China succeeds at first resupply spacecraft docking

Engineers helping to assemble the Tianzhou-1 robotic space cargo vessel.

 

On Thursday April 19, China took another step toward its goal of permanent Chinese presence in Earth Orbit, with the launch of a Long March 7 from the Wenchang Space Launch Center. Atop the rocket as the Tianzhou-1, China's first robotic resupply spacecraft. Looking very similar to the standard shape of international space cargo ships such as Cygnus, Japan's H-2, ESA's ATV, the Tianzhou-1 was set on an orbital approach to rendezvous with the Tiangong-2 space station.

Computer representation of Tianzhou-1 in orbit with power panels deployed.

 

Computer representation of Tianzhou-1 docking with the station Tiandong-2.

 

 The spacecraft rendezvoused with the station and docked successfully on Saturday the 22nd. With the main objective completed, engineers will study the combined craft operations and testing for two months. After that, Tianzhou-1 will undock and then begin a three-month period of orbital testing. Like many other cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou-1 is not designed to safely land back on Earth, but will eventually be de-orbited and burned up in the atmospheric re-entry.

 

Chinese Space Station Success

Illustration of China's new space station. Credit: China Daily.

 

China has made more progress in its ability to keep its Taikonauts in space for more than short stays in a Soyuz-like Shenzhou capsule. Much of the western media does not cover Chinese space efforts the way they cover the ISS, but a lot of that has to do with the restrictive nature of the Chinese government. China's space program is in a phase similar to that of the early Soviet space station stages, gradually building bigger space stations and living longer in orbit.

This illustration demonstrates how the Shenzhou 11 spacecraft would appear docked with the Tiangong 2. Credit: Xinhua.

 

The Chinese station was launched in mid-September from the Jiuquan satellite launch center from pad LC-43. It was originally built as a back-up for Tiangong 1, but with changes in the CHinese space program, it now serves a purpose to help Chinese Taikonauts prepare for a much larger space station program in 2018. With modifications made to the station, it will test new technologies needed for China's new modular-design station, similar to the transition Russia made from the Slayut station designs to the Mir station.

Crew of Shenzhou 11. Commander Jing Haipeng and Pilot Chen Dong. Credit: Xinhua.

Shenzhou 11 blasted off from the same pad that launched the station. The mission used the Long March 2F/G (Y11) rocket. Lift off took place on October 14. The government had been somewhat silent on the mission, finally announcing the crew shortly before the spacecraft arrived at the pad. The primary mission for the crew is to successfully dock with the station, and then break the Chinese record for an extended 30-day stay in orbit. The station does come equipped with some science experiments, mostly designed to help the taikonauts perform health studies and experiments. There is also a Chinese version of the robotic arm, which will become very essential to future operations.

Another illustration of a Shenzhou spacecraft docked with the Tiangong 2. Credit: ?

 

On Thursday, November 17, the Shenzhou 11 undocked from the station and returned its crew safely to the Earth. The mission achieved its major goals. On Friday, the spacecraft parachuted to a safe landing in Mongolia. 

There is some disagreement in Western Press about future missions to the Tiangong 2. Probably due to mistakes in Chinese government planning announcements. In one scenario, this Shenzhou 11 mission would end up as the only manned mission to the station. Another scenario includes a robotic supply mission to the station, to test the ability of a remote-piloted craft to resupply future missions. And yet another scenario includes a three-man mission later this year.

ISS Summer Summary

ISS robotic arm just prior to releasing the Cygnus resupply ship. The dotted-line object is the side view of the Cygnus' solar panels, seen exactly edge-on.

It may not be the calendar end to summer, but students all over the USA know good and well that their summer vacation is over and they are heading back to school. And I am finished this year with company business travel, so it's time to get back to commenting on the rubble in space seen from my Space Bunker in Utah. Since my last post at the end of July, what's up with mankind's outpost in Earth Orbit?

Just hours ago, the Cygnus robotic cargo spacecraft burned up in re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. It's been a busy 6 weeks of comings and goings for Expedition 40 up on the International Space Station. Back in June, both the SpaceX and Orbital launches had been postponed. ANd the new Russian Angara rocket had suffered a launch glitch on the 27th. On July 1st  a launch of a NASA Delta 2 was scrubbed when a problem developed with a sound-suppression system. At least India had success with the launch of a Polar-orbit rocket carrying 5 satellites.

The next day NASA's Delta 2 took off and launched a carbon-dioxide research rocket into space. And the rockets kept on flying. The Russians were next.

The Rokot lifts off from Plesetsk with 3 communications satellites. RIA Novosti.

