China and Private Industry Space Exploration

[selvaarchi]

Just like NASA got Private Industry to participate in their space endeavors, China is trying to go down the same path.

http://www.ecns.cn/business/2014/12-18/147052.shtml

In a move to spur innovation, state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC), the major contractor for China's space program, invited 1,300 private enterprises to a forum it co-hosted in the eastern city of Ningbo.

The 2014 China (Ningbo) international forum on advanced aerospace materials and commercialization, which ended on Wednesday, signals a shift in the once restricted sector to a more-open working style that encourages collaborative practice with private entities.

The CASC's ice-breaking initiative aims to foster development in the Chinese manufacturing sector, said head of the CASC-affiliated China Academy of Aerospace Systems Science and Engineering, Wang Kunsheng.

Wang Yongru, vice president of Ningbo Jintian Copper Co. Ltd., one of the largest copper processing companies in China, said that for the private sector, the opportunity to collaborate with state-owned entities would advance the practical application of innovation already in use by other sectors.

[NEOWatcher]

Just like NASA got Private Industry to participate in their space endeavors, China is trying to go down the same path.

How so?
NASA, ESA, JAXA and other organizations, whether space related or not have been using private industry all along on a contract basis. I see no indication that this is nothing more than opening up the possibility for their companies to be contracted to do the work.

There's more to be said about the economic differences between the countries, but we should not go down that path.

[selvaarchi]

How so?
NASA, ESA, JAXA and other organizations, whether space related or not have been using private industry all along on a contract basis. I see no indication that this is nothing more than opening up the possibility for their companies to be contracted to do the work.

There's more to be said about the economic differences between the countries, but we should not go down that path.

Yes they have but this is China's move to get its private companies to be more involved in space activities. India is also going down the same path. In both countries the bulk of manufacturing and R&D has been done in state owned companies.

[NEOWatcher]

Yes they have but this is China's move to get its private companies to be more involved in space activities. India is also going down the same path. In both countries the bulk of manufacturing and R&D has been done in state owned companies.

They are taking a step that most countries don't have to take. We don't have state owned companies, so you can't really compare the two.

[selvaarchi]

They are taking a step that most countries don't have to take. We don't have state owned companies, so you can't really compare the two.

Not true. UK had a lot of state owned companies.

[NEOWatcher]

Not true. UK had a lot of state owned companies.

I said we. I'm in the US.
I don't want to get into this, because it has more to do with nation's overall economic policies and politics. It is not particular to the space industry.

[selvaarchi]

I said we. I'm in the US.
I don't want to get into this, because it has more to do with nation's overall economic policies and politics. It is not particular to the space industry.

Agreed

[selvaarchi]

Next step in China's quest to get its commercial companies to take part in it's space activities. It started with a forum (see my post #1) and now looking for proposals to take part in the Chang'e-4 lunar probe mission.

http://www.space-travel.com/reports/...ogram_999.html

As a starting measure, private enterprises are being encouraged to take part in the Chang'e-4 lunar probe mission, according to a statement issued by the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, which oversees space programs.

The mission will serve as a platform "for technological research and development, product tests as well as data application" for private companies, the statement said. "The move will help break the monopoly in the space field, accelerate technological innovation, reduce the government's investment and improve efficiency."

[selvaarchi]

China is to have a 2nd company to launch satellites.

http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2...t_24740764.htm

China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, the country's largest missile maker, has established the country's second commercial launch company in an attempt to seize a share of the satellite launch market.

Expace Technology Co was founded and registered with the commerce department of Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, in mid-February, said Hu Xiaotao, general manager of the company.

Expace Technology has registered capital of 300 million yuan ($46.3 million) and will provide a satellite launch service to clients, Hu said.

Its parent company, China Sanjiang Space Group, a branch of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, is one of the three rocket developers in China. The two others are the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology in Beijing and the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology.

Previously, only China Great Wall Industry Corp in Beijing, part of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, carried out commercial launches in the country.

Expace plans to launch a commercial version of the Kuaizhou 1 rocket for clients within the year. The next-generation Kuaizhou 11 rocket, which will have more capacity, is scheduled to make its first launch next year.

[selvaarchi]

Wow I was wrong in saying in the entry above that China was going to have a 2nd company to launch satellites. They have several already and more might be joining them.

http://www.popsci.com/watch-out-spac...y-takes-flight

While SpaceX is leading the charge of private space companies in the United States, a new generation of Chinese start ups are entering the space race, backed by universities and hedge funds. The key difference is that these firms are starting small, focusing mostly on the goal of launching microsatellites.

