China Roundup: Tiangong cargo supply contracts awarded; Shenzhou’s 25th anniversary

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This week’s Tianzhou 8 mission has delivered supplies to the three taikonauts who recently arrived at the Tiangong Space Station on the Shenzhou 19 mission. The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has announced two commercial contracts to service the station with cargo resupply missions in the future via two new vehicle designs. Meanwhile, progress continues on new vehicles for suborbital and orbital flights in the years ahead.

The Tianzhou 8 cargo mission launched aboard a Chang Zheng 7 on Nov. 15 at 15:13 UTC from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in the Hainan Province, docking around three hours later to the aft port of the Tianhe module. The carrier was transported vertically to the pad three days before to conduct pre-launch checks and preparations. The recent typhoon Yagi disrupted the planning of this mission but did not damage the infrastructure. The Tianzhou 7 cargo craft, which launched to the Station back in January, undocked on Sunday, Nov. 10, and will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere soon.

On board the Tianzhou 8 cargo spacecraft are a number of experiments, notably some bricks made from various simulations of lunar regolith, that might be used to construct habitats on the Moon in the future. These will undergo exposure testing to understand their thermal performance and the impact that cosmic radiation might have on them over time. The first samples will be returned for further study a year from now. Compared to its two predecessors, the craft carried an additional 100 kg of cargo, bringing the payload mass to 7,500 kg.

Commercial Resupply Contracts

The CMSA is opening the Tiangong Station to the commercial sector and signed two resupply contracts at the end of October. The awarding of these contracts will enable two new low-cost cargo spacecraft designs to be developed and undergo flight verification, similar to NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services agreements. Service missions are unlikely to begin until the end of this decade. For comparison, four years passed between the awarding of NASA’s contracts and the CRS-1 mission reaching the ISS.

Render of CAS Space QingZhou expendable, low-cost cargo craft (Credit: CAS Space)

One of these contracts was awarded to CAS Space, which is majority-owned by its founder, the Chinese Academy of Sciences. CAS Space will build QingZhou — an expendable, low-cost cargo craft with a barrel design form factor that is reminiscent of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus craft. This is expected to be launched on CAS Space’s Lijian-2, also known as Kinetica-2, which is anticipated to take its maiden flight as early as next September.

Development of the Lijian-2 is well underway, with the company completing testing of the first stage this summer. The three YF-102 engines, which burn kerosene and oxygen, have since passed acceptance testing and are ready for assembly, while mechanical testing of the second-stage kerosene tank was completed last month.

The QingZhou spacecraft is anticipated to have an upward capacity of 2,750 kg and a downward waste capacity of 2,900 kg, which both exceed the contract specifications. The craft would be accompanied by other satellites in a rideshare style inside the fairing based on shared designs. The Lijian-2 is said to be able to carry up to 12,000 kg to low-Earth orbit or 8,000 kg to Sun-synchronous orbit.

Render of AVIC Haolong cargo shuttle design from a promotion video (Credit: Aviation Industry Corporation of China)

The CMSA has awarded the other cargo supply contract to the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) for its HaoLong reusable vehicle, which was designed by the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute. AVIC has experience manufacturing combat aircraft for the Chinese military, as well as components for customers such as Airbus and Boeing.

The HaoLong cargo shuttle will measure 10 m long and 8 m wide and has visual similarities to Sierra Space’s Dreamchaser. It takes the form of a reusable spaceplane that will be lofted to orbit inside a fairing and unfolds its wings on deployment. The Haolong has an aft docking and loading port, and panels that can open on orbit to reveal solar cells. With a high lift-to-drag ratio, this cargo shuttle is expected to have a large payload capacity of around 1,800 kg and would land on a runway at the completion of a mission.

Shenzhou 18 & 19

This week marks the 25th anniversary of China’s first, uncrewed, Shenzhou 1 mission for the Shenzhou spacecraft on the morning of Nov. 20, local time. This capsule remains on display at the China Science and Technology Museum in Beijing. The CMSA then launched its first crewed mission in Oct 2003 with Shenzhou 5 and has recently settled into a regular pattern of six-month missions to the Station during the 21 years that followed.

