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2023 Revisited: Key Moments in Chinese Space Exploration | CGTN
China's space sector has seen many historic achievements in 2023, including manned missions, international collaborations and commercial launches. In this special series, CGTN reporter Wu Lei revisits the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center for a look back at key moments in space exploration over the past year.
Getting Up to Speed with China's Commercial Reusable Rockets | CGTN
Deploying reusable launch vehicles is the pinnacle pursuit for maximizing cost-effectiveness in commercial space exploration. This December 2023, China's private rocket industry shattered multiple launch records, elevating expectations for the country's journey towards utilizing reusable rockets. Dive into the latest achievements of these space explorers with this episode of "Tech Please!"
China opened up its space sector to private and commercial activity in 2014. This is seen as largely in reaction to the explosion of commercial space in the U.S. The central government has since implemented policies and published guidance to support the development of commercial space.
2023 has been a notable year for China’s commercial launch companies. CAS Space, Galactic Energy, iSpace, Expace, Space Pioneer and Landspace have all reached orbit. These include first Chinese commercial liquid propellant launch successes, achieved by Space Pioneer and Landspace.
Chinese commercial rocket company iSpace’s Hyperbola-2 launch vehicle performed a successful vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) test on Nov. 2, 2023. Hyperbola-2 is a small, reusable, two-stage liquid-propellant launch vehicle, designed by iSpace (Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Technology Corporation Ltd.) to launch up to 1.9 tons to low-Earth orbit. This test marks progress towards a reusable medium-lift rocket to debut in 2025. It is also the latest marker in Chinese efforts to emulate the success of SpaceX and its Falcon 9 rocket.
The Tiangong Space Station is expected to provide an opportunity for commercial launch vehicles to gain contracts to deliver cargo. The national Guowang LEO broadband megaconstellation is also expected to provide opportunities for commercial actors.
Video Credit: China Global Television Network (CGTN)
NASA Mars Perseverance Rover's View of 'Airey Hill' | JPL
Captured by the rover’s Mastcam-Z, the images used to create this panorama were acquired on Nov. 3, Nov. 4, and Nov. 6, 2023, the 962nd, 963rd, and 965th Martian day, or sol, of the rover’s mission.
This is a natural color version.
This is an anaglyph that can be viewed with red-blue 3D glasses.
The journey ahead: A labeled image in the enhanced-color view indicates a possible future track for NASA's Mars Perseverance rover, including its route out of Jezero Crater.
Jezero Crater on Mars formed from an asteroid impact almost 4 billion years ago. After NASA's Perseverance Mars rover landed in February 2021, the mission team discovered the crater floor is made of igneous rock formed from magma underground or from volcanic activity at the surface. They have since found sandstone and mudstone, signaling the arrival of the first river in the crater hundreds of millions of years later. Above these rocks are salt-rich mudstones, signaling the presence of a shallow lake experiencing evaporation. The team thinks the lake eventually grew as wide as 22 miles (35 kilometers) in diameter and as deep as 100 feet (30 meters).
Arizona State University leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, on the design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras, and in collaboration with the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen on the design, fabrication, and testing of the calibration targets.
A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).
Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.
The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.
Celebrating 2+ Years on Mars
Mission Name: Mars 2020
Rover Name: Perseverance
Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for return to Earth.
NASA's Perseverance Rover Zooms in on Ancient Mars River | JPL
After 1,000 Martian days of exploration, NASA’s Perseverance rover is studying rocks that show several eras in the history of a river delta billions of years old. Scientists are investigating this region of Mars, known as Jezero Crater, to see if they can find evidence of ancient life recorded in the rocks. Perseverance project scientist Ken Farley provides a guided tour of a richly detailed panorama of the rover’s location in November 2023, taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument.
Composed of 993 individual images and 2.38 billion pixels, this 360-degree mosaic looks in all directions from a location the rover science team calls “Airey Hill.” Portions of the rover itself are visible in the scene, appearing more distorted toward the edges as a result of the image processing.
A color enhancement applied to the image increases contrast and accentuates color differences. By approximating what the scene would look like under Earth-like lighting conditions, the adjustment allows mission scientists to use their everyday experience to interpret the landscape.
The view on Mars would be darker and more reddish.
Cygnus Cargo Spacecraft Release via Canadarm2 | International Space Station
New Views: NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara monitored the Canadarm2 robotic arm release of the Cygnus space freighter on Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. Earlier, ground engineers remotely maneuvered the Canadarm2 and detached Cygnus from the Unity module where it had been installed since Aug. 4.
