CASC – Spaceflight Now

China to begin construction of space station this year

January 10, 2021

The core section of China’s space station is scheduled to launch in the next several months, the first of 11 missions carrying lab elements, cargo, and astronauts to the fledgling outpost over the next two years, according to Chinese space program officials.

China launches secret military spy payload

December 27, 2020

A secret Chinese military payload, believed to be a surveillance satellite, successfully flew into space Sunday aboard a Long March 4C rocket on China’s 39th and final scheduled orbital launch attempt of the year.

China’s next-generation crew spacecraft lands after unpiloted test flight

May 8, 2020

A next-generation Chinese capsule designed to carry astronauts to the country’s planned space station, and eventually the moon, wrapped up a nearly three-day unpiloted orbital test flight Friday with a landing in northwestern China.

Three Gaofen Earth observation satellites launched by China

April 3, 2018

China has launched its 10th space mission of the year, deploying three civilian-operated Earth observation satellites with cameras to help monitor natural disasters, survey natural resources and assist in infrastructure planning.

China’s Tianzhou 1 cargo carrier docks with space lab in orbit

April 22, 2017

Less than two days after launching from southern China, the Tianzhou 1 supply ship glided to an automated linkup with the Chinese Tiangong 2 space laboratory around 240 miles above Earth on Saturday, ready for several months of technical demonstrations to prepare for assembly of a space station in the next few years.