B-Space

TILMAN ARETZ’S BLOG [http://taretz.blogspot.com]———The space program of the PRC

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The space program of the PRC

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 Different projects in the PRC space program ........................................................................... 2 Carrier rockets .............................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Spacecrafts: Shenzhou ................................................................................................................................................................ 2 Space station: Tiangong ............................................................................................................................................................. 3 Lunar probes: Chang’e ............................................................................................................................................................... 3 Mars probes: Yinghuo ................................................................................................................................................................ 3 Weather satellites: Fengyun ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 Positioning satellites: Beidou ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Relay satellites: Tianlian .............................................................................................................................................................. 4 Telecommunications satellites ................................................................................................................................................... 4 Dongfang Hong .................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Xinnuo .................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Yatai and Zhongxing ............................................................................................................................................................ 5 Earth observation satellites ....................................................................................................................................................... 5 Gaofen .................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Haiyang and Huanjing ......................................................................................................................................................... 6 Yaogan .................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Ziyuan ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Scientific probes and technological laboratories .................................................................................................................... 7 Shijian and Tance .................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Chuangxin and Shiyan ......................................................................................................................................................... 7 Others ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 7 Tianhui .................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Tiantuo ................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Foreign/commercial satellites successfully launched into space from the PRC ........................................................ 8 Satellite launch centers in the PRC .......................................................................................... 8 Chronological list of successful launches from JSLC, TSLC, and XSLC ......................................................................... 9 PRC astronauts ...................................................................................................................... 10 Ethnic Chinese astronauts on non-PRC missions............................................................................................................... 10 Timeline/chronology of major events ..................................................................................... 10

Introduction

In its ambition to become a global superpower, the People’s Republic of China (Zhonghua renmin gongheguo 中華人民

共和國, abbrev. PRC) has been developing an increasingly sophisticated space program, including manned missions.

The origins of these activities can be traced back to the 1950s when the PRC strived for building up a nuclear arsenal

and constructing ballistic missiles to deliver their deadly payload. Today, the different types of “Long March” carrier

rockets (yunzai huojian 運載火箭) have proved sufficiently reliable in launching satellites and spacecrafts.

The variety of spacecrafts and satellites deployed by the PRC is equally impressive. Besides their spacecrafts (zai-

ren hangtai 載人航太) and space station (kongjianzhan 空間站) there are weather satellites (qixiang weixing 氣象衛星),

positioning satellites (dingwei weixing 定位衛星), relay satellites (zhongduan weixing 中繼衛星), telecommunications

satellites (tongxun guangbo weixing 通信廣播衛星), Earth observation satellites (duidi guance weixing 對地觀測衛星),

scientific probes and technological laboratories (kexue tance yu jishu shiyan weixing 科學探測與技術試驗衛星), even

lunar probes (yueqiu tance月球探測) and Mars probes (huoxing tance 火星探測) have been launched. This file provides

a glance at the development of the PRC’s space program and briefly explains its different projects.


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Under the PRC State Council (guowuyuan 國務院) the following agencies were in charge of the developing space

program: 1982–1988 Ministry of Space Industry (hangtian gongyebu 航天工業部), 1988–1993 Ministry of Aviation

and Space Industries (hangkong hangtai gongyebu 航空航太工業部), and since 1993 the China National Space Ad-

ministration (guojia hangtianju 國家航天局, abbrev. CNSA) under the Ministry of Industry and Information Tech-

nology (gongye han xinxihuabu 工業和信息化部, abbrev. gongxinbu 工信部 in Chinese and MIIT in English). Another

important institution is the Chinese Academy of Space Technology (Zhongguo kongjian jishu yanjiuyuan 中國空間技術

研究院, abbrev. CAST).

Different projects in the PRC space program

★ CARRIER ROCKETS

Name in English ................ Name in Chinese ................................................... Code Fengbao-1 ...................................fengbao yihao 風暴一號 ...................................................... FB-1

Long March I .............................changzheng yihao 長征一號 ................................................ CZ-1 / CZ-I

Long March II ...........................changzheng erhao 長征二號 ................................................ CZ-2 / CZ-II

Long March III .........................changzheng sanhao 長征三號 .............................................. CZ-3 / CZ-III

Long March IV ..........................changzheng sihao 長征四號 ................................................. CZ-4 / CZ-IV

Long March 2C .........................changzheng erhao bing 長征二號丙 .................................... CZ-2C

Long March 2D .........................changzheng erhao ding 長征二號丁 .................................... CZ-2D

Long March 2E .........................changzheng erhao kunbangshi 長征二號捆綁式 ............... CZ-2E

Long March 2F ..........................changzheng erhao ji 長征二號己 ........................................ CZ-2F

Long March 3A .........................changzheng sanhao jia 長征三號甲 .................................... CZ-3A

Long March 3B .........................changzheng sanhao yi 長征三號乙 ..................................... CZ-3B

Long March 3C .........................changzheng sanhao bing 長征三號丙 .................................. CZ-3C

Long March 4B .........................changzheng sihaoyi 長征四號乙 ......................................... CZ-4B

Long March 4C .........................changzheng sihaobing 長征四號丙 ...................................... CZ-4C

★ SPACECRAFTS: SHENZHOU

“Shenzhou” (神舟), meaning “divine craft” in English, stands for a series of unmanned and manned spacecrafts. All

of them were launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) in Gansu Province on Long March 2F (CZ-2F)

carrier rockets. The landing area for the spacecrafts’ return to earth is Siziwang 四子王 in Inner Mongolia.

Mission Crew Launch date Signed off Duration Orbits Shenzhou-1 [神舟一號] — 1999, Nov. 20 1999, Nov. 21 21 hours 11 minutes 14

Shenzhou-2 [神舟二號] — 2001, Jan. 10 2001, Jan. 16 7 days 10 hours 22 minutes 117

Shenzhou-3 [神舟三號] — 2002, March 25 2002, April 1 6 days 18 hours 51 minutes 107

Shenzhou-4 [神舟四號] — 2002, Dec. 29 2003, Jan. 5 6 days 18 hours 36 minutes 108

Shenzhou-5 [神舟五號] 1 2003, Oct. 15 2003, Oct. 16 21 hours 22 minutes 14

Shenzhou-6 [神舟六號] 2 2005, Oct. 12 2005, Oct. 16 4 days 19 hours 32 minutes 76

Shenzhou-7 [神舟七號] 3 2008, Sept. 25 2008, Sept. 28 2 days 20 hours 28 minutes 45

Shenzhou-8 [神舟八號] — 2011, Nov. 1 2011, Nov. 17 6 days 13 hours 34 minutes 262

Shenzhou-9 [神舟九號] 3 2012, June 16 2012, June 29 12 days, 15 hours, 28 minutes N/A

Shenzhou-10 [神舟十號] 3 2013, June 11 2013, June 26 14 days, 14 hours, 29 minutes N/A


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★ SPACE STATION: TIANGONG

“Tiangong” (天宮), meaning “heavenly palace” in English, was used as name for the PRC’s first orbital space

laboratory: Tiangong-1 (tiangong yihao 天宮一號). It was launched on Sept. 29, 2011 from JSLC on a Long March 2F

carrier rocket. Two successful docking maneuvers were conducted in 2011 by remote-control with unmanned Shen-

zhou-8 on Nov. 3 and Nov. 14; two successful docking maneuvers took place in 2012 with manned Shenzhou-9—on

June 18 (automated) and on June 24 (manual docking). The distance between Earth and Tiangong-1 is 343 km.

