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Lump-of-baryons t1_iy5pzhu wrote

Wow I didn’t even know China had a space station, apparently the first piece went up in 2021

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Oshino_Meme t1_iy6967h wrote

It’s their second space station, though the first was much less impressive and I think only saw one mission visit it

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rocketsocks t1_iy6d4os wrote

It's their third space station actually.

The first station had three Shenzhou dockings, one uncrewed, two crewed (the first for 3 days, the second for 12). The second station also had dockings with the automated Tianzhou cargo module and was occupied for 26 days. Both of those stations were very small, with not much more pressurized volume than the Shenzhou capsules themselves.

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RoyalCrown-cola t1_iy64yu9 wrote

I hope they have a safe trip!

I'm not sure about the rest of y'all but I'm excited with what appears to be the next space race! Too young to have been alive for the first one. But now we get to experience this one!

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[deleted] t1_iy5oao9 wrote

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generallyanoaf t1_iy6m29p wrote

In case you're serious it's only the CZ-5B that has uncontrolled booster reentry. Next launch is planned for December 2023.

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hurffurf t1_iy6pp8n wrote

Also last launch, CZ-5B was only for space station modules and the telescope is the last one.

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toodroot t1_iy7b6uz wrote

CZ-5B was also previously used for China's next generation capsule.

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KiwieeiwiK t1_iybze5g wrote

Last planned launch, but if they add more modules they will probably fly another CZ-5B. Unless they have designed something else in the mean time

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toodroot t1_iybzt4v wrote

Who knows, maybe they'll add a bit more propulsion to the payload so that the booster doesn't quite enter orbit and comes down in a controlled fashion?

That's the standard Russian and US solution to "big stage coming down uncontrolled". Which you just saw being used with SLS, and was used by Energia and Shuttle.

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KiwieeiwiK t1_iyc0k52 wrote

The issue isn't in thrust or fuel tolerances, the rockets used on the core stage are only able to be fired once since they use pyrotechnic charges to get the turbines to start spinning on the pad. Replacing them would mean completely redesigning the entire rocket, you can't just take off one rocket engine and add a different one like in Kerbal Space Program, it takes years of rigorous testing and certifying. And it would require many more launches of core stages we have no guarantee would come down from orbit anyway.

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toodroot t1_iyc0wim wrote

This is false, as I've pointed out repeatedly in the past.

Look at how SLS does it.

Look at how Energia did it.

Look at how Shuttle did it.

The core stage does not relight for any of these.

All of them did it on the first try, too.

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KiwieeiwiK t1_iyc2jky wrote

Fucking hell it's you again, back with this Energia shit.

I really want to know which youtuber you watched that talked about the Energia! It's very clear you haven't got any new information since you last posted. They haven't uploaded anything recently?

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toodroot t1_iyc2vcs wrote

I think the main point was that I was right last time. BTW, I don't watch any youtube, I stopped watching TV when I was 19.

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toodroot t1_iyb4egy wrote

This particular CZ-2F rocket drops its boosters in an area that has some villages. Toxic fuel, too.

Edit: Speaking of toxic, I wonder why there's so much toxic downvoting in these discussions?

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KiwieeiwiK t1_iybzfrm wrote

For the record the villages are evacuated before the launch by the government for this reason.

The reason they built their launch site inland and with villages downrange was to protect it from either Soviet invasion from the West or US naval attack from the sea. In the 1960s/70s that was a very real threat.

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toodroot t1_iybzpcu wrote

For the record, there are plenty of photos that say that evacuations aren't always successful.

I'm fully aware of why these launch sites were built inland, and that new Chinese rockets use a coastal launch site. And that Russia never built a launch site on their east coast for the same reason.

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Its_Just_A_Typo t1_iy74p3n wrote

That was just a dumb joke, but this is but good to know. ;)

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ShinyBronzeArse t1_iya8wyp wrote

Third of comments removed by moderators. Murican bots must be in a rare form today

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Soupjoe5 OP t1_iy5nkqm wrote

Article:

2 minute readNovember 28, 20226:48 AM UTCLast Updated ago China set to launch Shenzhou-15 spacecraft to its space station on Tuesday Reuters

[1/2] Astronauts Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu attend a news conference before the Shenzhou-15 spaceflight mission to build China's space station, at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, near Jiuquan, Gansu province, China November 28, 2022. cnsphoto via REUTERS

BEIJING, Nov 28 (Reuters) - China will launch the Shenzhou-15 spacecraft to its space station at 11:08 p.m. (1508 GMT) on Nov. 29, the China Manned Space Agency said on Monday, the final mission in the country's plan to complete the crewed orbital outpost.

Onboard will be three male astronauts: Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu, the agency said at a news conference.

The space station will be handed over to them within a week by the three astronauts who arrived in early June.

"During the stay, the Shenzhou-15 crew will welcome the visiting Tianzhou-6 cargo ship and hand over the Shenzhou-16 manned spaceship, and are planning to return to China's Dongfeng landing site in May next year," said Ji Qiming, a spokesperson at the agency.

"Currently, the space station combination is in stable status with all equipment functioning well, and ready for the rendezvous, docking and the crew handover," Ji added.