First up is Onespace, founded in June 2015, with support from the National Defense Science and Industry Bureau. Their flagship rocket is a 59 ton space launch vehicle with a launch date of 2018. It is designed to place a 500kg payload in low Earth orbit. Onespace hopes to launch microsatellites at a cost of 100,000 yuan per kilogram (or $6,500 per pound). They plan on displaying a rocket model in the Zhuhai 2016 Airshow, and completing a prototype by late 2017. Onespace also has ambitions eventually to build a manned space capsule.

Landspace Technology is founded by alumni from the storied Tsinghua University. Their ultimate goal is to build a medium space launch vehicle for manned and unmanned use. Their target markets are microsatellite launches for European and Southeast Asian countries. Landspace Technology also offers a wide range of related space services, including insurance, satellite design support, and supply chain management.

Shenzhen Yu Long Aerospace Science and Technology is another Chinese space start up. It has performed work with an array of sounding rockets that reach into suborbital height (a rocket with 165 kg payload reached an altitude of 35 km in January 2016). Shenzhen Yu Long has announced its hopes to fly a liquid-fueled rocket in 2020, and a manned launch in 2025.

[selvaarchi]

China to build 1st commercial space base in Wuhan.

http://www.china.org.cn/business/201...t_39289105.htm

The country's first commercial space industry base will be built in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, according to an agreement signed on Monday.

The Wuhan National Space Industry Base will focus on the development of carrier rockets and satellites, commercial launch services and applications of satellite data.

The base plans to establish an annual production capacity of 50 carrier rockets and 140 commercial satellites by 2020, said Zhang Di, deputy head of the Fourth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, after a signing ceremony between his company and the governments of Hubei and Wuhan at the Second China Commercial Aerospace Forum.

[selvaarchi]

A new company has been set up in China to develop the space economy.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1012793.shtml

The commercialization of rocket launches will boost the industry by bringing space tourism income and attracting private investment, experts said.

ChinaRocket Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the country's largest developer of ballistic missiles and carrier rockets, was established on Wednesday, marking the commercialization of China's space industry, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

"Chinese commercial space enterprises are lagging behind the global market due to lack of complete production chain in the commercial space industry and experience in commercial space activities like space tourism," Li Hong, president of the academy, said at a press conference on Wednesday.

"Commercializing rocket launches will help develop the industry as many private companies will be interested in the sector," Jiao Weixin, a professor at the School of Earth and Space Science of Peking University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Jiao said the establishment of the company signals that State-controlled space industry is stepping into ordinary people's daily life.

Han Qingping, president of ChinaRocket, said at the press conference that the company would focus on keeping the cost 30 percent lower than an average launch through the "standardization of the interface between satellite and rocket as well as advance preparation."

According to Han, China will develop reusable sub-orbital vehicles in five to 10 years.

[selvaarchi]

The just launched rocket turns out to be their 1st "commercial " launch.

http://www.leonarddavid.com/china-la...ercial-rocket/

"China has successfully launched its first commercial carrier rocket – the Kuaizhou-1A (KZ-1A) (“Fast Vessel”) – sending a trio of satellites into orbit.

The January 9th flight of the solid-fuel launcher took place at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, northwest China.

Short launch prep

“Today’s launch was its maiden voyage. It is a low-cost carrier rocket with short pre-launch preparation and is capable of delivering its 300-kilogram payload to the near-Earth orbit,” said Zhang Di, vice-president of the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) Fourth Academy in a CCTV-Plus report.

Zhang said that the three spacecraft in one liftoff comprised the JL-1-03, a smart video satellite, while XY-S1 and Caton-1 are both CubeSats weighing between two and three kilograms."

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[selvaarchi]

Missed this report about China's push to get into the worldwide satellite communication market.

http://spacenews.com/chinas-ambition...ing-into-view/

"China’s presumed ambition to snatch up satellite spectrum by purchasing struggling satellite operators around the world was one of the hottest topics at this years APSCC conference, despite the absence of the Chinese government.

Industry officials said that, whatever the U.S. government’s future policy toward China — the current policy can be summarized as, ‘We wish China’s space program would go away’ — a Chinese foothold among established Middle Eastern, European, Latin American and Asian operators is a likely part of the industry’s landscape within a decade."

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[selvaarchi]

A Chinese company has won a contract to launch satellites for a European company.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20..._135983706.htm

"Landspace Technology Corporation, a private aerospace company based in Beijing, said it has secured a contract with Gomspace, a Danish company, to launch a series of satellites.

It is the first time for a private Chinese company to provide satellite launching services to the international market, the company said Saturday.

According to the contract, Landspace will use its Landspace-1 rocket to put Gomspace's satellites into orbit in 2018."

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[7cscb]

This is good news. Fresh competition is great for space exploration and, specifically, $/kg of payload.

[selvaarchi]

Yet another entrant in Chinese non-government sector.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/busines...t_31037710.htm

A new player in the space race is planning to launch 20 satellites by the end of 2018.
Spacety Co Ltd will use most of them to supply data to research institutions and other business customers.