The Russians had a series of launches starting with the launch of a light-carrier class Rokot from the Plesestk space center on July 4th. Then on the 9th, a Soyuz rocket lifted off from Baikonur with a weather satellite and a couple other payloads. Finally, the new Angara rocket had a successful launch.

Angara on the pad at Plesetsk. RIA Novosti.

The first flight of the Angara on July 9th from Plesetsk lifted a dummy payload into space to test the rocket systems. The Angara is meant to supplement the Soyuz rocket type launches and relieve the burden of launches only a Soyuz can perform, though it is not man-rated. To show off the demand for the Soyuz rocket, another one was launched on the 10th from the French space Center in French Guiana placing 4 communications satellites into orbit. 

Antares lifts off.

On July 13, Orbital Sciences launched its Antares rocket from its facility on Wallops Island, Virginia to place the Cygnus cargo craft on a path to the ISS. Close behind, SpaceX launched a Falcon rocket placing 6 ORBCOMM satellites into orbit on the 14th. On Wednesday, the Cygnus cargo craft docked with the ISS.

Docking for the Cygnus with help from the CanadArm robotic arm.

Carrying food, oxygen, and supplies from Earth, the Cygnus also delivered 32 micro-satellites which will be released over time by the crew of Expedition 40. The Cygnus was docked by engineers on Earth this time using the robotic arm after astronaut Commander Steve Swanson captured the craft, and secured to the Harmony module of the station. The craft is named SS Janet Voss in commemoration of the astronaut who passed away in 2012.

The launches continued. A Soyuz carried a biological research satellite into space on July 20. On the 22nd, a Russian Progress Robot cargo ship was undocked from the ISS to make a place for an upcoming resupply mission. The Progress ship was then directed to deorbit and crash into the Pacific.

A Progress cargo craft approaches the ISS. 

On Wednesday the 23rd, a new Progress craft was launched from Baikonur and arrived at the ISS six hours later. The M-24M carried supplies for the station. Once unloaded, it will eventually be filled with trash and undocked later.

Delta 4 does the job, launching into a clear blue sky. SpaceFlight Now.

On Monday the 28th, a Delta 4 carried the GSSAP classified secret satellite into orbit. The satellite, though developed in secret, will be used to do research on possible collisions in space and any potential enemy military weapons developments in space.

European control room engineers monitor the docking of the ATV to the ISS. ESA.

On Tuesday the 29th, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched the 5th and last of the ATV robot cargo ships to the ISS. It was lifted on the Ariane 5 rocket from the French space center in French Guiana, South America. It was the 60th successful launch of the Ariane 5, a remarkable achievement.

And the rockets kept flying. On August 1st an Atlas 5 blasted off from Cape Canaveral, carrying a GPS navigational satellite. On August 5th SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the AsiaSat 8. On the same day, the ESA announced a remarkable success: the Rosetta space probe rendezvoused with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Instead of just passing close by, the probe has matched its speed and direction and will travel with the comet, studying it from close up.

Radar imaging of the comet nucleus. ESA.

The ATV finally docked with the ISS on Tuesday the 12th. It was berthed at the Russian Zvesda module, and astronauts began unloading the cargo ship. Although it is the last of the ATV series of cargo craft, the technology from this version will be used to design and build the service module for NASA's future Orion spaceship.

Long March rocket action. Xinhua news.

China got back into the space scene on August 9th, launching a Long March 4C rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province. It carried a remote-sensing satellite. A few days later on the 12th, another Atlas 5 took off, this time from Vandenberg AFB in California, carrying its own remote-sensing satellite, the WorldView 3.

View from the ISS, Cygnus released from the station, seen just right of center.

And that brings us to the last couple of days. Orbital's CRS-2 mission was over, and the Cygnus craft undocked on Friday. The ground engineers gave the craft remote directions to de-orbit and burn up this morning as it re-entered the atmosphere.

A previous Cygnus craft disintegrates and burns up over the Pacific.

Orbital has 6 more cargo missions under the current contract, and will no doubt receive further contracts in this successful series. And with the morning's fireworks provided by Cygnus, we get back to the business of watching the business of working in space.

International Push to the Planets

India's Mangalyaan Mars mission lifts off from Sriharikota.

India and China have set their sights on missions to far off worlds. On November 5, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched a PSLV-C25 rocket carrying the Mangalyaan mission on its way to the Red Planet. Without many of the resources the US includes in NASA, India is trying to achieve it's mission at a very low cost - only about $73 million. After six orbits of the Earth, the craft launched itself on a slingshot orbit around the Sun (to gain speed from the gravity assist). The MOM (Mars Orbiter Mission) is expected to arrive at Mars next September, and the challenge will be to get the craft into Mars' orbit. After arriving, it will makes studies of the ground composition and analyze elements of the atmosphere.