★ LUNAR PROBES: CHANG’E

“Chang’e” (嫦娥) is the name of the goddess of the Moon in Chinese mythology and stands for a project with lunar

probes launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC) in Sichuan Province. “Chang’e I Lunar Satellite”

(chang’e yihao yueqiu tance weixing 嫦娥一號月球探測衛星) was launched from on Oct. 24, 2007 on a Long March 3A

carrier rocket and entered the moon’s orbit on Nov. 5. At the end of a 16-month moon-mapping mission it crashed

into the moon in a controlled collision on March 1, 2009. Chang’e II (chang’e erhao 嫦娥二號) was launched on Oct. 1,

2010 on a Long March 3C carrier rocket and stayed on a lunar orbit from Oct. 6, 2010 to June 8, 2011. On Dec. 13,

2012 it flew by asteroid 4179 Toutatis and has become since a deep-space exploration mission. Chang’e III (chang’e

sanhao 嫦娥三號) was launched on Dec. 2, 2013 on a Long March 3B carrier rocket for first lunar rover mission

named “Jade Rabbit” (yutu 玉兔).

★ MARS PROBES: YINGHUO

Yinghuo 1 (yinghuo yihao 螢火一號) was an unsuccessful bid by the PRC to send a probe to Mars; “yinghuo” (螢火)

means “fairy light” in English. It was launched on Nov. 9, 2011 by a Zenit-2 booster rocket from Russian-leased

Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan together with Russia’s unmanned Phobos-Grunt probe. The vehicle veered

off course after reaching earth orbit, attempts to fire its engines for the journey to Mars failed in the following days,

and eventually it was declared lost on Nov. 17, 2011 by the CNSA. The probe was destroyed on Jan. 15, 2012 during

its fiery re-entry in the Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrated over the Pacific Ocean.

★ WEATHER SATELLITES: FENGYUN

“Fengyun” (風雲), meaning “wind and clouds” in English, stands for a series of weather satellites.

Four satellites of the Fengyun-1 series, all launched from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (TSLC) in Shanxi

Province, their names in Chinese being FY-1A = 風雲一號Ａ, FY-1B = 風雲一號Ｂ, FY-1C = 風雲一號Ｃ, and

FY-1D = 風雲一號Ｄ.

Mission Launch date CZ- Remarks Mission Launch date CZ- Remarks FY-1A 1988, Sept. 7 IV failed after 39 days FY-1C 1999, May 10 4B operational 7+ years

FY-1B 1990, Sept. 3 IV failed after 165 days FY-1D 2002, May 15 4B operational 10 years

Satellites from the Fengyun-2 series, all launched from XSLC. Please note that FY-2-01 was not launched

because an accidental explosion on April 2, 1994 destroyed the satellite while it was being tested at XSLC, one

worker was tragically killed in the inferno.

Fengyun-2 mission Launch date CZ- Fengyun-2 mission Launch date CZ- FY-2-01 [風雲二號 01 星] — — FY-2-05 [風雲二號 05 星]/FY-2D 2006, Dec. 8 3A

FY-2-02 [風雲二號 02 星]/FY-2A 1997, June 17 III FY-2-06 [風雲二號 06 星]/FY-2E 2008, Dec. 23 3A

FY-2-03 [風雲二號 03 星]/FY-2B 2000, June 25 III FY-2-07 [風雲二號 07 星]/FY-2F 2012, Jan. 13 3A

FY-2-04 [風雲二號 04 星]/FY-2C 2004, Oct. 19 3A

A weather satellite named Fengyun-3 (fengyun sanhao 風雲三號) was launched on May 7, 2008 from TSLC on a

Long March 4C carrier rocket.


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★ POSITIONING SATELLITES: BEIDOU

“Beidou” (北斗), referring to the Chinese word of the Big Dipper asterism (beidou qixing 北斗七星), stands for Bei-

dou Navigation System (beidou daohang xitong 北斗導航系統), an alternative to the GPS network, aka Compass

Navigation Satellite System (beidou weixing daohang xitong 北斗衛星導航系統, abbrev. CNSS).

Beidou-1 was a regional positioning system covering the Greater China area for which four satellites were

launched from XSLC on CZ-3A carrier rockets—Beidou-1A on Oct. 31, 2000; Beidou-1B on Dec. 21, 2000;

Beidou-1C on May 25, 2003; and Beidou-1D on Feb. 3, 2007. The fourth satellite veered off its course and failed.

Beidou-2 is a system with global coverage. So far, 16 satellites were launched from XSLC (on two occasions two

on the same rocket):

No. Satellite Launch date CZ- No. Satellite Launch date CZ- 1 Compass-M1 2007, April 14 3A 9 Compass-IGSO4 2011, July 27 3A

2 Compass-G2 2009, April 15 3C 10 Compass-IGSO5 2011, Dec. 2 3A

3 Compass-G1 2010, Jan. 17 3C 11 Compass-G5 2012, Feb. 25 3C

4 Compass-G3 2010, June 2 3C 12 Compass-M3 2012, April 30 3B

5 Compass-IGSO1 2010, Aug. 1 3A 13 Compass-M4 " "

6 Compass-G4 2010, Nov. 1 3C 14 Compass-M5 2012, Sept. 19 3B

7 Compass-IGSO2 2010, Dec. 18 3A 15 Compass-M6 " "

8 Compass-IGSO3 2011, April 10 3A 16 Compass-G2R 2012, Oct. 25 3C

★ RELAY SATELLITES: TIANLIAN

Tianlian 1 (tianlian yihao 天鏈一號) is the name for a program of tracking and data relay satellites which were

launched from XSLC on Long March 3C carrier rockets. According to Xinhua News Agency, the PRC’s first data

relay satellite network was complete after the launch of Tianlian I-03 (tianlian yihao lingsan 天鏈一號 03). “Tianlian”

(天鏈) literally means “heavenly chain” in English.

Satellite Launch date Satellite Launch date Satellite Launch date Tianlian I-01 2008, April 25 Tianlian I-02 2011, July 11 Tianlian I-03 2012, July 25

★ TELECOMMUNICATIONS SATELLITES

There are several series of telecommunications satellites in the PRC, notable Dongfang Hong, Xinnuo, Yatai, and

Zhongxing. Listing them can be confusing sometimes because occasionally satellites were taken over by a different

company and then renamed.