"Some will be involved in microgravity experiments," said Yang Feng, CEO of the company.

In the past, Chinese scientists found it difficult to conduct research in space. But now Spacety, which is based in Changsha, Hunan province, is offering a one-stop service at an affordable price to solve that problem.

"This is a business model that turns out to be viable," said Yang, who failed to disclose detailed financial figures about the project.

Still, his plan appears to be simple. Experiments will be carried out in space through Spacety satellites and the reams of data will be relayed back to clients on Earth.

Last November, the company launched its first small satellite Ty-1.

[selvaarchi]

Now a Chinese company that wants to follow the foot steps of SpaceX.

https://phys.org/news/2017-09-footst...pany-eyes.html

A Chinese startups appears to be following in the footsteps of SpaceX as it has lately laid out its own project of reusable space launch system. Link Space, the country's first private rocket company, has recently presented the design of its New Line 1 (Xin Gan Xian 1) launch vehicle, which could compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9 in the future.

[selvaarchi]

A Chinese company has launched a turtle into "near earth" (to an altitude of 21,000 metres )

http://m.scmp.com/news/china/society...s-trips-humans

"A Chinese technology company this week claimed it had successfully launched a live turtle into “near-space”, marking another step forward in the firm’s efforts to sell space tourism to humans."

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[selvaarchi]

The company that produces the Kuaizhou-series carrier rockets now wants to get into the satellite business.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Ne...roval_999.html

China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, a major space contractor, is considering the establishment of a satellite company to tap the space-based communications market, according to a project insider.

Tan Qianhong, Party chief of China Space Sanjiang Group, a CASIC subsidiary in Hubei province, said Sanjiang has submitted a plan on the proposed satellite firm to CASIC and is waiting for approval.

The new entity would focus mainly on the research, development and launch of small satellites that would operate in low orbit and provide narrowband communications service, Tan told China Daily in an exclusive interview. Tan spoke on the sidelines of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, to which he is a delegate.

[selvaarchi]

UrtheCast, Beijing Space View Technology forge imagery distribution pact.

http://spacenews.com/urthecast-beiji...ribution-pact/

Canadian remote sensing company UrtheCast and Beijing Space View Technology have teamed up to offer imagery from each other’s satellites to their customers, the companies announced Dec. 4.

Through a new “strategic cooperation agreement,” UrtheCast gained distribution rights for imagery from Space View’s SuperView constellation, which today consists of two satellites, and SpaceView acquired distribution rights for imagery from Deimos-1 and Deimos-2.

The agreement helps fill a void created from the deterioration of an UrtheCast partnership with Russian rocket and spacecraft company Energia, which terminated an agreement to host UrtheCast cameras on the International Space Station at the end of 2016. Without Energia, UrtheCast is currently unable to offer new tasking for the Iris and Theia cameras at what the company considers an acceptable service level.

[selvaarchi]

Anther Chinese commercial company is getting ready to launch its small rocket next year.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/201..._136847749.htm

A Chinese start up successfully tested an engine for its light rocket, which is set to be launched by June 2018.

The test was conducted in a test ground in east China's Jiangxi Province on Friday, said Shu Chang, chief executive officer of Beijing-based One Space, on Saturday.

The engine uses solid propellants and will power the company's X-series light rockets, Shu said, adding that engineers have finished designing the rocket's main body and electrical system.

The engine can not only drive light carrier rockets but also sub-orbital spacecraft, he said.

[selvaarchi]

China too will have constellation of satellites like some US commercial companies plan to do.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/201..._136929344.htm

China plans to launch 60 Jilin-1 video satellites by 2020, the satellite developer said at the ongoing legislative session of northeast China's Jilin Province.

The high-resolution optical remote sensing satellites were independently developed by Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. Ltd. for commercial use.

Currently, China has launched 10 Jilin-1 satellites into space.

[selvaarchi]

After 2014 when the Chinese government gave the green light for commercial Chinese companies to enter the space business, it is now starting to take off.

https://www.ecns.cn/2018/02-02/291171.shtml

With more private firms and investors entering the commercial aerospace industry in China over the past three years, the sector, which is currently focused on satellites and rockets, is set to realize enormous value in the near future, industry analysts told the Global Times on Wednesday.

In 2014, the State Council, China's cabinet, formally announced it would allow private companies to research, manufacture and launch as well as operate commercial satellites, which prompted a batch of Chinese entrepreneurs to excitedly pitch some ideas in the industry.

[selvaarchi]

Read about more Chinese commercial companies in the space business.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/201..._136945002.htm

After working for the state-run China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation for more than a decade, Xie resigned in 2014 and set up his own company in June 2015.

