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☆ China’s Chang’e-6 moon probe stands by for launch as space race with US heats up
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Marc Stewart | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

China’s planned 53-day mission would see the Chang’e-6 lander touch down in a gaping crater on the moon’s far side, which never faces Earth. China became the first and only country to land on the moon’s far side during its 2019 Chang’e-4 mission. Ambitious missionThe Chang’e-6 probe will be a key test for China’s space capabilities in its effort to realize leader Xi Jinping’s “eternal dream” of building the country into a space power. This time, to communicate with Earth from the moon’s far side, Chang’e-6 must rely on the Queqiao-2 satellite, launched into lunar orbit in March. This time, China has said the Chang’e-6 mission will carry scientific instruments or payloads from France, Italy, Pakistan and the European Space Agency.

Persons: China’s, “, Ge Ping, Xi Jinping’s, James Head, Luo Yunfei, Bill Nelson, –, ” Nelson Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China, Space Administration’s, of Lunar Exploration, Space Engineering, Brown University, China News Service, Luna, NASA, European Space Agency Locations: China, Hong Kong, Hainan, United States, Russia, Chang’e, India, Japan, Texas, France, Italy, Pakistan

☆ Russian space officials say there's a recurring air leak problem in their segment of the International Space Station
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Roscosmos said on Wednesday that it detected an air leak on board the ISS that poses no threat to the crew. AdvertisementRussia's space agency said on Wednesday that its section of the International Space Station is again suffering an air leak issue, but said the problem currently poses no threat to its crew. "There is an area at the end of the International Space Station that we've seen a leak. Meanwhile, Roscosmos said it plans to build its own space station, following the example of China's independent Tiangong station. As Moscow continues to split from the West, Russian space officials have questioned the reliability of the old equipment on board the ISS.

Persons: Roscosmos, —, Joel Montalbano, Montalbano, Pyotr Dubrov Organizations: NASA, Russia's Zvezda, Service, International, Space, Russian, ISS, National American Space Agency ISS, International Space, Zvezda, West Locations: Russia's, Russian, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ China ousts top rocket scientist from key political body in widening military purge
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —China has expelled a leading rocket scientist from its top political advisory body, the latest sign of a widening purge in the Chinese military’s missile force and aerospace contractors. Wang, 54, until recently led the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), a prestigious state-run institute known as the birthplace of China’s aerospace industry. Wang spent his nearly three-decades-long career designing rockets at the CALT, a subsidiary of the main contractor of the Chinese space program, the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. In December, three aerospace executives, including the chairman of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation – were stripped of their roles in the CPPCC. In July, the Rocket Force abruptly replaced its two leaders, the commander and the political commissar, with no explanation.

Persons: Wang Xiaojun, Wang, Xi Jinping, Xi, ” Wang, Qian Xuesen Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Political Consultative, Xinhua, China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, China Aerospace Science, Technology Corporation, People’s Liberation Army, Rocket Force, Communist Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, “, Hunan

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

☆ 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: | 2023-10-26 | 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

☆ 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

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China announced plans on Wednesday to send a new telescope to probe deep into the universe as it prepared to launch the country’s next, three-member crew for its orbiting space station. The telescope, dubbed Xuntian, will be installed by China's Tiangong space station and will co-orbit with it, according to a statement from Lin Xiqiang, spokesperson and deputy director general of the Chinese Manned Space Agency. Tang is a veteran who led a 2021 space mission for three months. China 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.

Persons: Lin Xiqiang, — Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie, Jiang Xinlin —, Tang Organizations: —, Manned Space Agency, CCTV, International, Station, People’s Liberation Army, Communist Party, Soviet Union, SpaceX, Xinhua News Agency Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, — China, China, United States, Europe, Southeast Asia, South America, U.S

☆ Tiangong: China to double the size of its space station as it offers an alternative to NASA-led ISS
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —China plans to expand its space station to six modules from three in coming years, offering astronauts from other nations an alternative platform for near-Earth missions as the NASA-led International Space Station (ISS) nears the end of its lifespan. The operational lifetime of the Chinese space station will be more than 15 years, the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a unit of China’s main space contractor, said at the 74th International Astronautical Congress in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday. At 180 metric tons after its expansion to six modules, Tiangong is still just 40% of the mass of the ISS, which can hold a crew of seven astronauts. Russia, a participant in the ISS, has similar space diplomacy plans, suggesting that Moscow’s partners in the BRICS group – Brazil, India, China and South Africa – could construct a module for its space station. Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, said last year it was planning to build a space station comprising six modules that could accommodate up to four cosmonauts.