In April 2021, China began construction of the three-module space station with the launch of the Tianhe module, the main living quarters for astronauts.

In July and November it launched the remaining two laboratory modules, Wentian and Mengtian, where scientific experiments will be performed.

The completion of the space station, designed for a lifespan of at least 10 years, will be a milestone in China's ambitions in low-earth orbit, with NASA's aging ISS potentially ceasing operations by the end of the decade.

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californianavyguy t1_iyb2e9j wrote

It is better to focus on space than invading Taiwan! They saw how Russia got there butt kicked, invading Ukrain.

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siren5 t1_iy6p92s wrote

I thought maybe they already had a lot going on?

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Agogi47 t1_iy83s43 wrote

Why do I feel like this is the first time I've heard of China launching space rockets. I'm pretty sure they have their own satellites so I'm sire they capable but I'm not used to hearing bout them going up. Have def not heard of their failures of rickets blowing up at launch either

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ciViNda t1_iyb20yy wrote

At least you entered this sub and read this thread, way better than 99% of rest in the world.

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Zachtpres t1_iy6pwmx wrote

I'm very intrigued at the timing of all these large scale launches this past year, and the amount of recent videos showing meteor strikes.

Also curious about how much of a threat space debris is compared to these meteorites. If there is this much stuff entering through our atmosphere on a consistent basis and it so happens to not be man made space debris...then I'd start to become worried.

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Cyclonit t1_iy73zfd wrote

As a matter of fact, China has a horrible track record of managing their rockets' debris. Everything that goes up must come down. But other space angenies invest a lot of effort to make sure that their stuff either burns up on reentry or comes down in inhabited areas.

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KiwieeiwiK t1_iyc01ue wrote

China is actually generally just as good as every other country in modern times. The only modern exception is the CZ-5B because it is fitting a very specific function the CZ-5 was not originally designed to fulfill, and an alternative was too many years away. It's only got one more planned launch left anyway

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toodroot t1_iyc1mbf wrote

The number of ground causalities from booster stages landing on land, intentionally, is greater in China than in Russia (well, Kazakstan.)

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[deleted] t1_iy6z9zo wrote

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senicluxus t1_iy79vsa wrote

We literally just launched a spacecraft around the moon. This is a flight to a space station, which we have done dozens of times

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toodroot t1_iy7iyxc wrote

Even better, "we" launched a Korean satellite to the moon 2 months ago, and "we" will launch a Japanese lander to the moon in a couple of days.

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CaesarJulius50 t1_iy7gn8s wrote

Didn’t they launch Orion and currently researching nuclear reactors for moon’s base?

Edit: not to mention Secret Space Vehicle doing all sorts of weird research up there

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Real_Affect39 t1_iy7jwii wrote

You just gonna ignore Orion?

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Slagothor48 t1_iy7vhbr wrote

Do you get your entire worldview from r/news headlines? Just keep in mind reddit is curated and to practice some discretion with what you read.

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krichard-21 t1_iy8jtah wrote

Fair enough. Still hard to ignore China's progress in space. Or us that somehow fake?

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[deleted] t1_iy7b3ao wrote

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KristnSchaalisahorse t1_iy8qaym wrote

How does this not fit your definition of a space station? It has three, large, permanent modules, giant solar arrays, robotic arms, full size air lock, multiple docking ports, and all the other functionality expected of a space station.

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tdoesstuff t1_iy8v0k0 wrote

The final module for the space station was docked in November. It is in fact, a space station.

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TaskForceCausality t1_iy5wlis wrote

Hopefully the taikonauts make it back alive. Chinese build quality and “space travel” is a risky combination.

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rocketsocks t1_iy6dzo9 wrote

China is the only country with a human spaceflight program that hasn't killed anyone in a spacecraft yet.

There's plenty to criticize about China and about China's space activities, but I don't see much evidence that the safety of their spacecraft is on that list at present.

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horsemagicians t1_iy63hxj wrote

Expensive Chinese products are of good quality. Its the cheap shit we demand where quality goes out the window. Get what you pay for basically.

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Magiu5 t1_iy70xn3 wrote

china has a better rocket launch success rate than both Roscosmos and nasa. Zero Chinese have died in space or even on earth attempting to go space.

Considering china does a launch every second day, this is pretty impressive. Along with landing on moon and mars on first attempts, with 3 in 1 lander orbiter and rover on their first attempt. Same as landing on far side of moon. All firsts, all extremely successful.

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toodroot t1_iy7be9n wrote

Zero Chinese have died on earth, other than the villagers downrange from their inland launch sites.

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KiwieeiwiK t1_iyc08rq wrote

"Made in China" is a reputation gained because westerners demand to buy the cheapest shit possible. It is western companies that skimp on manufacturing costs that make those goods poor quality.

Chinese space program is cutting edge and they've never lost a single astronaut. Which you would know if you were anything but a raging reactionary

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toodroot t1_iyc1i6n wrote

Other than the people on the ground, who died from booster stages landing on land.

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TaskForceCausality t1_iyc6giv wrote

>>…which you would know if you were anything but a raging reactionary

Fuck the Chinese Communist Party. Is that enough reactionary rage? Would you like to know more?

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