Topic

China's space programmei

The China National Space Administration was founded more than 25 years ago and is overseeing an ambitious programme which includes deep space exploration, a manned space station, and cutting-edge advancements in technology, new materials, robotics and artificial intelligence.

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  • Lunar lander designed to be the first to bring materials back from the surface that faces away from Earth
  • Spacecraft expected to touch down in the rugged Apollo basin beyond direct communication with ground stations
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During their six-month stay on the Tiangong space station, the Chinese astronauts will carry out experiments on fish in a step towards raising other animals in space.

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Queqiao-2 communication relay satellite arrived 440km above the moon’s surface early on Monday, says CNSA; state media says ‘work is under way to address’ DRO-A/B satellites that failed to reach their designated altitude after March 13 launch.

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Soil samples brought to Earth by Chinese moon mission show unique mineral was likely produced in Aristarchus crater and ejected northward to sample site.

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Queqiao-2 lifted off atop a Long March 8 rocket at 8.31am on Wednesday, along with smaller satellites Tiandu-1 and 2 that will orbit the moon to test and verify navigation and communications technologies.

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‘The satellites have not been inserted into their designated orbit, and work is under way to address this problem,’ Chinese state media says.

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NPC deputy and spacecraft designer Sun Zezhou says key technologies needed for Tianwen-3 mission are ‘in place’ while the US Mars Sample Return programme is battling soaring costs.

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Roscosmos space agency chief Yuri Borisov says the project, being considered for 2033-2035, could eventually allow the building of lunar settlements.

Chinese aerospace agencies outline how 600 million-camera Skynet inspires system to watch assets at lunar research station and track foreign visitors arriving on and leaving the moon.

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Hao Jihua, a geochemistry professor at elite Chinese university after studies in US and France, was awarded FW Clarke Award. His areas of research, which include nutrient cycling in early Earth, origin of life and habitability of extraterrestrial oceans, are priorities for China

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