Shenzhou 18 spacecraft undocks from the Tiangong Space Station (Credit: CCTV)

The crew of Shenzhou 18 recently returned in their capsule from their rotation on the Tiangong Space Station, lasting almost 192 days. Following a handover ceremony, the spacecraft undocked on Nov. 3 at 08:12 UTC and re-entered Earth’s atmosphere nine hours later. The capsule touched down at the Dongfeng landing site under parachute after providing some incredible visuals of the re-entry for onlookers. As with the Shenzhou 16 mission, the main parachute appeared to develop a small hole, but this did not impede the capsule’s safe return, making what looked like a hard touchdown in the Gobi Desert despite the braking thrusters.

It is common for an experienced taikonaut to be complemented by two first-time flyers, and Commander Ye Guangfu recorded 374.5 cumulative days in space by the end of this mission — the first taikonaut to exceed a year in total. He also set a new record for the longest Chinese spacewalk, lasting eight and a half hours, with crewmate Li Guangsu. The pair conducted inspections and installed space debris protection shielding on the outside of the Station.

Fiery re-entry of Shenzhou-18. Propulsion module breaking apart. https://t.co/BXEAcvDMmP https://t.co/v6xbrtJBkm pic.twitter.com/EQ46Rv9c25

— China ‘N Asia Spaceflight 🚀𝕏 🛰️ (@CNSpaceflight) November 3, 2024

Shenzhou 19 Commander Cai Xuzhe will also have accumulated more than a year in space when he returns at the end of the current Shenzhou 19 rotation. His crewmates, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, are the youngest Chinese astronauts at 34 years old, with Wang becoming the third female taikonaut to reach orbit.

The Shenzhou 19 mission launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Oct. 29 at 20:27 UTC on board a Chang Zheng (CZ) 2F/G carrier. Until the planned CZ-10 comes online, the CZ-2F is China’s only active crew-rated vehicle. It was the first to be assembled and transported in the stacked vertical configuration that has subsequently been implemented with the CZ-5 and CZ-7 vehicles.

About six hours after launch, the Shenzhou spacecraft docked to the Tianhe forward-facing port of the Tiangong Space Station. In addition to the crew of three, 86 science and technology experiments flew aboard Shenzhou 19, covering the fields of medicine, material science, and other frontier research. Studies include the structural analysis of protein crystals in microgravity, the low equilibrium dynamics of soft matter, and the physiological, molecular, and biological effects of space radiation and weightlessness.

Chang Zheng vehicles

Following a pause due to typhoon Yagi, rehearsals of the Chang Zheng 8 at the new Hainan commercial spaceport resumed in early November. The same typhoon also delayed the launch of the Tianzhou 8 cargo craft.

The first CZ-8 to launch from the new site is still expected to carry a batch of Qianfan — or ‘Thousand Sails’ — satellites into the G60 constellation, which have so far been lofted by CZ-6A vehicles from Taiyuan. Each satellite is suspected to weigh around 300 kg, and up to four more batches are expected before the end of the year. CAS Space contributed to research work on the unlocking and separation mechanism used to release the stacked satellites.

Chang Zheng 8 during rehearsals at the Hainan commercial spaceport (Credit: Hainan Commercial Development Center)

The Zhuhai Airshow in southern China has presented an opportunity to preview new and updated spacecraft designs , some of which have gone through various iterations since their original announcement. The Chang Zheng 9 is a great example of this and has previously been portrayed with a notably different, expendable, design with four side boosters, burning liquid kerosene and oxygen.

The latest two-stage version of the super heavy lift vehicle design increasingly resembles Starship Super Heavy, with flaps now added to the second stage since the 2022 iteration, and plans for the vehicle to be entirely reusable. Earlier video animations showed an adjustable net approach to catching the booster on its return, whereas images emerging from the show suggest this has shifted to a design with two parallel rails now.

👀 Newly leaked photos of Zhuhai Airshow show that Long March 9’s first stage will be caught by a tower. But different from SpaceX’s chopsticks, it’s like a gantry crane.
1st launch with reusable 1st stage targeted for 2030
fully reusable 2-stage version 2033~2035 https://t.co/OdRGnoFSQY pic.twitter.com/7In7pEnp9w

— China ‘N Asia Spaceflight 🚀𝕏 🛰️ (@CNSpaceflight) November 9, 2024

The first stage is powered by 30 YF-215 engines burning liquid methane and oxygen, which are anticipated to approach 75% of the current Starship Super Heavy’s thrust and be capable of lifting around 150,000 kg into low-Earth orbit. The vehicle is expected to measure 114 m in height and 10.6 m in diameter. The CZ-9 is likely to debut no earlier than the start of the next decade, when work is also anticipated to begin on the International Lunar Research Station, which the carrier would help to construct.