Long March 3B liftoff from Xichang launch facilities in Sichuan. Xinhua credit.

Early Sunday morning China sent its Yutu rover on its way to the Moon atop a Long March rocket. Lifting off from Sichuan, China, the Long March successfully placed the lunar craft on a trajectory to the Moon. Solar panels have deployed and are powering the spacecraft during its journey. The robotic rover, Yutu, has a plutonium-powered motor for its exploration of the lunar surface. The attempt to land the rover on its surface-lander craft will be made on December 14. If all goes well, it should arrive in the Bay of Rainbows (Sinus Iridum) and begin exploring shortly after. The Chang'e 3 mission is a testbed of topographic recognition systems, chemical analysis, and lunar dust radar penetrator instruments. By 202, China hopes to launch a sample-return mission.

China's Yutu lunar rover. AFP credit.

Rocket launch updates

Long March 4C rocket blasts off from Jiuquan, China.

The last couple of weeks have seen the usual flurry of rocket launches from around the world. These satellite launches rarely make TV coverage, but are an important sign of the strength of space programs around the world. They demonstrate how reliant we are upon the space technology that lies behind our way of life in the 21st century.

Launch of  a Long March rocket from Jiuquan.

Yesterday China launched a Long MArch 4C rocket from its Jiuquan Satellite launch center. Three satellites, expected to be secret spy satellites, were placed into orbit.  The Jiquan Center is the same facility from where the Chinese Manned Missions take place. NASA Spaceflight.com has a great article on this launch at : http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/09/long-march-4c-launches-yg17-mission/

Russian Zenit S2B rocket. Credit: Ria Novosti.

On Sunday September 1st, the Russian Zenit rocket returned to duty, placing an Israeli communications satellite into space. This rocket is the land-based version of the Zenit Sea-launched version. The last Zenit launch from its sea-based space center failed, destroying an Intelsat satellite. This launch took place from Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan.

The heavy-lift Ariane 5 blasts off. Credit: Ariannespace.

Last Thursday the European Space Agency launched an Ariane 5  heavy lift rocket from its space center in French Guiana on the coast of South America. The two satellites were successfully placed into orbit. One was a European communications satellite, the other a military satellite for India.

The powerful Delta-4 rocket on the pad at Vandenberg AFB, California. 

Credit: ULA & Spaceflight Now.

Last Wednesday morning saw the launch of the Delta-4 rocket under the direction of the United Launch Alliance. Launch site was the Vandenberg Air Force Base pad in California. The mission placed a National Reconnaissance spy satellite into space. 

Japanese Epsilon rocket on the pad at Uchinoura facility. Credit: JAXA.

Things didn't work out very well for the expected launch of the Japanese Epsilon rocket on August 27. The Epsilon is a new rocket, expected to place the SPRINT-A satellite into orbit. The SPRINT-A is an observatory which will study the planets in our solar system. An unexpected malfunction caused the countdown to terminate with 19 seconds left. Engineers are working on the problem. Keep an eye on Space.Com for updates: http://www.space.com/22540-japan-aborts-epsilon-rocket-launch.html

A Week of International Space Activity

Cosmonaut Yurchikhin outside the ISS.

It wasn't a week of ONLY International space activity, but I thought I'd post some of the goings-on by our ISS partners the Russian Space Agency and the conclusion of the Chinese Shenzhou 10 mission. On June 24, Expedition 36 flight engineers Fyodor Yurchikhin and Alexander Misurkin completed a successful six and one half hour spacewalk outside the ISS. The main reason for the EVA was to continue hookup preparations for a new Russian-built ISS Module, coming later this year, that will replace the PIRS module. That project will be the first renovation of the station since its completion at the end of the Space Shuttle program. 

Cosmonaut Misurkin works on the Zarya module.

During the spacewalk, the cosmonauts also retrieved some experiments that had been outside the station exposed to the vacuum of space, and did some preventative maintenance on the Zarya module cooling system. There are four more Russian spacewalks scheduled for 2013, and two spacewalks by Americans in July.

Outside the ISS.

During the spacewalk, the Expedition 36 crew continued on working with ISS equipment or were involved in supporting the EVA. Due to the layout of the Russian module segments and their hatch locations, astronaut Chris Cassidy and Commander cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov were required to remain in the Soyuz 08M craft attached to the Poisk module, while the other two astronauts were free to move about the American side of the station.

Soyuz 2-1b rocket on launch pad.