Dongfang Hong “Dongfang Hong” (東方紅), meaning “the east is red” in English, was used as name for telecommunications

satellites. Dongfang Hong-1 was the first satellite ever to be launched by the PRC and served propaganda purposes.

The satellites Dongfang Hong-2A 2 to Dongfang Hong-2A 5 were also named ChinaSat 1 to ChinaSat 4. Dongfang

Hong-2A 5 was lost when the upper stage of the CZ-III carrier rocket failed to reignite.

Mission —aka— Launch date Launch site CZ- Dongfang Hong-1 [東方紅 1 號] / DFH-1 1970, April 24 JSLC I

Dongfang Hong-2 [東方紅 2 號] / DFH-2 1984, April 8 XSLC III

Dongfang Hong-2A 1 [東方紅二號甲-1] / DFH-2 A1 1986, Feb. 1 XSLC III

Dongfang Hong-2A 2 [東方紅二號甲-2] / DFH-2 A2 ChinaSat 1 1988, March 7 XSLC III

Dongfang Hong-2A 3 [東方紅二號甲-3] / DFH-2 A3 ChinaSat 2 1988, Dec. 22 XSLC III

Dongfang Hong-2A 4 [東方紅二號甲-4] / DFH-2 A4 ChinaSat 3 1990, Feb. 4 XSLC III

Dongfang Hong-2A 5 [東方紅二號甲-5] / DFH-2 A5 ChinaSat 4 1991, Dec. 28 XSLC III

Dongfang Hong-3 1 [東方紅三號 1] / DFH-3 1 1994, Nov. 29 XSLC 3A


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Dongfang Hong-3 2 [東方紅三號 2] / DFH-3 2 ChinaSat 6 1997, May 12 XSLC 3A

Dongfang Hong-4 [東方紅四號] / DFH-4 ChinaSat 6A 2010, Sept. 4 XSLC 3B

Xinnuo “Xinnuo” (鑫諾) is the phonetic form for “Sino” in Chinese, and the satellites of the Xinnuo series—dubbed “Sino

Satellite” (abbrev. SinoSat)—are broadcast and communications satellites, mostly for satellite TV. The launch site for

the six satellites of this project was XSLC, but Xinnuo-4 never made it into space; originally scheduled to be

launched in 2008, lift-off was first postponed to early 2009 and then to 2011, albeit no launch has been reported so

far.

Mission Abbrev. Launch date CZ- Mission Abbrev. Launch date CZ- Xinnuo-1 [鑫諾一號] SinoSat-1 1998, July 18 3B Xinnuo-4 [鑫諾四號] SinoSat-4 — —

Xinnuo-2 [鑫諾二號] SinoSat-2 2006, Oct. 29 3B Xinnuo-5 [鑫諾五號] SinoSat-5 2011, June 21 3B

Xinnuo-3 [鑫諾三號] SinoSat-3 2007, June 1 3A Xinnuo-6 [鑫諾六號] SinoSat-6 2010, Sept. 5 3B

Yatai and Zhongxing The Yatai and Zhongxing series are telecommunications satellites. “Yatai” (亞太) is the Chinese abbreviation for

Asia-Pacific, and “Zhongxing” (中星) is an abbreviation for China Satellite, therefore Zhongxing satellites are

sometimes called ChinaSat. Zhongxing-7 (Zhongxing qihao 中星 7 號, aka ChinaSat 7) was launched on Aug. 18, 1996

from XSLC on CZ-III but failed to reach the correct orbit due to underperformance of the carrier rocket, and

Zhongxing-8 was launched from Kourou/Guyana on Ariane-5ECA.

Mission —aka— Launch date Launch site CZ- Yatai 1 [亞太一號] 1994, July 21 XSLC III

Yatai-2R [亞太 2R] Zhongxing-5A / Xinnuo-3 2007, June 1 XSLC 3A

Yatai-6 [亞太六號衛星] 2005, April 12 XSLC 3B

Yatai-7 [亞太七號衛星] 2012, March 31 XSLC 3B

Zhongxing-1 [中星一號] DFH-2A 2 1988, March 7 XSLC III

Zhongxing-1A (= ChinaSat 1A) [中星 1A] 2011, Sept. 19 XSLC 3B

Zhongxing-2 [中星二號] DFH-2A 3 1988, Dec. 22 XSLC III

Zhongxing-2A [中星 2A] 2012, May 27 XSLC 3B

Zhongxing-3 [中星三號] DFH-2A 4 1990, Feb. 4 XSLC III

Zhongxing-4 [中星四號] DFH-2A 5 1991, Dec. 28 XSLC III

Zhongxing-5A [中星 5A] Zhongwei-1 1998, May 30 XSLC 3B

Zhongxing-5B [中星 5B] Xinnuo-1 1998, July 18 XSLC 3B

Zhongxing-5C [中星 5C] Xinnuo-3 2007, May 31 XSLC 3A

Zhongxing-5D [中星 5D] 1996, July 3 XSLC III

Zhongxing-6 [中星六號] DFH-3 2 1997, May 12 XSLC 3A

Zhongxing-6A [中星 6A] Xinnuo-6 / DFH-4 2010, Sept. 4 XSLC 3B

Zhongxing-6B [中星 6B] 2007, July 5 XSLC 3B

Zhongxing-7 [中星七號] 1996, Aug. 18 XSLC III

Zhongxing-9 [中星九號] 2008, June 9 XSLC 3B

Zhongxing-10 [中星十號] Xinnuo-5 2011, June 21 XSLC 3B

Zhongxing-11 [中星十一號] 2013, May 2 XSLC 3B

★ EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITES

Gaofen Gaofen 1 (gaofen yihao 高分一號) is a high-definition earth observation satellite that was launched on April 26, 2013

from JSLC on a Long March 2D carrier rocket.


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Haiyang and Huanjing Haiyang 1 (haiyang yihao 海洋一號) is a series of experimental satellites commissioned by the State Oceanic Ad-

ministration (guojia haiyangju 國家海洋局, abbrev. SOA); “haiyang” (海洋) is the Chinese word for ocean. HY-1A 衛

星 was launched on May 15, 2002 from TSLC on a Long March 4B carrier rocket, HY-1B 衛星 has not been

launched yet. Haiyang 2 (haiyang erhao 海洋二號) monitors the maritime environment and was launched on Aug. 16,

2011 from TSLC on a Long March 4B carrier rocket.

Huanjing 1 (huanjing yihao 環境一號) was a satellite commissioned by the PRC State Council for probes of the

environment and disasters; “huanjing” (環境) is the Chinese word for environment. The satellites of that series were

launched from TSLC on Long March 2C carrier rockets—HJ-1A and HJ-1B were launched together on Sept. 6,

2008, HJ-1C was launched on Nov. 19, 2012.