The Chang Zheng 10, also on display, will be China’s second human-rated launch vehicle. It will carry the Mengzhou crewed lunar spacecraft and the Lanyue crewed lunar lander separately on future missions — the pair would then rendezvous in lunar orbit. Prototyping and testing of the vehicle are expected around 2028, ahead of a launch before the end of the decade.

Chang Zheng 10 three-core variation from animated promotion video (Credit: CCTV/CASC)

Previously known as the CZ-5G during early development, the CZ-10 will be based around the larger 5 m diameter core already used on the CZ-5 — the largest in the current active fleet. The long-proven CZ-2F has reliably carried crew to orbit since 2003 and has a 3.35 m diameter limitation on its core stage. This is imposed on a number of older generation vehicles by the logistics of transporting the launchers through rail tunnels to the inland launch sites.

A two-stage single-core CZ-10A variant has also been displayed at the Zhuhai show. This will service the Tiangong Station for cargo as well as crewed missions and is expected to launch first in 2026, with the CZ-10 following the year after.

A render of one of two lunar rover designs chosen by the CMSA for prototype development (Credit SAST/CAST)

The CMSA has also recently selected designs for two lunar rover proposals, which will now go into a prototyping phase before a final review when one will be chosen. Designs from the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST) and China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) both made it through.

Suborbital spacecraft

AZSpace has released an image of its planned D6A suborbital spacecraft. The company has previously launched its DEAR-1 and DEAR-7 prototypes of reusable cargo spacecraft, amongst other suborbital tests, although little is known about the D6A. The company is currently focusing on the final stages of testing its B300-L series cargo craft, which is due to take its maiden flight before the end of the year.

Capsule designs left to right: Deep Blue Aerospace Rocketaholic, AZSpace D6A, InterstellOr CYZ1 — not to scale (Credit: Deep Blue Aerospace, AZSpace, InterstellOr)

This follows news that Deep Blue Aerospace has begun accepting reservations for its own first crewed suborbital flight in 2027 and a live broadcast in which seats were said to have sold out in four minutes. Deep Blue’s Rocketaholic capsule plans to take six passengers and will travel to an altitude of between 100 and 150 km. Measuring around 3.5 m in diameter, it is also anticipated to be reused up to 50 times.

The first crewed flights would typically last 10 to 15 minutes with around six minutes of weightlessness. Flights are expected to begin once the Xingyun-1, also known as the Nebula-1, has proven itself with enoguh flights and landings. The next vertical take and vertical landing (VTVL) test flight of the prototype is now expected in December, targeting 5 km, with another targeting 100 km in February.

The new space tourism startup InterstellOr has also emerged this month with a 5 m diameter CYZ1 suborbital crewed spacecraft, claiming a 20 to 30-minute experience for up to seven passengers. The company plans to bring the craft to market within the next three to four years, with up to six minutes of weightlessness as it crosses the Kármán line. Ambitious plans on the roadmap include two additional spacecraft that would carry passengers to future space hotels, space stations, and beyond.

Render of Cosmoleap’s Yueqian reusable rocket lands at a recovery tower — from a promotional animation (Credit: Cosmoleap)

Cosmoleap

Cosmoleap, formerly known as the Beijing Dahang Transition Technology Company, has recently completed a funding round, raising 100 million Yuan (approximately $14m). The company will invest this into its Yueqian reusable vehicle and recovery tower, and plans to exploit the advantages of being a latecomer to leverage the supply chain boom benefits the wider liquid rocket industry in China. A new animated video focuses on the booster landing at a tower with chopsticks, which bears more than a passing resemblance to the infrastructure and landing profile of SpaceX’s Starship program.

Measuring 75 m tall — smaller in height than the full Starship-Super Heavy stack — the ambitious company plans to send the vehicle on its maiden test flight as early as 2026. A prototype of the recovery tower is already in development and was shown in a video that has emerged in the last week. The Yueqian, which translates to ‘jump’ or ‘leap,’ will be powered by liquid methane and oxygen and has a 4 m diameter fairing. Rather than having its sights set on the colonization of Mars, this vehicle is set to capitalize on the demand to build Chinese mega-constellations.