The Russians also had a busy launch schedule. On June 25, they launched a Soyuz 2-1b rocket from Baikonur and paced a remote-sensing satellite in orbit. Then on June 26, a Soyuz ST-b rocket lifted off from the European Space Agency launch site in French Guiana, carrying four satellites designed to expand broadband Internet communications to areas of the planet that currently have weak or no coverage.

Televised parachute opening of returning Shenzhou-10 capsule.

June 26 also saw the ending of China's Shenzhou-10 space station mission. Declaring a success, China's crew landed in Inner Mongolia safely and was returned to a cheering nation. China will now focus on building the technology for a new station and expanded series of ferry rockets for carrying crew and supplies.

Shenzhou 10 Launch Attempts China's Longest Mission Yet

Shenzhou 10 on Long March 2F rocket roars into a perfect sky. All images credit: CMSEC and Xinhua.

China has set herself on an ambitious schedule of missions. On this, only the fifth manned space mission, Chinese astronauts (sometimes called taikonauts) are attempting a 15-day mission to the Tiangong space module in orbit around the Earth. Unlike ISS, the Tiangong 1 is not permanently manned. It is being used as a temporary way station on a scheduled path for China to build their own space station by the year 2020. The first manned mission to Tiangong 1 was last year. Each mission brings China closer to their stated goals, eventually to reach the Moon.

Artist concept of docking Shenzhou10 (right) with Tiangong 1 (left). Notice the similarity between Shenzhou 10 and a Russian Soyuz space craft.

Overview of Soyuz spacecraft. Although the orbital module has a different shape than the Soyuz's, the Chinese craft was developed from the Russian design. Credit: Space.com.

China has gone from first manned launch to second docking with a space station in just five missions. Their planning has been careful and ambitious. But it shows that countries entering the manned space age on their own no longer need to go through the long and difficult process of scientific progression on their own. America and Russia paid for that discovery during the last 50 years. China just showed other countries that you can buy the technology (as they did from Russia, although some advanced navigational technology was taken from American sources) and develop your own space program. Soon, once the US commercial companies like SpaceX and Boeing complete their own manned rockets to the ISS, a country will merely need to buy a complete rocket and capsule set. Currently, other countries will still need to develop their own space infrastructure (launch bases) of their own of use a previous existing one. However, I believe that we will soon see space construction companies contract out to build launch facilities for other countries.

Shenzhou 10 astronaut (l-r): Wang Yaping, Zhang Xiaoguang, and Nie Haisheng. 

The Shenzhou 10 mission improves upon the last visit to the station. In addition to bringing supplies, the crew will install a new waste processing facility (think about that- no doubt a welcome addition), the crew will enjoy a greater variety of food for their meals, and an educational lesson will be televised to the students of China. They will practice docking maneuvers, and generally set the stage for the next Chinese manned flight.

Shenzhou 10 prepares for mission to Tiangong 1

Gantry tower surrounds the Long March rocket. Credit: CMSE.

On Monday June 3, the Chinese Space Agency CMSE (China Manned Space Engineering) rolled out the Shenzhou 10 to the launch pad. The spacecraft sits atop a Long March 2F rocket and is planned to lift three Taikonauts into space sometime around June 9-11. So really, any time now.

Shenzhou 10 rollout. Credit: CMSE

This will be the second Chinese mission to the Tiangong 1 space station, currently orbiting the Earth. The last mission there, Shenzhou 9 in June 2012, took three spacefarers on a short visit to the station and included China's first woman astronaut, or Taikonaut as Chinese space travelers are designated. On that mission, Liu Yang and her fellow crewmembers stayed with the station for 10-11 days.

The Shenzhou 10 mission is expected to attempt a fly-around of the station, followed by a docking and a 12-day (I think) stay before coming back to Earth. According to Space.com, Chinese space agency leaders claim this will be the third in a series of tests for the Agency to master the art of placing a station in space and transferring crew members. The goal is for China to build a larger manned station by 2020.

You can find more about the mission at Space.com and watch for the launch news at SpaceflightNow.com.

Recent Satellite Launches from Around the World

Technician works on the Orbcomm satellite. Credit: Sierra Nevada Corp.

The big focus for space enthusiasts lately has been the remarkable mission of SpaceX's Dragon capsule to the ISS. While the station resupply effort went well, the secondary payload on the Falcon 9 rocket ended in failure.  Due to a malfunctioning engine, other engines on the Falcon rocket overcompensated and burned longer than planned, resulting in the wrong orbital placement of the OrbComm satellite. Built by the Sierra Nevada Corporation, Orbcomm was an engineering test vehicle to help establish a new network of communication satellites. This example was a prototype, designed to test how the system would react in its orbital environment. There are 18 small satellites planned for the system, all due to be launched on Falcon 9 rockets. Unfortunately, the wrong orbit placement caused the Orbcomm to fail its mission and it de-orbited. NASA and SpaceX engineers are investigating the failure while company executives plan a way to continue this mission.