Packed inside Cygnus, along with disposable cargo, is the SAFFIRE-VI experiment that will be remotely activated aboard the spacecraft to explore fire safety. The space freighter from Northrop Grumman will orbit Earth on its own until early January for a safe, but fiery demise above the south Pacific Ocean.
Station Commander: Andreas Mogensen of the European Space Agency (Denmark)
Roscosmos (Russia): Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, Konstantin Borisov
JAXA: Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa (Japan)
NASA: Jasmin Moghbeli, Loral O'Hara (USA)
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
The Last Full Moon of 2023 | International Space Station
The last full moon of 2023, the "Cold Moon," sits just above the blue glow of Earth's horizon as the International Space Station orbited nearly 270 miles over the Pacific Ocean.
Station Commander: Andreas Mogensen of the European Space Agency (Denmark)
Roscosmos (Russia): Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, Konstantin Borisov
JAXA: Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa (Japan)
NASA: Jasmin Moghbeli, Loral O'Hara (USA)
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
Landing science on the Moon, demonstrating quiet supersonic aircraft, and launching two new Earth climate satellites, plus a mission to Europa, one of Jupiter's icy moons, are just a FEW of the milestones we have planned for 2024.
To learn more about the missions mentioned in this video, take a deep dive into these links:
One Million Astronomical Objects | European Space Agency
Embark on a cosmic journey with the European Space Agency as we explore the universe through the lens of ‘One Million’. From the scorching temperatures of the Sun's corona to the cosmic gaze of the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope— discover the astronomical wonders that surround us. 🚀
What's a Lunar Crater Radio Telescope? | NASA Space Technology
Imagine a giant telescope secluded on the surface on the far side of the Moon. This is the idea behind the Lunar Crater Radio Telescope (LCRT), a visionary project from NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program. Deployed by cliff-climbing robots, the LCRT would be isolated from Earth-based radio interference, giving us an unparalleled view of the universe. The LCRT would be able to detect radio waves from the cosmic Dark Ages, a period before the first stars formed. With the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the universe, the Lunar Crater Radio Telescope would be a game-changer in space exploration.
NASA 360 takes a look at the NASA Innovative Advanced Concept (NIAC) called the Lunar Crater Radio Telescope (LCRT), a bold idea that could revolutionize our understanding of the universe.
This video represents a research study within the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. NIAC is a visionary and far-reaching aerospace program, one that has the potential to create breakthrough technologies for possible future space missions. However, such early stage technology developments may never become actual NASA missions. NIAC projects study innovative, technically credible, advanced concepts to turn science fiction to science fact.
Webb Telescope Year in Review 2023 & Launch Anniversary
It has been two years since the James Webb Space Telescope launched into space, giving us a last glimpse of the observatory as it started its journey to Langrage point 2, a million miles away.
From its orbit, Webb has observed the infrared universe in new and fascinating ways. Just take a look at the headlines from 2023!
Panning Across A Holiday Collection of Spiral Galaxies | Hubble
This Hubble holiday image features a richness of spiral galaxies: the large, prominent spiral galaxy on the right side of the image is NGC 1356; the two apparently smaller spiral galaxies flanking it are LEDA 467699 (above it) and LEDA 95415 (very close at its left) respectively; and finally, IC 1947 sits along the left side of the image.
This image is a really interesting example of how challenging it can be to tell whether two galaxies are actually close together, or just seem to be from our perspective here on Earth. A quick glance at this image would likely lead you to think that NGC 1356, LEDA 467699 and LEDA 95415 were all close companions, while IC 1947 was more remote. However, we have to remember that two-dimensional images, such as this one, only give an indication of angular separation—how objects are spread across the sphere of the night sky. What they cannot represent is the distance objects are from Earth.
For instance, while NGC 1356 and LEDA 95415 appear to be so close that they must surely be interacting, the former is about 550 million light-years from Earth and the latter is roughly 840 million light-years away, so there is nearly a whopping 300 million light-year separation between them. This also means that LEDA 95415 is likely nowhere near as much smaller than NGC 1356 as it appears to be.
On the other hand, while NGC 1356 and IC 1947 seem to be separated by a relative gulf in this image, IC 1947 is only about 500 million light-years from Earth. The angular distance apparent between them in this image only works out to less than four hundred thousand light-years. Thus, they are actually much much closer neighbors in three-dimensional space than NGC 1356 and LEDA 95415!
