中国は火曜日、「Spacesailコンステレーション」と呼ばれる商用低軌道ネットワークの一部を構成するための衛星群を打ち上げた。
衛星は北京時間の午後7時59分、山西省の太原衛星発射センターから改良型の長征6号ロケットで打ち上げられた。衛星は予定通りの軌道に無事投入された。
今回のミッションは、長征シリーズ運搬ロケットの642回目の飛行となった。この新しいグループは、大規模な商用衛星ネットワークであるSpacesailコンステレーションの構築に寄与することになる。
今回の打ち上げは、中国が商用目的で地球低軌道におけるプレゼンスを拡大しようと取り組んでいる中で行われた。
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Lai Ka-ying, Hong Kong's first astronaut, launched into space aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft on Sunday evening. The mission marks a milestone for the city as she joins a three-person crew heading to the Tiangong space station.
China successfully launched the Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft on Monday to deliver supplies to the Tiangong space station.
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China launched the Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship on Sunday. The astronauts entered the Tiangong space station on Monday to begin handover with the Shenzhou-21 crew.
China plans to add three modules to its Tiangong space station, doubling its size, as Nasa prepares to retire the International Space Station in early 2031. State broadcaster CCTV reports that Tiangong will first receive a fourth multifunctional module attached to the Tianhe core, forming a cross-shaped configuration. The expansion will create a six-module structure with a total mass of about 180 tonnes, though no timeline has been released.
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South Korea's Compact Advanced Satellite (CAS) 500-2 successfully launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The satellite entered low-Earth orbit and made first contact with a ground station in Norway. The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) confirmed it is operating normally.
On May 11, the Tianzhou 10 cargo spacecraft successfully launched, carrying human embryo models into space. This marks the world's first in situ experiment exploring how microgravity and cosmic radiation affect early human development.
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NASA's Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight beyond Earth orbit in over 50 years, launches today carrying Argentina's ATENEA satellite aboard the Orion spacecraft. ATENEA, a 12U CubeSat fully developed in Argentina, is the only Latin American participant selected from over 50 countries' proposals. The mission will test key systems en route to lunar orbit.