returned to the Jiuquan launch centre in northwest China on Monday as scheduled, according to state media. The test marks an "important" breakthrough in China's research into reusable spacecraft technology that will provide a more convenient and inexpensive way to mount future space missions, state media reported. It landed on Earth "horizontally," according to China's main space contractor at the time. The uncrewed and reusable X-37B returned to Earth in November last year in its sixth and latest mission, after more than 900 days in orbit.

☆ Galactic Energy sends five satellites to space
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The mission marks the fifth launch of the Ceres-1 rocket — a small solid fuel orbital rocket designed by the company, Galactic Energy said. So far, it has successfully put 19 commercial satellites into space, setting a record for a private Chinese firm. Galactic Energy conducted the first Ceres-1 launch on November 7, 2020, which makes it the second Chinese private company to launch a satellite into low Earth orbit. Last year, Galactic Energy successfully tested its liquid-propellant Welkin engine for its next-generation rockets. Over the past few years, more than 170 private companies have entered the space industry, according to a 2020 research report by Future Space Research, a research institute based in Beijing.

☆ Chinese spaceship with 3 aboard docks with space station
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING — Three Chinese astronauts docked early Wednesday with their country’s space station, where they will overlap for several days with the three-member crew already onboard and expand the facility to its maximum size. Without the attached spacecraft, the Chinese station weighs about 66 tons — a fraction of the International Space Station, which launched its first module in 1998 and weighs around 465 tons. With a lifespan of 10 to 15 years, Tiangong could one day be the only space station still up and running if the International Space Station retires in the coming years as planned. The U.S. excluded China from the International Space Station because of its program’s military ties, although China has engaged in limited cooperation with other nations’ space agencies. While proceeding smoothly for the most part, China’s space program has also drawn controversy.

☆ China and NASA are racing to the moon. Side-by-side photos hint NASA has the edge, but China's secrecy makes the race hard to call.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

China and NASA are racing toward the first human moon landing in 50 years. Side-by-side images show how NASA and China are overlapping in the new space race for the moon. NASAChina, meanwhile, launched a new crew of taikonauts (Chinese astronauts) toward its new space station on Tuesday. The International Space Station, top, and an illustration of China's Tiangong space station, bottom. The secrecy of China's lunar program makes it difficult for outside analysts to assess that timeline, but NASA's chief has expressed a sense that the race is tight.

Summary Shenzhou-15 marks last of 11 missions since April 2021 in building of space stationShenzhou-15 crew to take over from Shenzhou-14 astronauts on space stationChinese space station to be second permanently inhabited outpost after NASA-led ISSBEIJING, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Three Chinese astronauts arrived on Wednesday at China's space station for the first in-orbit crew rotation in Chinese space history, launching operation of the second inhabited outpost in low-Earth orbit after the NASA-led International Space Station. Shenzhou-15 was the last of 11 missions, including three previous crewed missions, needed to assemble the "Celestial Palace", as the multi-module station is known in Chinese. The "Celestial Palace" was the culmination of nearly two decades of Chinese crewed missions to space. The astronauts will live and work on the T-shaped space outpost for six months. The next batch of "taikonauts", coined from the Chinese word for space, to board the station, in 2023, will be picked from the third generation of astronauts with scientific backgrounds.

Shenzhou-15 was the last of 11 missions, including three prior crewed missions, that began in April 2021 needed to assemble the "Celestial Palace", as the multi-module station is known in Chinese. The space outpost took on its current "T" shape in November with the arrival of the last of three cylindrical modules. The "Celestial Palace" was the culmination of nearly two decades of Chinese crewed missions to space. FUTURE 'TAIKONAUTS'Leading the Shenzhou-15 mission was Fei Junlong, 57, who hailed from China's first batch of astronaut trainees in the late 1990s. During the space station's operation over the next decade, China is expected to launch two crewed missions to the orbiting outpost each year.

CNN —Three astronauts lifted off to China’s nearly completed space station on Tuesday, marking the beginning of the country’s long-term presence in space. The Shenzhou-15 spacecraft is expected to dock with the Tiangong Space Station about 6.5 hours after launch. VCG/Getty ImagesSmaller than the ISSOnce construction is completed, the space station is expected to last for 15 years. Tiangong, which means heavenly palace, is smaller than the International Space Station but similar in its modular design. The new space station will typically house three rather than six astronauts.

☆ China rocket taking 3 to space station to blast off Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING — A rocket carrying three astronauts to finish building China’s space station will blast off Tuesday amid intensifying competition with the U.S., the government said Monday,The crew includes a veteran of a 2005 space mission and two first-time astronauts, according to the China Manned Space Agency. Previous missions to the space station have taken about 13 hours from liftoff to docking. The permanent Chinese station weighs about 66 tons — a fraction of the International Space Station, which launched its first module in 1998 and weighs around 465 tons. With a lifespan of 10 to 15 years, Tiangong could one day find itself the only space station still running if the International Space Station adheres to its 30-year operating plan. The U.S. excluded China from the International Space Station because of its program’s military ties.

☆ Start pentru prima misiune cu echipaj uman pe stația spațială chineză. 3 astronauți au fost trimiși în spațiu
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-17 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

Trei astronauți chinezi au decolat joi dimineața spre stația spațială a Chinei. Este prima misiune cu echipaj uman trimisă spre modulul Tianhe, aflat deja pe orbită. Într-un nor uriaş de fum cenuşiu, racheta Long March 2F a părăsit platforma de lansare de la Centrul de lansare spaţială Jiuquan din deşertul Gobi, scrie digi24.ro. Este primul zbor cu echipaj uman efectuat de China în ultimii aproape cinci ani şi va reprezenta o perioadă-record petrecută în spaţiu. China a decis să îşi construiască propria staţie spaţială după ce Statele Unite au refuzat să îi permită să participe la Staţia Spaţială Internaţională.

Persons: . Miercuri, Thomas Pesquet, american Shane Kimbrough Organizations: March 2F, Partidului Comunist Chinez, NASA Locations: Chinei, Agerpres, China, Beijing, Statele Unite, Rusia, Canada, Europa, Japonia

☆ China trimite 3 astronauți pe orbită. Ar putea deveni singura țară cu stație spațială
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-16 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

Este primul dintre cele patru zboruri spațiale cu echipaj uman care vor finaliza stația spațială a țării până la sfârșitul anului viitor, relatează Reuters, citează digi24.ro. Astronauții Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming și Tang Hongbo vor pleca pe orbită la bordul navei spațiale Shenzhou-12 din Jiuquan, în nord-vestul provinciei Gansu. Shenzhou-12, adică „Nava divină”, este a treia din cele 11 misiuni necesare construirii stației spațiale a Chinei. Construcția a început în aprilie odată cu lansarea pe orbită a lui Tianhe – sau „Armonia Cerurilor”, primul și cel mai mare dintre cele trei module ale stației. Și Rusia plănuiește să-și construiască o stație spațială proprie, dar aceasta nu va fi gata înainte de 2030.

Persons: Reuters, Liu Boming, Liu, Rusia Organizations: NASA, ISS Locations: China, Jiuquan, Gansu, Chinei

Search resuls for: "Jiuquan"

23 mentions found