Persons: Tiangong, ” Organizations: CNN, NASA, Space, China Academy of Space Technology, International Astronautical, European Space Agency, ESA, Global Times Locations: China, Baku, Azerbaijan, European, United States, Russia, Brazil, India, South Africa, Russian

☆ China to double size of space station, touts alternative to NASA-led ISS
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 5 (Reuters) - China plans to expand its space station to six modules from three in coming years, offering astronauts from other nations an alternative platform for near-Earth missions as the NASA-led International Space Station (ISS) nears the end of its lifespan. The operational lifetime of the Chinese space station will be more than 15 years, the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a unit of China's main space contractor, said at the 74th International Astronautical Congress in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday. At 180 metric tons after its expansion to six modules, Tiangong is still just 40% of the mass of the ISS, which can hold a crew of seven astronauts. Russia, a participant in the ISS, has similar space diplomacy plans, suggesting that Moscow's partners in the BRICS group - Brazil, India, China and South Africa - could construct a module for its space station. Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, said last year it was planning to build a space station comprising six modules that could accommodate up to four cosmonauts.

Persons: Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming, Zhang Lu, Florence, Tiangong, Ryan Woo, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, NASA, Space, China Academy of Space Technology, International Astronautical, European Space Agency, ESA, Global Times, U.S, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Baku, Azerbaijan, European, U.S, United States, Russia, Brazil, India, South Africa, Russian

The spacecraft would also make room for 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of foreign science payloads, the agency said on its website. This could allow overseas partners to conduct lunar research by “piggybacking” off the mission, Chinese state media said. China is not alone in elevating its space program and lunar ambitions as multiple countries eye the potential scientific benefit, national prestige and access to resources and further deep space exploration that successful moon missions could bring. That same week, Russia’s first lunar mission in decades ended in failure with its Luna 25 spacecraft crashing into the moon’s surface. Its last mission, Chang’e-5, landed on the moon in December 2020 and returned with samples of lunar rocks and soil.

Persons: CNSA, ”, “ piggybacking, Artemis, Hu Hao, Hu, can’t, Pakistan’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Space Administration, International Astronautical, United, NASA, Artemis, Aitken, European Space Agency Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, Baku, Azerbaijan, China, Russia, Venezuela, South Africa, India, United States, Italian

☆ Russia dominated the first space race, but now it can't even land on the moon. Photos show the US and China are way ahead.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

China, Russia, and the US (with its international allies) are all plotting huge new moonshots. Photos of the space efforts of the US, China, and Russia reveal how far behind the former space power has fallen. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe US and China are innovating, while Russia's space tech agesNASA's Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Berger cited other underlying issues that are stifling Russia's space ambitions, like budget cuts, quality control, and corruption. Western sanctions have harmed Russia's space program in other ways, limiting its access to high-quality microchips, the AP reported.

Persons: Artemis, Russia isn't, hasn't, Russia's Luna, Bill Nelson, Luna, NASA’s, —, Tingshu Wang, Sergei Markov, Russia's, Steve Seipel, Yuri Borisov, Borisov, Bill Ingalls, Eric Berger, Vladimir Putin's, Berger, Xue Lei, landers, Roscosmos, Victoria Samson Organizations: Service, NASA, AP, Soviet Union, Operation, Space Corporation, Politico, New York Times, China National Space Administration, Vostochny, Luna, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight, Arizona State University NASA, Orion, NASA NASA, SpaceX, National Museum, Reuters, Kremlin, Kennedy Space Center, CNN, Russian Soyuz, Baikonur, Future Publishing, Getty, European Space Agency, ESA, Secure, Foundation Locations: Wall, Silicon, China, Russia, Soviet, Soviet Union, China National Space Administration Russia, Russia's Far, India, Russian, Beijing, Ukraine, Florida, Kazakhstan, Washington

☆ Baidu gets China's green light to release its ChatGPT-like Ernie bot to the public
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In this article BIDU Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTPictured here is the Ernie bot mobile interface, with the Baidu search engine home page in the background. Future Publishing | Future Publishing | Getty ImagesBEIJING — Chinese tech giant Baidu announced Thursday its ChatGPT-like Ernie bot was now open to the public at large. Baidu released Ernie bot on March 16. At the time, Li said the company was "still waiting for the green light for large-scale rollout of Ernie bot for use in consumer facing apps." Last week, Opera web browser parent Kunlun Tech released to the public an AI-powered chatbot and search engine called Tiangong AI search.

