china space program

Latest about china space program

illustration of a mars base, with a handful of people inside a domed habitat and a large rocket launching in the background

Where will we be in space in 2049? A look at spaceflight over the next 25 years

By Mike Wall published

The next quarter-century in space exploration could be historic, the era in which humanity finally establishes a foothold on the moon and Mars.

Launches & Spacecraft
This shaded relief image shows the moon's Shackleton Crater, a 21-km-wide crater permanently shadowed crater near the lunar south pole. The crater’s interior structure is shown in false color based on data from NASA's LRO probe. Image released June 20, 2012.

With its latest moon mission success, China's space program has the US in its sights

By Simonetta Di Pippo published

June 25 2024 marked a new "first" in the history of spaceflight.

Human Spaceflight
three panel image showing a space shuttle launch on the left, in the middle a long exposure photograph of a spacex falcon 9 rocket launch shows a stream of light across the sky and the right image shows a rocket lifting off from a launch pad.

SpaceX, the rise of China and more: How spaceflight has changed since 1999

By Andrew Jones published

Space travel has changed from government-driven missions to a dynamic, commercially driven frontier over the past 25 years, driven by advancements in technology and the rise of private companies.

Launches & Spacecraft
a white rocket launches into a blue sky.

Chinese company iSpace suffers 4th launch failure in 7 tries

By Mike Wall published

iSpace's seventh Hyperbola-1 rocket suffered an anomaly on Wednesday (July 10), dragging the launch company's success rate below 50%.

Launches & Spacecraft
A blue, white and green sphere next to an irregular grey orb followed by a white plume. The background is black and dark blue

China plans to deflect an asteroid by 2030 to showcase Earth protection skills

By Robert Lea published

China aims to launch its first planetary defense mission by 2030, to showcase the skills needed to nudge a dangerous asteroid away from Earth.

Asteroids
a white rocket launches into a night sky

China launches communications satellite on 30th mission of the year (video)

By Andrew Jones published

A Long March 7A rocket launched the ChinaSat-3A spacecraft on June 29, boosting China's geostationary communications satellite fleet.

Launches & Spacecraft
a white rocket stands upright on a launch pad

Not-so-static fire: Private Chinese rocket accidentally launches during test

By Mike Wall published

Space Pioneer's new Tianlong-3 rocket took to the skies accidentally on Sunday (June 30), then crashed back to Earth in a dramatic explosion.

Launches & Spacecraft
a robotic lander stands on a barren grey surface against a black sky.

China's Chang'e 6 probe will soon bring samples of the moon's far side to Earth — and scientists are getting excited

By Rahul Rao published

China's Chang'e 6 probe is scheduled to return to Earth on June 25, and scientists are starting to get excited about what its far side moon samples can tell us.

The moon
illustration showing a base on the moon

China selects 4th batch of astronaut candidates as part of 2030 moon landing goal

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

China has selected 10 new astronauts for training as part of its goal to put a crew on the moon by 2030, the country's human spaceflight agency announced last week.

Human Spaceflight
A depiction of China's Chang'e 6 moon lander on the far side of the moon after landing on June 2, 2024.

China lands Chang'e 6 sample-return probe on far side of the moon, a lunar success (video)

By Mike Wall published

China's robotic Chang'e 6 mission aced its landing on the moon's far side Saturday (June 1) and will soon collect samples to send home to Earth.

The moon
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