The shift from state-run companies to entrepreneurial warehouse indicates the increasing diversity and opportunities in China's aerospace industry.

Xie believes his company, a pioneer of commercial satellites, is more market-oriented, closer to the public and "down to earth."

"We have equipped Young Pioneer 1 with an intelligent CPU chip that will enable the satellite to restart if problems occur, just like a smart phone. In the future, the chips will be upgraded very quickly, which will help us make more intelligent nanosatellites with more functions," he said.

"To cut costs, commercial satellites also use cheaper components and parts, unlike state space missions, which are usually of strategic importance and must have no mistakes," he added.

[selvaarchi]

Two Chinese companies are aiming to provide worldwide internet services.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1091747.shtml

Two Chinese companies are competing to build a planetary mobile broadband internet service based on low-orbiting satellite networks, officials from Chinese aerospace firms revealed in Beijing on Sunday.

The first company, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, will launch 54 satellites in the first phase and another more than 246 in subsequent phases, China's Science and Technology Daily reported on Sunday.

The second company, the similarly named China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation, plans to send 156 satellites into low orbit by 2022 for Project Hongyun, an official said on Sunday.

The satellites will enable global internet service to ground, shipboard, airborne and mobile terminals, Bao Weimin, head of the first corporation's science and technology committee was quoted as saying in the report.

Any individual or object will be able to stay seamlessly connected underwater in the deep oceans including the Arctic and Antarctic, or in regions along the Belt and Road route, said Bao.

[selvaarchi]

More details of Project Hongyun.

http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/a/20180...dcc13f807.html

China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, the nation's largest missile maker, will launch a satellite this year to demonstrate technologies for a vast space-based communications network capable of covering every corner on the Earth, including the Arctic and Antarctica.

Zhang Zhongyang, president of the CASIC Second Academy, said engineers are assembling the satellite and plan to place it into a low-Earth orbit before the end of this year to verify low-orbit broadband communication technologies to be used on the Hongyun satellite constellation.

He made the remarks on the sidelines of the First Plenary Session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which opened on Saturday in Beijing. Zhang is a member of the top political advisory body.

The Hongyun project, launched by CASIC in September 2016, has the goal of building a space-based communications network of 156 small satellites in orbit about 1,000 kilometers above the Earth. It would become operational about 2022.

[selvaarchi]

"OneSpace of China tests vertical assembly of rocket ahead of debut launch"

https://gbtimes.com/onespace-of-chin...f-debut-launch

Chinese NewSpace launch service provider OneSpace has performed a vertical assembly rehearsal of its OS-X rocket ahead of the company's debut rocket launch in June.

The vertical assembly took place in Beijing on April 11, using independently developed equipment to transport the rocket.

The test verified the function and performance of a range of equipment, including transportation and lifting systems, launch pad, as well as rocket assembly, transfer and erection processes, according to a social media release.

The OneSpace OS-X1 rocket is designed for suborbital flights to provide high-altitude research and test services. Its debut launch is planned for June, following successful tests of its solid-propellant engine in December.

[selvaarchi]

China's Taiyuan launch site might launch commercial missions.

https://gbtimes.com/taiyuan-launch-s...y?cat=business

The province home to China's Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre is exploring possibilities for opening to commercial satellite launches and establishing a commercial launch company.

Taiyuan in Shanxi Province in North China is the country's second launch site, established in 1968 after the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert, and hosts launches of government Long March launch vehicles.

Wu Zebing, deputy secretary of the Communist Party committee of the Shanxi Province Defence Science and Technology Industry Office, notes that Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre has advantages in providing launch services and the province is considering allowing commercial satellite launches at the facility, as well as government launches, China News Service reports.

A number of commercial satellite developers and launch service companies are emerging in China following the opening of the space sector to private capital.

Authorities are also exploring possibilities for establishing a commercial satellite launch company, as well as building a commercial satellite launch park, satellite and rocket equipment and test production lines.

Such moves would be part of a military-civilian integration strategy being promoted by the top levels of government.

[selvaarchi]

China's commercial company, Landspace, hope to debut of methane-liquid oxygen rocket in 2020.

https://gbtimes.com/private-chinese-...-oxygen-rocket

Chinese commercial space company Landspace is developing a rocket powered by methane-liquid oxygen engines, as well as expanding its capacity to produce space launch vehicles.

An expansion of the company's manufacturing base in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2018, which will include a research and testing facility for liquid propellant engines and launch vehicles.

Landspace will then be able to independently develop and produce methane rocket engines, according to ThePaper.cn, and be capable of producing up to 200 rocket engines and 10 rockets every year.

Landspace has previously claimed it would debut its LS-1 solid-fuelled rocket in 2018, having signed a ride-share deal with Gomspace of Denmark, a satellite maker.