Page 2 - China Space Programme News Today

It marks first time a satellite made in China is shipped to European Space Agency, and for a Chinese team to help assemble and test at an ESA facility.

The exodus of ethnic Chinese from the US continues as renowned scientists such as Yan Ning and Yau Shing-Tung return to institutions at home.

Lobster Eye Imager for Astronomy (LEIA) took high-quality images of X-ray sources, including the centre of our galaxy, Magellanic Clouds and Scorpius constellation.

Developed by Landspace and known as the Zhuque-2, it’s expected to be launched between December 4 and 15 from the Gobi Desert, according to source.

The images from the James Webb telescope have energised the scientific community. Meanwhile, China’s space programme is making rapid progress, and its Xuntian telescope, with its massive field of vision, could find synergies with the US facility.

China on Sunday launched the second of three modules needed to complete its new space station, state media reported, the latest step in Beijing's ambitious space programme.

The solar space station aims at converting solar energy into electricity and microwaves. The energy can be used to power the moving satellites in orbit.

According to reports, China intends to return Mars samples to Earth in 2031, two years ahead of NASA and European Space Agency's joint project. China's Tianwen-1 had started sending pictures of Mars in February last year. The rover had begun exploring the red planet in May 2021. Sun Zezhou who is the chief designer of Tianwen-1, reportedly presented China's ambitious plan during a presentation.

Source says crew of three will blast off from the Gobi Desert on Sunday and will include Liu Yang, who was the first Chinese woman in space.

The cargo vessel is carrying supplies for the next crew’s six-month stay, along with research equipment and spare parts for maintaining the station.