Yaogan “Yaogan” (遙感), meaning “remote sensing” in English, stands for a series of remote-sensing satellites. Its first

satellite, Yaogan-1 (yaogan weixing yihao 遙感衛星一號) was launched on April 27, 2006 from TSLC on a Long March

4B carrier rocket, the following satellites were launched from varying launch sites on varying carrier rockets.

Mission Launch date Launch site CZ- Mission Launch date Launch site CZ- Yaogan-1 2006, April 27 TSLC 4B Yaogan-10 2010, Aug. 10 TSLC 4C

Yaogan-2 2007, May 25 XSLC 2D Yaogan-11 2010, Sept. 22 JSLC 2D

Yaogan-3 2007, Nov. 12 TSLC 4C Yaogan-12 2011, Nov. 9 TSLC 4B

Yaogan-4 2008, Dec. 1 JSLC 2D Yaogan-13 2011, Nov. 30 TSLC 2C

Yaogan-5 2008, Dec. 15 TSLC 4B Yaogan-14 2012, May 10 TSLC 4B

Yaogan-6 2009, April 22 TSLC 2C Yaogan-15 2012, May 29 TSLC 4C

Yaogan-7 2009, Dec. 9 JSLC 2D Yaogan-16 2012, Nov. 25 JSLC 4C

Yaogan-8 2009, Dec. 13 TSLC 4C Yaogan-17 2013, Sept. 2 JSLC 4C

Yaogan-9 2010, March 5 JSLC 4C Yaogan-18 2013, Oct. 29 TSLC 2C

Ziyuan “Ziyuan” (資源), meaning “resources” in English, is used for three series of Earth observation satellites. A major

part of the first series is the ongoing project China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (Zhong Ba diqiu ziyuan weixing 中

巴地球資源衛星, abbrev. CBERS).

After the PRC and Brazil agreed to jointly build and launch remote sensoring satellites, PRC FM Qian Qichen

錢其琛 and his Brazilian counterpart Roberto Costa de Abreu Sodré signed a pact about the program on July 6,

1988 in Beijing. The objective was to establish a complete remote sensing system (space and ground segment) to

supply both countries with multispectral remotely sensed imagery. The main partner on the PRC side was the

Chinese Academy of Space Technology (CAST).

The first three satellites built under the joint PRC-Brazil program belonged to the Ziyuan-1 series, a fourth one

was developed and launched without Brazilian participation. The series Ziyuan-2 and Ziyuan-3 are PRC projects.

Name Abbrev. Launch date Launch site CZ- CBERS code Ziyuan-1A [資源一號 01 星] ZY-1A 1999, Oct. 14 TSLC 4B CBERS-1

Ziyuan-1B [資源一號 02 星] ZY-1B 2003, Oct. 21 TSLC 4B CBERS-2

Ziyuan-1B2 [資源一號 02B 星] ZY-1B2 2007, Sept. 19 TSLC 4B CBERS-2B

Ziyuan-1C [資源一號 02C 星] ZY-1C 2011, Dec. 22 TSLC 4B —

Ziyuan-2A [資源二號 01 星] ZY-2A 2000, Sept. 1 TSLC 4B —

Ziyuan-2B [資源二號 02 星] ZY-2B 2002, Oct. 27 TSLC 4B —

Ziyuan-2C [資源二號 03 星] ZY-2C 2004, Nov. 6 TSLC 4B —

Ziyuan-3 [資源三號] ZY-3A 2012, Jan. 9 TSLC 4B —


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★ SCIENTIFIC PROBES AND TECHNOLOGICAL LABORATORIES

Shijian and Tance “Shijian” (實踐) means “to put into practice” in English. Please note that no information is available about a Shi-

jian-3, a Shijian-10, a Shijian-13 or a Shijian-14. The satellites of the Shijian-6 series were launched two at a time.

“Tance” (探測) means “probe” or “exploration” in English.

Mission Launch date Launch site Carrier rocket Remarks Shijian-1 [實踐一號衛星] 1971, March 3 JSLC CZ-I Re-entry on 1979, June 17

Shijian-2 [實踐二號衛星] 1981, Sept. 20 JSLC FB-1

Shijian-4 [實踐四號衛星] 1994, Feb. 8 XSLC CZ-3A

Shijian-5 [實踐五號衛星] 1999, May 10 TSLC CZ-4B

Shijian-6 [實踐六號衛星 A/B] 2004, Sept. 9 TSLC CZ-4B

Shijian-6 [實踐六號衛星 C/D] 2006, Oct. 24 TSLC CZ-4B

Shijian-6 [實踐六號衛星 E/F] 2008, Oct. 25 TSLC CZ-4B

Shijian-6 [實踐六號衛星 G/H] 2010, Oct. 6 TSLC CZ-4B

Shijian-7 [SJ-7] 2005, July 6 JSLC CZ-2D

Shijian-8 [SJ-8] 2006, Sept. 9 JSLC CZ-2C

Shijian-9 [SJ-9] 2012, Oct. 14 TSLC CZ-2C

Shijian-11 2009, Nov. 12 JSLC CZ-2C

Shijian-11-02 2011, July 29 JSLC CZ-2C

Shijian-11-03 2011, July 6 JSLC CZ-2C

Shijian-11-04 2011, Aug. 18 JSLC CZ-2C

Shijian-12 2010, June 15 JSLC CZ-2D

Shijian-15 2013, July 20 TSLC CZ-4C + Shiyan-7, Chuangxin-3

Shijian-16 2013, Oct. 25 JSLC CZ-4B

Tance-1 [探測一號衛星] 2003, Dec. 30 XSLC CZ-2C

Tance-2 [探測二號衛星] 2004, July 25 TSLC CZ-2C

Chuangxin and Shiyan “Chuangxin” (創新) means “innovation” in English. Please note that no information is available about a Chuang-

xin-2. “Shiyan” (試驗) means “experiment” in English. There is no information available about a Shiyan-5 and

Shiyan-6.

Mission Launch date Launch site Carrier rocket Remarks Chuangxin-1 [創新一號] 2003, Oct. 21 TSLC 4B + Ziyuan-1

Chuangxin-1-02 [創新一號 02 星] 2008, Nov. 5 JSLC 2D + Shiyan-3

Chuangxin-1-03 [創新一號 03 星] 2011, Nov. 20 JSLC 2D + Shiyan-4

Chuangxin-3 [創新三號] 2013, July 20 TSLC 4C + Shijian-15, Shiyan-7

Shiyan-1 [試驗一號] 2004, April 18 XSLC 2C

Shiyan-2 [試驗二號] 2004, Nov. 18 XSLC 2C

Shiyan-3 [試驗三號] 2008, Nov. 5 JSLC 2D

Shiyan-4 [試驗四號] 2011, Nov. 20 JSLC 2D

Shiyan-7 [試驗七號] 2013, July 20 TSLC 4C + Shijian-15, Chuangxin-3

★ OTHERS

Tianhui “Tianhui” (天繪) was used as name for mapping satellites. So far, two of them were launched from JSLC on Long

March 2D carrier rockets. Tianhui is a combination of the two words “tian” (天), meaning “sky” or “heaven”, and

“hui” (繪), meaning “to draw” or “to paint”.