Meanwhile, there have been other launches around the world.

Delta 4 launch from pad 37 at Cape Canaveral, October 4. On board was the GPS 2F-3 satellite. This was a replacement satellite for an older one in the GPS system we all rely on.  The satellite reached its intended orbit just fine. Credit: Pat Corkery/ULA.

A Russian Soyuz rocket lifted off from the European Space Agency's French Guiana launch site on October 12. It carried a pair of satellites for the Galileo navigation system, which affects many drivers, airplanes, and ships around the world. Successful placement of satellites. Credit: ESA.

On Sunday October 14, China launched a Long March 2C rocket from the Taiyuan space facility. It carried two Shijuan-9 engineering test satellites into space to study new satellite test equipment. This photo is of a previous Long March launch. Credit from Chinese News Agency.

A Russian Proton blasted off from the Baikonur site in Kazakhstan on Sunday October 14. It carried an Intelsat telecommunications satellite into orbit. Credit: Krunichev.

China: Shenzhou 9 Returns to Earth

Shenzhou 9 (right) docked with Tiangong 1. China Space Agency art.

After completing several milestones in Chinese space exploration history, the 3-man crew returned to Earth yesterday, landing in Inner Mongolia. The manned spacecraft had docked under automatic controls on June 18. Liu Yang became the first Chinese Woman Taikonaut in their space program. On June 24, the crew boarded the Shenzhou 9 and undocked from the station. They re-docked with the station, performing the first manual docking in their program. On Friday June 29 they undocked for the last time and jettisoned their service and science modules, returning through the atmosphere in the crew module.

View from Tiangong 1 of Shenzhou 9 re-docking with the station on June 24. Credit: CCTV.

Back on Earth, Liu Yang is helped from the hatch of the tipped-over capsule. Credit: Xinhua News Agency.

Chinese First Manned Docking with Space Station

In foreground, Tiangong 1 station obscures the Shenzhou-9 Spacecraft. Credit CCTV.

The Chinese space program completed a major step in their efforts to rival the USA and USSR in space achievements this weekend. It began with the launch of a Long March 2f rocket from the Jiuquan Space Center in the Gansu Province. The Saturday launch in the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft immediately achieved another first for China, as the three-taikonaut crew carried the first Chinese woman to orbit.

Long March rocket roll-out to the pad. Credit: CCTV.

The Long March is carried to the pad by a large crawler, while the crowd gets a great close up view.

Credit: CCTV

Long March at gantry, as support scaffolding moves to embrace it. Chinese Shenzou spacecraft follow Russian Soyuz design, but launch facilities seem to follow Western concepts. Credit: CCTV

Blast off! Credit China Academy of Launch Technology.

After the liftoff on Saturday, the Shenzhou-9 carried the crew to rendezvous with the Tiangong-1 Orbital Module. Previously, an unmanned Shenzhou spacecraft had been remotely piloted to the station and ground controllers had practiced docking procedures. Now, early on Monday morning, the spacecraft docked with a crew of three: Commander Jing Haipeng opened the hatch a few hours later, and was followed inside by Liu Wang.

Inside the module. Hatch opens and Jing Haipeng, on his second spaceflight, waves to the camera. Credit: CCTV

Jing Haipeng approaches the camera while Liu Wang enters the hatch in background.

Admittedly, the interior of the module seems spartan and empty compared to the packed but roomy ISS modules or the often cluttered Russian space stations of the past. Of course the camera lens is allowing a wider view which makes it look a little wider than it actually is, but it still looks nice and orderly in there. Well, let's see how it looks as they get used to working in the module. Meanwhile, China's first woman in space, Liu Yang, remained in the Shenzhou-9 to monitor operations while the module base was established. Eventually she also made her way into the Tiangong-1.

Liu Yang in the cramped Shenzhou cabin. Now, THIS looks more like a Soyuz... Credit:CCTV

The Shenzhou-9 crew inside Tiangong-1, sending greetings to Earth.

Credit is given where credit is due, and the Chinese have certainly performed a great feat in their space efforts with this mission. The people of China must certainly be proud of their accomplishments, and all space buffs are happy to cheer them on and wish them a successful mission. One thing for certain. their TV transmissions were better than the ones that came from the Russian Mir station... ; )