SPACE reports, “Scientists have discovered a previously unknown strain of microbe after analyzing samples taken from China’s Tiangong space station. The new microbe strain, officially named Niallia tiangongensis, was found in microbial samples collected from the surfaces of Tiangong during the Shenzhou 15 crewed mission, which returned to Earth in June 2023.”
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Tag: Chinese
China Unveils New Advanced Combat Aircraft
Aviation Week reports, “New Chinese combat aircraft broke cover in a flood of social media photos and videos on Dec. 26 showing them in flight and revealing two new examples of China’s evolution as an aerospace innovator. One new aircraft appeared in social media posts revealing a large, three-engine warplane with a cockpit and diamond-style wing with no vertical tails. Yaw control appears to be managed by Northrop Grumman B-2-style split rudders.”
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Chinese Spacewalkers Install Space-Junk Shielding on Tiangong Space Station
SPACE reports, “Two Chinese astronauts continued installing space debris protection outside the nation’s Tiangong space station” during a July 3 EVA. “Ye Guangfu and Li Cong, two members of the three-person Shenzhou 18 mission, spent about 6.5 hours working outside Tiangong on Wednesday (July 3). Li Guangsu assisted the expedition from inside Tiangong, operating the station’s robotic arm.”
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Chinese Astronauts Fix Tiangong Space Station Solar Wing in 8-hour Spacewalk
SPACE reports that a pair of Chinese astronauts spent eight hours outside their Tiangong Space Station last weekend to carry out repairs on solar arrays. According to the report, “it was the second extravehicular activity, or spacewalk, of the ongoing Shenzhou 17 crewed mission at China’s Tiangong space station.”
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US Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon
The New York Times reported that “the United States shot down a Chinese spy balloon on Saturday.” The balloon “spent five days traveling in a diagonal southeast route from Idaho to the Carolinas” and “was shot down within moments of its arrival over the Atlantic Ocean,” off the coast of South Carolina. “One of two F-22 fighter jets from Langley Air Force Base fired a Sidewinder air-to-air missile, downing the balloon, which was flying at an altitude of 60,000 to 65,000 feet. The F-22s were at 58,000 feet, with other American fighters in support.”
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Chinese Military Analyst Releases Plan to Hack Starlink
Bloomberg reports that in a paper “published this spring by the Beijing Institute of Tracking and Telecommunications Technology, a researcher urges the Chinese military to track and monitor every satellite in the sprawling Starlink network.” The paper, published in the Modern Defense Technology journal, reads Starlink “can provide more stable and reliable communication capabilities for the combat units deployed by the US military around the world. On the other hand, it also has the potential to provide high-definition pictures and even live video.” Therefore, Beijing should consider “a combination of soft and hard kill methods” in order to “make some Starlink satellites lose their functions and destroy the constellation’s operating system.” Space Law and Policy Solutions founder Michael Listner said, “This is a national security issue for the Chinese, they’re looking at Taiwan, if something happens, this system could be important for the Defense Department. Starlink offers the US military resiliency. You can hit our systems but we have backup capabilities.”
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Three Chinese Astronauts Arrive at Tiangong
SPACE reports that China’s “three-person Shenzhou 14 mission arrived at Tianhe, the core module of the under-construction Tiangong, early Sunday morning (June 5), about six hours after lifting off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert.” The three Shenzhou 14 crewmembers “are expected to spend about six months aboard the 54-foot-long (16.6 meters) Tianhe (‘Harmony of the Heavens’), which launched to low Earth orbit in April 2021.” The three taikonauts – Chen Dong, Liu Yang, and Cai Xuzhe – “will conduct a variety of scientific experiments and educational outreach activities, perform several spacewalks and install some new equipment inside and outside Tianhe.”
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