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Mission Launch date Mission Launch date Tianhui I [天繪一號] 2010, Aug. 24 Tianhui I-02 [天繪一號 02 星] 2012, May 6

Tiantuo Tiantuo I (tiantuo yihao weixing 天拓一號衛星) is a mini-satellite created by the National University of Defense Tech-

nology (guofang kexue jishu daxue 國防科學技術大學) in Changsha (Hunan Province), and it was launched alongside a

Yaogan satellite. Tianhui is a combination of the two words “tian” (天), meaning “sky” or “heaven”, and “tuo” (拓),

meaning “to expand”, “to develop” or “to make a rubbing” [e. g. of an inscription].

Mission Launch date Description Launch site CZ- Tiantuo I [天拓一號衛星] 2012, May 10 Experimental satellite (optical imaging etc.) TSLC 4B

Foreign/commercial satellites successfully launched into space from the PRC Launch date Mission/satellite name Launch site CZ- Country 1990, April 7 Asiasat 1 [亞洲一號] XSLC III Hong Kong/USA

1990, July 16 Badr [巴達爾-A] " 2E Pakistan

1992, Aug. 14 Optus B1 [澳大利亞 B1 / 澳普圖斯 B1 衛星] " " Hong Kong

1992, Oct. 6 Freja [弗利亞] JSLC 2C Sweden

1994, July 21 Apstar 1 [亞太一號] XSLC III Hong Kong

1994, Aug. 28 Optus B3 [澳大利亞 B3 / 澳普圖斯 B3 衛星] " 2E Australia

1995, Nov. 28 Asiasat 2 [亞洲二號] " " Hong Kong

1995, Dec. 28 Echostar 1 [回聲一號] " " USA

1996, July 3 Apstar 1A [亞太一號 A] " III Hong Kong

1997, Aug. 20 Agila 2 [菲律賓馬部海] " 3B Philippines/USA

1997, Oct. 17 Apstar 2R [亞太 2R] " " Hong Kong

1997, Dec. 8 Motorola Iridium 42, 44 [銥系統衛星] TSLC 2C USA

1998, March 26 Motorola Iridium 51, 61 " " "

1998, May 2 Motorola Iridium 69, 71 " " "

1998, Aug. 20 Motorola Iridium 76, 03 " " "

1998, Dec. 19 Motorola Iridium 11, 20 " " "

1999, June 12 Motorola Iridium 14A, 21A " " "

2005, April 12 Apstar 6 [亞太六號] XSLC 3B Hong Kong

2007, May 14 NigComSat-1 [尼日利亞一號通信衛星] " " Nigeria

2008, Oct. 30 Venesat-1 [委內瑞拉一號通信衛星] " " Venezuela

2011, Dec. 29 NigComSat-1R [尼日利亞通信衛星 1R] " " Nigeria

2012, Sept. 29 VRSS-1 [委內瑞拉遙感衛星一號] " " Venezuela

2012, Nov. 27 Apstar-7B [亞太七號 B] " " France

2012, Dec. 19 GK-2 [土耳其 GK–2 地球觀測衛星] JSLC 2D Turkey

2013, Dec. 20 Tupac Katari [玻利維亞通信衛星] XSLC 3B Bolivia

Failed launches • 1992, Dec. 21: “Optus B2” [澳大利亞 B2 / 澳普圖斯 B2 衛星] from XSLC on a CZ-2E—windshear-caused

implosion shortly after lift-off destroyed payload

• 1995, Jan. 25: “Apstar 2” [亞太二號] from XSLC on a CZ-2E—rocket exploded shortly after lift-off

• 1996, Feb. 15: “Intelsat 708” [國際 708 號] from XSLC on a CZ-3B—veered off course and crash-landed

Satellite launch centers in the PRC

JSLC = Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (Jiuquan weixing fashe zhongxin 酒泉衛星發射中心) in Jiuquan 酒泉 (Gansu

Province); est. Oct. 20, 1958 [coordinates—latitude 40°58'03"N, longitude 100°16'43"E]


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TSLC = Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (Taiyuan weixing fashe zhongxin太原衛星發射中心) in Taiyuan太原 (Shanxi

Province); est. in [early] March 1967 [coordinates—38°50'56.71"N, 111°36'30.59"E]

WSLC = Wenchang Satellite Launch Center (Wenchang weixing fashe zhongxin 文昌衛星發射中心) in Wenchang 文昌

(Hainan Province); est. Sept. 22, 2007 and still under construction [coordinates—19°34'1.20"N, 110°52'1.20"E]

XSLC = Xichang Satellite Launch Center (Xichang weixing fashe zhongxin 西昌衛星發射中心) in Xichang 西昌 (Si-

chuan Province); est. Dec. 29, 1970 [coordinates—28°14'45.66"N, 102°1'35.60"E]

Chronological list of successful launches from JSLC, TSLC, and XSLC Jiuquan (JSLC) Taiyuan (TSLC) Xichang (XSLC)

Launch date Mission CZ- Launch date Mission CZ- Launch date Mission CZ-

1970, April 24 DFH-1 I 1988, Sept. 7 FY-1A IV 1984, April 8 DFH-2 III

1971, March 3 Shijian-1 I 1990, Sept. 3 FY-1B IV 1986, Feb. 1 DFH-2 A1 III

1981, Sept. 20 Shijian-2 FB-1 1999, May 10 FY-1C 4B 1988, March 7 DFH-2 A2 III

1999, Nov. 20 Shenzhou-1 2F " Shijian-5 " 1988, Dec. 22 DFH-2 A3 III

2001, Jan. 10 Shenzhou-2 2F 1999, Oct. 14 ZY-1A 4B 1990, Feb. 4 DFH-2 A4 III

2002, March 25 Shenzhou-3 2F 2000, Sept. 1 ZY-2A 4B 1991, Dec. 28 DFH-2 A5 III

2002, Dec. 29 Shenzhou-4 2F 2002, May 15 FY-1D 4B 1994, Feb. 8 Shijian-4 3A

2003, Oct. 15 Shenzhou-5 2F " HY-1A " 1994, Nov. 29 DFH-3 1 3A

2005, July 6 Shijian-7 2D 2002, Oct. 27 ZY-2B 4B 1996, July 3 ChinaSat 5D III

2005, Oct. 12 Shenzhou-6 2F 2003, Oct. 21 ZY-1B 4B 1996, Aug. 18 ChinaSat 7 III

2006, Sept. 9 Shijian-8 2C " Chuangxin-1 " 1997, May 12 DFH-3 2 3A

2008, Sept. 25 Shenzhou-7 2F 2004, July 25 Tance-2 2C 1997, June 17 FY-2A III

2008, Nov. 5 Shiyan-3 2D 2004, Sept. 9 Shijian-6A/B 4B 1998, May 30 ChinaSat 5A 3B

