Category: Technology

China’s 15-ton reusable liquid oxygen-methane engine JD-1 completed a key secondary start test on Wednesday. 
The completion of the test makes JD-1 the first engine of its kind to achieve a restart function and marks a key breakthrough in vertical landing rocket technology, according to a reply sent by the Beijing-based engine developer i-Space to the Global Times on Thursday.
The vertical landing technology has high technical requirements for the rocket’s power system. A core technology allows for the second start of the engine, the engine’s ability to start and work normally in high altitude after its first normal shutdown.
“The reusable rocket has a high demand on its engine, which has to kick off twice during the take-off and landing processes. The test is of huge significance to the development of reusable rockets,” 
“It is likely China will be the second country to acquire reusable launch technology after the US,” 
The engine is powered with liquid oxygen-methane, a low-cost and clean fuel, and is designed to be used up to 30 times, which can save more than 70 percent in rocket manufacturing costs, according to the developer.
The engine will be assembled onboard the reusable liquid oxygen-methane carrier rocket Hyperbola-2, said a power system engineer with i-Space, noting that the test laid a solid foundation for the launch of the rocket.
The rocket, with a take-off weight of 90 tons, is capable of sending 1.9-ton payloads into low-Earth orbit and is expected to be launched for the first time in 2021.
The next technological breakthrough will be in precise guidance and control technology, and the selection and planning of landing sites.

Research and development for the first batch of key equipment for the world’s most powerful electron collider, the Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC), in China, has made solid progress. Wang Yifang, director of the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP), under the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, who is also a deputy to the National People’s Congress, made the comments. The overall development of the CEPC project is moving forward smoothly, with some of the first batch of equipment reaching design standards.

Klystron is among the first batch of key equipment for the super-sized collider, which scored a 60 percent efficiency in the prototype test earlier this year, reaching world advanced levels, up from below 50 percent, according to Wang. Wang’s team aims to produce an even better version of the klystron with 80 percent efficiency this year. The location for the CEPC has yet to be determined, Wang noted.

The CEPC project will reportedly cost 35 billion yuan ($5.05 billion) and will have a circumference of 100 kilometers, with center-mass energy of up to 240 giga electron-volts, both setting a world record. Chinese scientists are eyeing the completion for CEPC construction by 2030.

The conceptual design for the CEPC passed international inspections in September 2019. Scientists from the US, Europe and Japan have participated in designing the project, and will work on the building process and conduct research with the collider.

The Large Hadron Collider, the Swiss project near Geneva, is currently the world’s largest and most powerful particle collider and reportedly the largest machine in the world. In a bid to maximize the project’s service life, scientists are mulling upgrading the electron positron collider in around 2040 into a proton collider, Wang noted. By then, the center-mass energy for the CEPC will have reached about 100 tera electron-volts, seven times as powerful as the Switzerland’s project, Wang said.

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has brought risks of suspension and delay in implementing procurement contracts for some equipment for large-scale projects due to adjustments in budgeting plans. Wang suggested that legal entities engaged in major project construction should be allowed to raise funds through multiple channels or borrow other funds to ensure that construction tasks are completed on schedule.

Wang revealed that another IHEP project, the cosmic ray observation station on an area equivalent to 200 soccer fields in the wilderness of Daocheng, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, 4,400 meters above sea level, has been affected by budget cuts.

The Shenyang Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences 中科院沈阳自动化研究所 developed the “Exploration 1000” 探索1000 underwater robot to complete 35 hours in sea trial, obtained a number of polar ocean data. This is the first time an underwater robot has operated at high Antarctic latitudes for extended periods of time.

“Deep Sea 01″深海01 is a hazardous materials emergency command vessel that can be used for monitoring, surveillance, accident response and personnel rescue in the area of LNG and other hazardous gases emergency at sea. It is also the first law enforcement official ship in the world to adopt a micro-positive pressure maintenance system in the cabin to monitor, supervise and navigate in the LNG proliferation zone.
The length of the ship is 78 meters, width 12.8 meters, depth 5.5 meters, design draft 3.4 meters and full load displacement 1,450 tons.The ship uses 3 diesel gensets (3X2080 kW) plus 2 lithium iron phosphate power batteries (2X750 kWh) “oil-electric” hybrid propulsion, dual full-swing pod thrusters, with DP 1 power positioning function. The ship has a crew of 60, a design speed of 18 knots, wind resistance class 12, and a range of 1000 nautical miles. The helicopter landing platform can be used for the landing and take-off of the domestic rescue helicopter at sea. Equipped with advanced equipment such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) gas detection system, ship air pollutant emission detection system, sea surface oil spill monitoring radar, X-band explosion-proof radar and underwater robot (ROV), the ship employs a comprehensive information system that combines maritime law enforcement, emergency command and ship management.
The ship was financed by the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government, and constructed by the Shenzhen Maritime Bureau. “Deep Sea 01” will be officially commissioned in 2020., will be responsible for the safety supervision, oil spill surveillance, atmospheric monitoring and accident emergency response in Guangdong water, including Hong Kong, Macao and the Greater Bay Area.

The National Astronomical Observatory installed the 70-meter Mars antenna reflector in Tianjin Wuqing 天津武清 yesterday 4-25-20. The largest single aperture fully movable antenna in Asia, provides a solid foundation for China’s deep space exploration. The high performance receiving antenna with a total weight of about 2,700 tons, 72 meters high, the diameter of the main reflecting surface is 70 meter, composed of 16 laps of 1328 high-precision panels, has an area equivalent to nine basketball courts.

https://bit.ly/2zwZTHM?fbclid=IwAR33fagcq6CMDKPADLTBBdB3CG9tBMXC3yyO1e9OGz3ZIdDstCsGEjcmHCs A 5G LEO (low earth orbit) satellite by Beijing-based commercial satellite company Galaxy Space passed the test of a 3-minute-video call by connecting to the WiFi hotspots provided by the satellite terminal. The picture is clear and the response is swift.

As many satellite startups plan to launch small satellites into low-Earth orbit (LEO) to provide global broadband internet services, a Chinese satellite provider now suggests the use of 5G speeds for the purpose.

The call comes as China attaches more importance to the development of the satellite-enabled mobile internet and includes the area in its “new infrastructure” construction plan, which could offer both short-term relief and a long-term boost to the economy.

Beijing-based private aerospace company Galaxy Space recently held an experimental 3-minute video call by connecting to Wi-Fi hotspots provided by a satellite terminal. Galaxy Space launched China’s first LEO 5G broadband satellite that went into orbit earlier this year.

The clear picture and swift response in the video call on Friday proved that the LEO 5G broadband satellite developed by the private startup is reliable, while a race between the world’s top economic superpowers to roll out 5G networks goes on. 

The National Development and Reform Commission included the satellite internet into the “new infrastructure” list on April 20, ramping up its efforts to develop the technology.