Long March – Page 6 – Spaceflight Now

Experimental Chinese cargo return capsule malfunctions during re-entry

May 6, 2020 Stephen Clark

An experimental cargo return craft launched as a secondary payload on China’s powerful Long March 5B rocket malfunctioned during its return to Earth on Wednesday, while an unpiloted prototype for the country’s next-generation crew capsule continues raising its orbit before its scheduled landing Friday, Chinese officials said.

China’s first Long March 5B rocket launches on crew capsule test flight

May 5, 2020 Stephen Clark

Flying without astronauts on a demonstration flight in Earth orbit, a test model of a next-generation Chinese crew capsule lifted off Tuesday on top of a heavy-lift Long March 5B rocket, the same launcher configuration that will loft segments of China’s planned space station.

China to debut new version of powerful Long March 5 rocket this week

May 4, 2020 Stephen Clark

A prototype for China’s next-generation human-rated spacecraft — flying on a test flight without astronauts — is scheduled to ride a new version of the country’s heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket into orbit this week.

Chinese rocket fails during launch of Indonesian communications satellite

April 9, 2020 Stephen Clark

A Long March 3B rocket malfunctioned during the launch of an Indonesian communications satellite Thursday, leading to sightings of fiery debris in the skies over Guam.

China launches three military satellites

March 24, 2020 Stephen Clark

Three Chinese military satellites with undisclosed missions rocketed into a 370-mile-high orbit Tuesday on a Long March 2C launcher.

China announces failure in first launch of new Long March 7A rocket

March 16, 2020 Stephen Clark

A Chinese Long March 7A rocket failed to place a secret payload into orbit Monday, casting doubt on planned flights by the country’s other launchers that use similar engines.

China launches Beidou satellite, aims for completion of navigation network in May

March 9, 2020 Stephen Clark

A Chinese Long March 3B launcher carried a Beidou satellite into orbit Monday, adding the penultimate satellite to China’s independent navigation fleet before another mission in May completes the constellation to give it a global reach.

China launches four ‘technology experiment satellites’

February 19, 2020 Stephen Clark

A Chinese Long March 2D rocket carried four “technology experiment satellites” into orbit Wednesday from the Xichang space center in southwestern China, according to the country’s state-run media.

Prototypes for new Chinese crew capsule and space station arrive at launch site

January 24, 2020 Stephen Clark

The next flight of China’s heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket will debut a new configuration designed to launch modules for a Chinese space station. But a demonstration launch of the Long March 5B booster scheduled as soon as April will instead carry a prototype of China’s next-generation deep space crew capsule into orbit on an unpiloted test flight.

Argentine smallsats hitch ride with Chinese payloads on Long March rocket

January 15, 2020 Stephen Clark

Two Earth-imaging microsatellites built and owned by the Argentine company Satellogic launched on a Long March 2D rocket from China Wednesday, sharing a ride into orbit with two Chinese spacecraft.