" CX.-1-02 " 2004, Nov. 6 ZY-2C 4B 1998, July 18 Xinnuo-1 3B

2008, Nov. 5 Shiyan-3 2D 2006, April 27 Yaogan-1 4B 2000, June 25 FY-2B III

2008, Dec. 1 Yaogan-4 2D 2006, Oct. 24 Shijian-6C/D 4B 2000, Oct. 31 Beidou-1A 3A

2009, Nov. 12 Shijian-11 2C 2007, Sept. 19 ZY-1B2 4B 2000, Dec. 21 Beidou-1B 3A

2009, Dec. 9 Yaogan-7 2D 2007, Nov. 12 Yaogan-3 4C 2003, May 25 Beidou-1C 3A

2010, March 5 Yaogan-9 4C 2008, May 7 Fengyun-3 4C 2003, Dec. 30 Tance-1 2C

2010, June 15 Shijian-12 2D 2008, Sept. 6 HJ-1A + 1B 2C 2004, April 18 Shiyan-1 2C

2010, Aug. 24 Tianhui I 2D 2008, Oct. 25 Shijian-6E/F 4B 2004, Oct. 19 FY-2C 3A

2010, Sept. 22 Yaogan-11 2D 2008, Dec. 15 Yaogan-5 4B 2004, Nov. 18 Shiyan-2 2C

2011, July 6 Shijian-11-03 2C 2009, April 22 Yaogan-6 2C 2005, April 12 Yatai-6 3B

2011, July 29 Shijian-11-02 2C 2009, Dec. 13 Yaogan-8 4C 2006, Oct. 29 Xinnuo-2 3B

2011, Aug. 18 Shijian-11-04 2C 2010, Aug. 10 Yaogan-10 4C 2006, Dec. 8 FY-2D 3A

2011, Sept. 29 Tiangong-1 2F 2010, Oct. 6 Shijian-6G/H 4B 2007, Feb. 3 Beidou-1D 3A

2011, Nov. 1 Shenzhou-8 2F 2011, Aug. 16 Haiyang 2 4B 2007, April 14 C.-M1 3A

2011, Nov. 20 Shiyan-4 2D 2011, Nov. 9 Yaogan-12 4B 2007, May 25 Yaogan-2 2D

" CX.-1-03 " 2011, Nov. 30 Yaogan-13 2C 2007, June 1 Xinnuo-3 3A

2012, May 6 Tianhui I-02 2D 2011, Dec. 22 ZY-1C 4B 2007, July 5 ChinaSat 6B 3B

2012, June 16 Shenzhou-9 2F 2012, Jan. 9 ZY-3A 4B 2007, Oct. 24 Chang’e-1 3A

2012, Nov. 25 Yaogan-16 4C 2012, May 10 Yaogan-14 4B 2008, April 25 Tianlian I-01 3C

2013, April 26 Gaofen-1 2D " Tiantuo I " 2008, June 9 ChinaSat 9 3B

2013, June 11 Shenzhou-10 2F 2012, May 29 Yaogan-15 4C 2008, Dec. 23 FY-2E 3A

2013, Sept. 2 Yaogan-17 4C 2012, Oct. 14 Shijian-9 2C 2009, April 15 C.-G2 3C

2013, Oct. 25 Shijian-16 4B 2012, Nov. 19 HJ-1C 2C 2010, Jan. 17 C.-G1 3C

2013, July 20 Shijian-15 4C 2010, June 2 C.-G3 3C

" Chuangxin-3 " 2010, Aug. 1 C.-IGSO1 3A

" Shiyan-7 " 2010, Sept. 5 Xinnuo-6 3B

2013, Oct. 29 Yaogan-18 2C 2010, Oct. 1 Chang’e II 3C

2010, Nov. 1 C.-G4 3C

2010, Dec. 18 C.-IGSO2 3A


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2011, April 10 C.-IGSO3 3A

2011, June 21 Xinnuo-5 3B

2011, July 11 Tianlian I-02 3C

2011, July 27 C.-IGSO4 3A

2011, Sept. 19 ChinaSat-1A 3B

2011, Dec. 2 C.-IGSO5 3A

2012, Jan. 13 FY-2F 3A

2012, Feb. 25 C.-G5 3C

2012, March 31 Yatai-7 3B

2012, April 30 C.-M3 + M4 3B

2012, May 27 ChinaSat-2A 3B

2012, July 25 Tianlian I-03 3C

2012, Sept. 19 C.-M5 + M6 3B

2012, Oct. 25 C.-G2R 3C

2013, May 2 ChinaSat 11 3B

2013, Dec. 2 Chang’e III 3B

Abbreviations in this table: “C.” stands for “Compass” of the Beidou-2 series, “CX.” for “Chuangxin”.

PRC astronauts

Terminology———astronaut (yuhangyuan 宇航員) or taikonaut (taikongren 太空人)

Fei Junlong 費俊龍 (b. 1965), PRC taikonaut (Shenzhou-6 in October 2005)

Jing Haipeng 景海鵬 (b. 1966), PLA fighter pilot and taikonaut (Shenzhou-7 in September 2008)

Liu Boming 劉伯明 (b. 1966), PLA fighter pilot and taikonaut (Shenzhou-7 in September 2008)

Liu Wang 劉旺 (b. 1969), PRC astronaut (Shenzhou-9 in June 2012)

Liu Yang 劉洋 (b. 1978), PLA fighter pilot and first female PRC astronaut (Shenzhou-9 in June 2012)

Nie Haisheng 聶海勝 (b. 1964), PRC taikonaut (Shenzhou-6 in October 2005 and Shenzhou-10 in June 2013)

Wang Yaping 王亞平 (b. 1980), female PRC astronaut (Shenzhou-10 in June 2013)

Yang Liwei 楊立偉 (b. 1965), first PRC taikonaut to enter space (on Shenzhou-5 in October 2003)

Zhai Zhigang 翟志剛 (b. 1966), PLA fighter pilot and first PRC taikonaut to perform a spacewalk (on Shenzhou-7

in September 2008)

Zhang Xiaoguang 張曉光 (b. 1966), PRC astronaut (Shenzhou-10 in June 2013)

Ethnic Chinese astronauts on non-PRC missions Leroy Chiao 焦立中 [Jiao Lizhong] (b. 1960), Chinese-American engineer and NASA astronaut (space missions:

STS-65 in 1994, STS-72 in 1996, STS-92 in 2000, Soyuz TMA-5 in 2004, ISS Expedition 10 in 2004-2005)

Ed Lu 盧傑 [Lu Jie] (b. 1963), Chinese-American physicist and astronaut (space missions: STS-84 in 1997, STS-106

in 2000, Soyuz TMA-2 and ISS Expedition 7 in 2003)

Taylor Wang 王贛俊 [Wang Ganjun] (b. 1940), first Chinese-American scientist ever sent into space [in April/May

1985 on US space shuttle “Challenger”/STS-51-B]

Timeline/chronology of major events

1958 Oct. 20: The establishment of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (Jiuquan weixing fashe zhongxin 酒泉衛

星發射中心, abbrev. JSLC) in Jiuquan 酒泉 (Gansu Province) begins

1959 May: With Soviet help, the PRC establishes the Malan Base (Malan jidi 馬蘭基地) near Lop Nor 羅布泊

in Qakilik County 若羌縣 (Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture 巴音郭楞蒙古自治州,


11

Xinjiang) for the development of the PRC’s atomic bomb

1960 Nov. 5: The PRC successfully launches its first surface-to-surface missile in Jiuquan

1964 Oct. 16: Successful test explosion of the first Chinese nuclear bomb at Malan/Lop Nor; the PRC

government declares that the PRC will never be the first to use nuclear weapons

1966 Oct. 27: The PRC successfully tests a medium-range ballistic missile in Jiuquan

1967 [Early] March: The establishment of the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (Taiyuan weixing fashe zhongxin

太原衛星發射中心, abbrev. TSLC) in Taiyuan 太原 (Shanxi Province) begins

June 17: The PRC successfully tests a hydrogen bomb at Malan/Lop Nor

1970 April 24: The first Chinese satellite “Dongfang Hong I” (dongfang hong yihao 東方紅一號) is blasted into

orbit on a “Long March I” (changzheng yihao 長征一號) rocket from Jiuquan and transmits the

Cultural Revolution song “The East is Red” (dongfang hong 東方紅)

Dec. 29: The establishment of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center (Xichang weixing fashe zhongxin 西昌衛

星發射中心, abbrev. XSLC) in Xichang 西昌 (Sichuan Province) begins

1980 Oct. 16: The PRC conducts its last atmospheric test explosion of a nuclear bomb at Malan/Lop Nor

1984 April 8: The PRC launches its first experimental communications satellite “Dongfang Hong II” (dongfang

hong erhao 東方紅二號) on a “Long March III” (changzheng sanhao 長征三號) rocket from XSLC

1988 July 6: During Brazilian President José Sarney’s six-day state visit in the PRC (July 3–8), PRC Foreign

Minister (FM) Qian Qichen 錢其琛 and his Brazilian counterpart Roberto Costa de Abreu Sodré

sign a satellite agreement

1994 July 21: The PRC successfully launches a satellite from XSLC on a “Long March III” rocket

1996 Feb. 15: Shortly after launch from XSLC a “Long March 3B” (changzheng sanhao yi 長征三號乙) rocket

carrying the satellite “Intelsat 708” veers off course and crash-lands in a village, 8 people are killed

1997 May 12: The PRC successfully launches the communications satellite “Dongfang Hong III” (dongfang

hong sanhao 東方紅三號) on a “Long March 3A” (changzheng sanhao jia 長征三號甲) rocket from

XSLC

1999 Nov. 20: The PRC launches the unmanned capsule “Shenzhou-1” (shenzhou yihao 神舟一號) into space

from JSLC on a “Long March II” (changzheng erhao 長征二號) rocket; the capsule makes 14 complete

orbits of the earth and lands 21 hours after launch in Inner Mongolia

2000 Oct. 31: The PRC launches the first satellite in its Compass Navigation Satellite System (beidou weixing

daohang xitong 北斗衛星導航系統, abbrev. CNSS)

Dec. 21: The PRC launches its second CNSS satellite

2003 May 25: The PRC launches its third CNSS satellite

Oct. 15: Launch of a “Long March 2F” (changzheng erhao ji 長征二號己) rocket carrying the “Shen-

zhou-5” (shenzhou wuhao 神舟五號) space capsule from JSLC for the PRC’s first manned space

mission; first taikonaut Yang Liwei 楊立偉 completes 14 orbits and lands 21 hours after launch in

Inner Mongolia on Oct. 16

2004 Oct. 19: The PRC launches its first geo-stationary meteorological satellite “Fengyun-2-04” (fengyun erhao

lingsixing 風雲二號 04 星) on a “Long March 3A” rocket from XSLC

2005 Oct. 12: Launch of a “Long March 2F” rocket with a “Shenzhou-6” (shenzhou liuhao 神舟六號) space

capsule from JSLC for a 5-day flight with taikonauts Nie Haisheng 聶海勝 and Fei Junlong 費俊龍

Oct. 17: Shenzhou-6 lands safely at 4:32 a.m. local time in Siziwang 四子王 (Inner Mongolia)

2006 Dec. 8: The PRC launches its second geo-stationary meteorological satellite “Fengyun-2-05” (fengyun

erhao lingwuxing 風雲二號 05 星) on a “Long March 3A” rocket from XSLC

2007 Jan. 11: The PRC successfully launches an anti-ballistic missile from XSLC to destroy an old PRC polar

orbit weather satellite ca. 865 km above earth, the US government protests, Japan and Australia

express their concern about a possible new arms race in space

April 14: The PRC launches its fifth CNSS satellite (also its first navigation satellite) on a “Long March

3A” rocket from XSLC

May 14: The Nigerian communications satellite “NigComSat-1” is launched to space from XSLC on a

“Long March 3B” carrier rocket

Oct. 24: The PRC launches a “Long March 3A” rocket carrying its first lunar orbiter “Chang’e I” (chang’e

yihao 嫦娥一號) from XSLC; Chang’e I enters the moon’s orbit on Nov. 5

Nov. 26: PRC Premier Wen Jiabao reveals the first moon pictures captured by its lunar probe Chang’e I


12

2008 May 27: The PRC launches the weather satellite “Fengyun-3” (fengyun sanhao 風雲三號) on a “Long

March 4C” (changzheng sihaobing 長征四號丙) rocket from TSLC

Sept. 25: A “Long March 2F” rocket blasts “Shenzhou-7” (shenzhou qihao 神舟七號) into space for a

68-hour flight from JSLC at 21:10 local time, on board are the astronauts (yuhangyuan 宇航員) Zhai

Zhigang 翟志剛, Jing Haipeng 景海鵬 and Liu Boming 劉伯明

Sept. 27: Shenzhou-7 mission commander Zhai Zhigang successfully performs China’s first spacewalk,

starting at 8:30 UTC and lasting 13 minutes

Sept. 28: Shenzhou-7 lands safely in Inner Mongolia’s Siziwang at 17:37 local time