Cosmoleap recovery tower in development (Credit: Cosmoleap)

Recent Launches

Chang Zheng 6 | Tianping 3

Marking China’s 50th launch of 2024, a Chang Zheng 6 (CZ-6) rocket took flight from LC-16 at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the Shanxi Province of China on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 00:10 UTC. On board were the Tianping-3A(01), B(01), and B(02) satellites, which will be used by ground-based services as orbital radar calibration targets and will also assist with orbital prediction model refinement. This single-core CZ-6 launch vehicle burns liquid kerosene and oxygen and has been active since 2015. It has launched 12 times to date, most recently with Geely’s Future Mobility Constellation Group 3.

Chang Zheng 2C | Yaogan 43 Group 03

A Chang Zheng 2C carried another batch of remote sensing satellites for the Chinese military. Liftoff took place from pad LC-3 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 01:09 UTC. Standing 42 m tall with a 3.35 m wide fairing, the long-established CZ-2C has been active since 1982 and has 78 missions under its belt.

Chang Zheng 2F/G | Shenzhou 19

As noted above, China launched three taikonauts to the Tiangong Space Station on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 20:27:31 UTC. Serving as the 14th crewed flight of the Shenzhou program, the mission lifted off from Site 901 (SLS-1) at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, following a wet dress rehearsal three days before. Leading the mission is commander Cai Xuzhe, a veteran taikonaut who previously flew on Shenzhou 14 in 2022. Flying alongside him are Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, the first female aerospace engineer on the Tiangong Space Station, both on their first spaceflight.

Chang Zheng 2C lifts off from Site 9401 at Jiuquan with PIESAT-2 01-04 payload (Credit: CCTV)

Chang Zheng 2C | PIESAT-2 01-04

A Chang Zheng 2C (CZ-2C) rocket launched into Sun-synchronous orbit from Site 9401, also known as SLS-2, of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 03:39 UTC. The payload onboard was confirmed as being four X-band synthetic aperture radar, or SAR, remote observation satellites for the Chinese company PIESAT. This is a second batch, which will complement the four similar satellites that were previously launched in March 2023 from Taiyuan. Two more launches are anticipated in the next four months, bringing the constellation up to 16 satellites in total.

Lijian 1 | 15 Satellites

CAS Space’s Lijian 1, also known as Kinetica 1, launched from Site 130 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Nov. 11 at 04:03 UTC. On board were 15 satellites, primarily for urban planning, agriculture, and weather monitoring, CAS noted. They include the Jilin-1 Gaofen-05B, Pingtai 02A03, Yunyao-1 31~36, Shiyan-26 A,B & C, Xiguang-1 04 & 05, IRSS-1/OL-1, Tianyan-24 and the Omani IRSS-1/OL-1 remote sensing satellite for an international client.

Lijiuan-1 lifts off from Jiuquan on its previous Y4 mission in September (Credit: CAS Space)

This was the fifth flight of the four-stage launch vehicle overall, which uses solid propellants and measures 31 m high with a 3.35 m diameter fairing. The company plans to launch one more Lijian 1 before the end of the year.

Chang Zheng 4C | Haiyang-4 01

A Chang Zheng 4C (CZ-4C) launched from LC-9 at Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center on Nov. 13, at 22:50 UTC. This was the third flight for a CZ-4C this year and the 56th launch overall since it made its debut in 2006. This mission used grid fins to control the expendable first stage’s decent — it is understood that these have only been used five times in the past on this vehicle. As with most launches from Taiyuan, the payload headed into a Sun-synchronous orbit. Haiyang-4 01 is a high-precision ocean salinity detection satellite that will improve marine and ecological forecasting. Data captured will also support climate prediction, studying the impacts of oceanic climate changes, meteorology, and disaster mitigation. Coincidentally, a CZ-4C rocket body was seen re-entering over Iran this week which had lofted five Gaofen 12 satellites from Taiyuan almost exactly five years prior.

(Lead image: Render of the HaoLong Space Cargo Shuttle departing the Tiangong Space Station. Credit: Aviation Industry Corporation of China)