8 h. ago Chinese satellites appear to dock in orbit for historic refuelling mission

Two Chinese satellites may have docked in geostationary orbit for a historic refuelling mission, an autonomous satellite servicing feat the United States has yet to achieve. China’s Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 “appeared visually merged in optical sensor data” between July 2 and July 6, US-based space situational awareness software provider COMSPOC said on Saturday in a social media post. “Given the prolonged RPO time, SJ-21 and SJ-25 may have docked,” it said, using the acronym for “rendezvous and...

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6 d. ago China is making rapid gains in space tech. Here’s how the military could use it

The new space race is heating up, with the United States warning that its major rival China is narrowing the gap as it makes rapid technology gains. While China says its ambitious plans remain peaceful and that it rejects the weaponisation of space, some of the technologies it has developed in recent years also have military uses. Here are some of them. BeiDou network The Chinese navigation satellite system provides positioning, navigation and timing services worldwide. Its network of 60...

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6 d. ago China is making rapid space tech gains. Here’s how the military could use them

The new space race is heating up, with the United States warning that its major rival, China, is narrowing the gap as it makes rapid technological gains. While China says its ambitious plans remain peaceful and that it rejects the weaponisation of space, some of the technologies it has developed in recent years also have military uses. Here are some of them. BeiDou network The Chinese navigation satellite system provides positioning, navigation and timing services worldwide. Its network of 60...

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1 week ago Chinese scientists uncover coal power’s dirty secret in satellite data study

In the first high-precision satellite mapping of carbon dioxide emissions from large international coal power plants, Chinese scientists have found that existing databases are underestimating discharges from facilities across the globe. They include China’s Tuoketuo – the largest coal-fired power station in the world – and Alabama’s James H. Miller Jnr facility, the most polluting plant in the United States, according to a paper published on June 9 by the peer-reviewed Journal of Cleaner...

Politics

2 w. ago How 'Groundbreaking' Chinese Satellite Compares With Starlink

How 'Groundbreaking' Chinese Satellite Compares With Starlink  Newsweek

Politics

2 w. ago Star Wars goes real: Chinese satellite reportedly zaps Starlink from 36,000 KM with 2

Star Wars goes real: Chinese satellite reportedly zaps Starlink from 36,000 KM with 2-Watt laser beam  The Economic Times

Events

3 w. ago China Strikes Hard: Chinese Satellite Pulverizes Starlink With a 2

China Strikes Hard: Chinese Satellite Pulverizes Starlink With a 2-Watt Laser 36,000 KM From Earth  The Daily Galaxy

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3 w. ago Chinese, Algerian presidents hail successful launch of communications satellite

President Xi Jinping and his Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika exchanged congratulatory messages on the successful launch of Alcomsat-1 in the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China's southwestern province of Sichuan early Monday.

Politics

3 w. ago Chinese satellite beams data at 1Gbps, surpassing Starlink speed by 5 times

Imagine beaming a HD movie from Shanghai to Los Angeles – crossing three Pacific widths – in less than five seconds using just a night light. This may sound like fantasy because Starlink, operating just hundreds of kilometres above Earth, maxes out at a couple of Mbps. But from a secret satellite parked in stationary orbit more than 60 times higher, a team of Chinese scientists has used a 2-watt laser – dim as a candle – to push data through turbulent skies to Earth at 1Gbps, five times faster...

Politics

3 w. ago China hints Fujian aircraft carrier may soon be commissioned

The Fujian, China’s most advanced aircraft carrier, is expected to be commissioned soon based on new images circulating on social media. On Monday state media dropped another hint that the ship would soon be entering service by referring to an “era” when the Chinese navy would have three carriers. New satellite images of the ship circulating on social media showed 36 newly painted spaces on the flight deck for warplanes, a higher capacity than the country’s two existing carriers. Song Zhongping,...

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last month China’s landmark orbital refuelling mission: why US spy satellites hover nearby

China appears on the verge of carrying out a historic satellite-to-satellite refuelling mission in high orbit, a potential advance that has prompted the US to deploy two military surveillance satellites nearby to watch. The Shijian-25 satellite was launched this year to test on-orbit refuelling and mission-extension technologies, and has been drifting towards Shijian-21. The two satellites have nearly synchronised orbits and are primed for rendezvous and docking, according to public tracking...

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