Image Description: A collection of galaxies. On the left side a large spiral galaxy with swirling, twisted arms is flanked by a smaller, but still detailed, spiral behind its arm on the left, and a smaller spiral above it. On the right side is a fourth, round spiral galaxy seen face-on. Between them lies a single bright star. Several stars and distant galaxies dot the background.
Credit: European Space Agency/Hubble & NASA, J. Dalcanton, Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
A Holiday Collection of Spiral Galaxies: "It’s All Relative" | Hubble
This Hubble holiday image features a richness of spiral galaxies: the large, prominent spiral galaxy on the right side of the image is NGC 1356; the two apparently smaller spiral galaxies flanking it are LEDA 467699 (above it) and LEDA 95415 (very close at its left) respectively; and finally, IC 1947 sits along the left side of the image.
This image is a really interesting example of how challenging it can be to tell whether two galaxies are actually close together, or just seem to be from our perspective here on Earth. A quick glance at this image would likely lead you to think that NGC 1356, LEDA 467699 and LEDA 95415 were all close companions, while IC 1947 was more remote. However, we have to remember that two-dimensional images, such as this one, only give an indication of angular separation—how objects are spread across the sphere of the night sky. What they cannot represent is the distance objects are from Earth.
For instance, while NGC 1356 and LEDA 95415 appear to be so close that they must surely be interacting, the former is about 550 million light-years from Earth and the latter is roughly 840 million light-years away, so there is nearly a whopping 300 million light-year separation between them. This also means that LEDA 95415 is likely nowhere near as much smaller than NGC 1356 as it appears to be.
On the other hand, while NGC 1356 and IC 1947 seem to be separated by a relative gulf in this image, IC 1947 is only about 500 million light-years from Earth. The angular distance apparent between them in this image only works out to less than four hundred thousand light-years. Thus, they are actually much much closer neighbors in three-dimensional space than NGC 1356 and LEDA 95415!
Image Description: A collection of galaxies. On the left side a large spiral galaxy with swirling, twisted arms is flanked by a smaller, but still detailed, spiral behind its arm on the left, and a smaller spiral above it. On the right side is a fourth, round spiral galaxy seen face-on. Between them lies a single bright star. Several stars and distant galaxies dot the background.
Credit: European Space Agency/Hubble & NASA, J. Dalcanton, Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
Merry Christmas from The Expedition 70 Crew! | International Space Station
Merry Christmas from FriendsofNASA.org! | Aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara along with European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen of Denmark and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa celebrate the holidays.
Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli: "While I especially miss my friends and family back home this time of year, I wouldn’t trade the unique memories I’m making with my space family. We have found little ways to make the holidays feel like the holidays up here. Later today, we will all share a holiday meal and decorate cookies together."
Station Commander: Andreas Mogensen of the European Space Agency (Denmark)
Roscosmos (Russia): Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, Konstantin Borisov
JAXA: Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa (Japan)
NASA: Jasmin Moghbeli, Loral O'Hara (USA)
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
Season's Greetings from Our Neighbors: The Andromeda Galaxy ("We Wish!")
The Andromeda Galaxy, also known as Messier 31 or M31, is the closest spiral galaxy to our own Milky Way. Located 2.3 million light years away, one can easily find this in the Andromeda constellation with their naked eye on clear moonless nights.
Historically speaking this galaxy is first mentioned by the Persian astronomer Al Sufi in the year 905 A.D. and can be found on star charts dating back before the invention of the telescope. On clear moonless nights away from city lights and with a pair of quality binoculars this object can be traced out to an angular size of 4 degrees. To give you a comparison the full moon has an angular size of just 1/2 a degree.
This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center.
Happy Holidays, Felices Fiestas, and Mele Kalikimaka and Hau‘oli Makahiki Hou!
We at the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab would like to wish you the best this holiday season, and a peaceful and successful 2024!
Through its five programs—Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), the International Gemini Observatory, Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) and Vera C. Rubin Observatory once operational—NOIRLab supports scientific programs. The lab’s infrastructure enables the astronomy community to advance humanity’s understanding of the Universe by exploring significant areas of astrophysics, including dark energy and dark matter, galaxies and quasars, the Milky Way, exoplanets, and small bodies in our own Solar System.
The background image is the nebula LBN 867, known as the Raspberry Nebula, located in the constellation Orion. It was captured by the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope using the Mosaic-3 detector at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab.
The Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope is a four-meter (158 inches) reflector telescope in Arizona named after the American observational astronomer of the same name. The telescope saw first light on February 27, 1973, and was the second-largest in the world at that time.
Video Credit:
Background image: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSD/T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab)
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