Oct. 30: The Venezuelan communications satellite “Venesat-1” is launched to space from XSLC on a


Dec. 23: The PRC launches its third geo-stationary meteorological satellite “Fengyun-2-06” (fengyun erhao

lingliuxing 風雲二號 06 星) on a “Long March 3A” rocket from XSLC

2009 March 1: The PRC’s lunar probe “Chang’e I Lunar Satellite” (chang’e yihao yueqiu tance weixing 嫦娥一號月

球探測衛星 ) crashes into the moon in a controlled collision at the end of a 16-month

moon-mapping mission

April 15: The PRC launches its second CNSS navigation satellite on a “Long March 3C” (changzheng

sanhao bing 長征三號丙) carrier rocket from XSLC

April 22: The PRC launches the remote-sensing satellite “Yaogan VI” (yaogan weixing liuhao 遙感衛星六

號) on a “Long March 2C” (changzheng erhao bing 長征二號丙) carrier rocket from TSLC

Sept. 14: Construction of the Wenchang Space Satellite Launch Center (Wenchang hangtian fashechang 文昌

航天發射場) begins on Hainan Island

Dec. 9: The PRC launches the remote-sensing satellite “Yaogan VII” (yaogan weixing qihao 遙感衛星七號)

on a “Long March 2D” (changzheng erhao ding 長征二號丁) carrier rocket from JSLC

2010 Aug. 10: The PRC successfully launches the remote-sensing satellite “Yaogan X” (yaogan weixing shihao 遙

感衛星十號) on a “Long March 4C” carrier rocket from TSLC

2011 Aug. 25: Chang’e II reaches the Earth–Sun L2 Lagrangian point

Sept. 29: The PRC’s first space laboratory “Tiangong-1” (tiangong yihao 天宮一號) is launched on a

“Long March 2F” carrier rocket from JSLC

Nov. 1: The PRC launches the unmanned “Shenzhou-8” (shenzhou bahao 神舟八號) spacecraft from

JSLC using a “Long March 2F” carrier rocket

Nov. 3: The PRC’s Shenzhou-8 spacecraft successfully docks with the Tiangong-1 space lab module

some 343 km away from earth

Nov. 9: A PRC Mars orbiter named Yinghuo-1 (yinghuo yihao 螢火一號) is launched by a Zenit-2 booster

rocket from Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan together with Russia’s unmanned

Phobos-Grunt probe but veers off course after reaching earth orbit, attempts to fire its engines for

the journey to Mars fail in the following days; the PRC successfully launches the remote-sensing

satellite “Yaogan XII” (yaogan weixing shierhao 遙感衛星十二號) on a “Long March 4B” carrier rocket

from TSLC

Nov. 14: A second remote-controlled space docking between the unmanned PRC crafts Shenzhou-8 and

Tiangong-1 is successfully completed

Dec. 20: The Nigerian communications satellite “NigComSat-1R” is launched to space from XSLC on a


Dec. 27: The PRC launches the Beidou Navigation System (beidou daohang xitong 北斗導航系統), an

alternative to the Global Positioning System (GPS) network

2012 Jan. 9: The PRC launches the Ziyuan III satellite (ziyuan sanhao weixing 資源三號衛星) aboard a Long

March 4B rocket from TSLC

April 30: Two more satellites for the Beidou Navigation System/CNSS are launched from XSLC on a


May 6: The PRC successfully launches the Tianhui I-02 (tianhui yihao ling’er xing天繪一號 02星) mapping

satellite on a “Long March 2D” carrier rocket from JSLC

May 10: The PRC successfully launches the remote-sensing satellite “Yaogan XIV” (yaogan weixing shisihao

遙感衛星十四號) from TSLC on a “Long March 4B” carrier rocket along with the small satellite

Tiantuo I (tiantuo yihao weixing 天拓一號衛星)


13

May 27: The PRC successfully launches the telecommunications satellite “Zhongxing 2A” (zhongxing 2A

中星 2A) into orbit from XSLC using a Long March 3B carrier rocket

June 16: Launch of the spacecraft “Shenzhou-9” (shenzhou jiuhao 神舟九號) on an upgraded “Long

March 2F” carrier rocket from JSLC with astronauts Jing Haipeng, Liu Wang 劉旺 and Liu Yang 劉

洋 (female) on board

June 18: Shenzhou-9 successfully docks with Tiangong-1

June 24: Successful manual docking between Shenzhou-9 and Tiangong-1

June 29: Shenzhou-9 lands at 10:05 a.m. local time in Inner Mongolia’s Siziwang

July 25: After the launch of data relay satellite Tianlian I-03 (tianlian yihao lingsan 天鏈一號 03) on a

“Long March 3C” carrier rocket from XSLC, the PRC’s first data relay satellite network is complete

Sept. 29: The Venezuelan communications satellite “VRSS-1” is launched to space from XSLC on a

“Long March 2D” carrier rocket

2013 June 11: Launch of the spacecraft “Shenzhou-10” (shenzhou shihao 神舟十號) on a “Long March 2F”

carrier rocket from JSLC with astronauts Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang 張曉光 and Wang Yaping

王亞平 (female) on board

June 13: Shenzhou-10 successfully completes an automated docking with orbiting Tiangong-1

June 20: PRC female astronaut Wang Yaping holds a lecture from orbiting Tiangong-1 broadcast live by

video to the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China (Zhongguo renmin daxue fushu zhong-

xue 中國人民大學附屬中學) in Beijing

June 23: Shenzhou-10 successfully completes a manual docking with orbiting Tiangong-1

June 26: Shenzhou-10 lands at 8:07 a.m. local time in Inner Mongolia’s Siziwang

Dec. 2: The PRC launches its first lunar rover mission, Chang’e III, also dubbed “Jade Rabbit” (yutu 玉

兔), from XSLC on a Long March 3B carrier rocket

Dec. 6: The PRC’s lunar probe “Chang’e III” enters the moon’s orbit

Dec. 14: The PRC’s lunar probe “Chang’e III” successfully conducts a soft landing maneuver on the

moon on 13:11 UTC, the rover “Jade Rabbit” separates from the lander and rolls on the surfaces of

the moon on 20:35 UTC

2014 Jan. 25: The moon rover “Jade Rabbit” experiences a mechanical control abnormality

Feb. 13: BBC reports that the moon rover “Jade Rabbit” had been ‘declared dead’, Xinhua News Agency

reports it ‘awoke’ despite experiencing a mechanical control abnormality

March 14: The moon rover “Jade Rabbit” ‘wakes up’ from a slumber during the lunar night, the website

of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (guojia guofang

keji gongyeju 國家國防科技工業局, abbrev. guofang kegongju 國防科工局 in Chinese and SASTIND in

English) reports [File last edited/updated on Mon, March 17, 2014]

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