Persons: Ernie, Baidu, OpenAI's ChatGPT, ChatGPT isn't, China's, Robin Li, Li, Tiangong, Ernie bot Organizations: Ernie, Baidu, Publishing, Getty, CNBC, Google, Facebook, Tech, Microsoft, Bank of America Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, China

☆ Chandrayaan-3: India shoots for the moon with historic lunar mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —India is bidding to become only the fourth country to execute a controlled landing on the moon with the launch Friday of its Chandrayaan-3 mission. Its first lunar probe, the Chandrayaan-1, orbited the moon and was then deliberately crash-landed onto the lunar surface in 2008. Only three other countries have achieved the complicated feat of soft-landing a spacecraft on the moon’s surface – the United States, Russia and China. India’s maiden lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1, discovered water molecules on the moon’s surface. Eleven years later, the Chandrayaan-2 successfully entered lunar orbit but its rover crash-landed on the moon’s surface.

Persons: Satish, Space, It’s, Narendra Modi, Modi, Kailasavadivoo Sivan, Joe Biden Organizations: CNN, Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO, Indian, Soviet Union, Hollywood, Space, – Locations: India, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, United States, Russia, China, Washington

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese officials on Wednesday unveiled new details about their plans for a manned lunar mission, as China attempts to become only the second nation to put citizens on the moon. Zhang Hailian, deputy chief engineer with the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), revealed the preliminary plan at an aerospace summit in the city of Wuhan on Wednesday, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. To prepare for the mission, Chinese researchers are busy developing all the necessary equipment including moon suits, manned lunar rovers, manned spaceships and moon landers, Xinhua reported. The state media reports did not say how many astronauts China plans to send to the moon. China has also spent the past few years building its own Tiangong space station, which was completed in November.

Persons: Zhang Hailian, Zhang, landers, Xi Jinping Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Wednesday, China Manned Space Agency, Xinhua, Times, Global Times, Xi’s, International Space Locations: Hong Kong, China, Wuhan, Xinhua, United States, Beijing

☆ NATO Sends More Troops to Kosovo as Tensions With Serbs Intensify
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Watch: China Sends First Civilian Astronaut to Space Station China sent its first civilian astronaut into orbit on Tuesday, part of a new crew that’s scheduled to spend five months on its space station, Tiangong. WSJ’s Clarence Leong explains the significance behind the mission. Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Persons: Clarence Leong, Kevin Frayer Organizations: China, Space

☆ Nine People Injured in Shooting at Beach in Hollywood, Fla.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ 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's A.I. chatbots haven't yet reached the public like ChatGPT did
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Baidu CTO Wang Haifeng speaks at the unveiling of Baidus AI chatbot Ernie Bot at an event in Beijing on March 16, 2023. Those restrictions haven't stopped the Chinese press and social media in general from talking frequently about ChatGPT and AI tech. So far, publicly available figures indicate similar AI products in China are not as widely available. Kunlun claims Tiangong is the only chatbot in China with training metrics at the level of ChatGPT. Some in the industry also expect such AI tools will be easier to commercialize for business products than for public tools such as search.

☆ China could start building a moon base with lunar-soil bricks in 5 years, amid NASA fears of a moon territory dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Marianne Guenot | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

China could be ready to start building its lunar base within five years, scientists said. China has made major strides in space exploration, recently launching its own crewed space station. "We will be using real moon soil to make the first brick right there on the moon," he added, per SCMP. These could be used to make habitats on the moon using traditional Chinese building techniques, he said. The agency wants to build its own station orbiting the moon, as well as an Artemis lunar base.

☆ NASA chief says China could claim the moon as its own territory if it beats the US to the lunar surface
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

NASA chief Bill Nelson said China could claim the moon as its own territory. He told Politico that Chinese aggression in the South China Sea indicated what might happen on the moon. Recently-published aerial photographs show new military installations on the Spratly Islands, a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea. Nelson told Politico that China has enjoyed "enormous success and advances" in its space program over the last decade. Nelson told Politico: "I ask the question every day: 'How is SpaceX's progress?'

The first full-color image released from the next-generation James Webb Space Telescope is the sharpest infrared image of the distant universe ever produced, according to NASA. Space Telescope Science Institut / NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERONASA released the first batch of images from the tennis court-sized observatory to much fanfare in July. The exoplanet HIP 65426 b in different bands of infrared light, as seen from the James Webb Space Telescope. Back to the moonFifty years after the final Apollo moon mission, NASA took key steps toward returning astronauts to the lunar surface. Chinese officials have also said they intend to use the space station for space tourism and commercial space initiatives.

☆ 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.

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