https://www.scmp.com/rss/519759/feed Track China’s ambitious aerospace advancements, from the home-grown commercial aircraft to space exploration, and their global impact. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings With bad loans and repayment collateral in focus, Chinese banks are increasingly using satellites to evaluate their clients’ terrestrial assets, mounting a hi-tech offensive to safeguard against rising credit risks. China Merchants Bank and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank started making use of satellites this year, following a 2022 launch by Ping An Bank and a 2020 move into satellite remote-sensing technology by Zhejiang E-Commerce Bank. Furthering the trend, the Postal Savings Bank of China... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351315/default-our-stars-chinas-banks-use-satellites-track-assets-sky-high-scrutiny?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351315/default-our-stars-chinas-banks-use-satellites-track-assets-sky-high-scrutiny?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2026 02:00:11 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin Chinese researchers have proposed a semi-humanoid robot mounted on a wheeled platform as part of key infrastructure for the country’s lunar research station slated to take shape by 2035. Combining mobility with humanlike dexterity, the robot is designed to move across the lunar surface while carrying out delicate operations, from construction and maintenance to scientific experiments, sampling and analysis, according to researchers from the Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering. Its... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3346317/weird-looking-humanoid-robot-could-help-china-conquer-moon-scientists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3346317/weird-looking-humanoid-robot-could-help-china-conquer-moon-scientists?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 12:00:09 +0000 William Zheng William Zheng China on Saturday launched the latest mission of its reusable experimental spacecraft – a potential rival to the US Space Force’s X-37B. It was China’s fourth launch of such a prototype spacecraft since 2020, all of them conducted at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre using the Long March-2F carrier rocket. The official name and technical specifications of the spacecraft have yet to be announced, but Chinese space fans have dubbed it the Shenlong, or “Divine Dragon”. State news agency Xinhua... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3342759/china-sends-fourth-shenlong-reusable-spacecraft-mission-orbit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3342759/china-sends-fourth-shenlong-reusable-spacecraft-mission-orbit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China has cancelled almost all of its rocket launches at the country’s busiest space port after two failures at other sites and signs of a long-awaited lift-off for a lunar supercarrier. The Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported on Friday that nearly all the rocket launches scheduled next month for the Wenchang space centre in the southern province of Hainan had been cancelled. “Only the test flight for a new type of rocket on February 11 [remains],” the Changsha-based newspaper quoted a space port... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341113/china-cancels-rocket-launches-after-failures-will-long-march-10a-still-lift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341113/china-cancels-rocket-launches-after-failures-will-long-march-10a-still-lift?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 13:00:10 +0000 Paul Buck Paul Buck The United States and China are racing to put humans on the moon for the first time since 1972 in a competition that goes far beyond technological bragging rights. Both countries are seeking to set up lunar bases that could be used to explore the moon and other points in the solar system. The moon also contains potentially valuable raw materials, including rare earth minerals and helium-3, a possible super-fuel, adding an economic and geopolitical edge to the lunar race. “If we fall behind, if... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336898/lunar-race-pits-china-against-us-humans-seek-return-moon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336898/lunar-race-pits-china-against-us-humans-seek-return-moon?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 08:07:11 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun China is about to switch on a satellite “super factory” able to produce 1,000 units annually – a major step in Beijing’s race to build low Earth orbit constellations as part of its ambition to one day rival Elon Musk’s Starlink. The facility, located inside the Wenchang spaceport in China’s southernmost Hainan province, integrates a “factory-to-launch” pipeline that assembles, tests and pairs satellites with rockets. This makes it the only base of its kind in the country and Asia’s largest... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3335926/china-launches-satellite-super-factory-bid-rival-elon-musks-starlink?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3335926/china-launches-satellite-super-factory-bid-rival-elon-musks-starlink?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 13:00:13 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China’s first reusable rocket, the Zhuque-3, launched for the first time on Wednesday and successfully reached orbit, but efforts to recover the first stage failed after it crashed near the planned recovery site. The United States is still the only country in the world to successfully return an orbital-class booster, though China is still vying for the second spot with other upcoming launches. The reusable rocket, designed by the Beijing-based commercial space company LandSpace, was launched... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335004/chinas-first-reusable-rocket-zhuque-3-makes-maiden-voyage-recovery-attempt-fails?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335004/chinas-first-reusable-rocket-zhuque-3-makes-maiden-voyage-recovery-attempt-fails?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 05:06:21 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin China is launching a second satellite constellation to monitor objects in orbit to help commercial operators lower collision risks and ease the country’s long reliance on foreign tracking data. When complete, the Xingyan – or Star Eye – space situational awareness constellation will have 156 satellites up and running to identify the orbits of other satellites and debris, detect unusual movements, and provide collision warnings and maneuver advice every two hours. Its developer, Xingtu Cekong, an... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3334681/chinas-xingyan-star-eye-network-track-satellites-and-space-debris?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3334681/chinas-xingyan-star-eye-network-track-satellites-and-space-debris?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen Over 2,000 years ago, in a secluded bath chamber along the banks of the Nile, Queen Cleopatra of Egypt may have reached for an unlikely luxury: a fibrous, spongelike gourd – the loofah. This porous plant was prized by ancient Egyptian royalty as a natural exfoliant, a symbol of purity and refinement. Light as a feather, yet strong and intricately structured, the loofah scrubbed away impurities – both physical and spiritual – in rituals that blended hygiene with holiness. Today, this unassuming... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3334229/not-just-scrub-how-cleopatras-bath-loofah-may-help-pla-jets-vanish-radar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3334229/not-just-scrub-how-cleopatras-bath-loofah-may-help-pla-jets-vanish-radar?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Nov 2025 14:00:12 +0000 Paul Buck Paul Buck Elon Musk’s SpaceX faces a looming challenge from China as the nation’s space industry races to develop reusable rockets. At least seven Chinese start-ups and two state-owned developers are preparing to blast reusable rockets into orbit, posing a potential threat to SpaceX’s dominant grip on the commercial satellite launch market. The Musk company ushered in the reusable rocket era a decade ago by successfully returning a Falcon 9 rocket stage to the launch site. Reusable rockets are key to... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3332607/musks-spacex-faces-china-threat-reusable-rocket-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3332607/musks-spacex-faces-china-threat-reusable-rocket-race?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 07:20:10 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen The manufacturer of China’s home-grown passenger jets is ramping up efforts to secure Western-made engines as its aircraft production slumps and rivals race for scarce components amid a supply crunch afflicting the global aviation industry. By dispatching teams to key overseas suppliers, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) is seeking to smooth out communication and secure delivery of more Leap-1C engines, according to two people with knowledge of the trips. And as the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3332368/c919-output-falters-chinas-comac-scrambles-western-engines-amid-global-bottleneck?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3332368/c919-output-falters-chinas-comac-scrambles-western-engines-amid-global-bottleneck?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2025 14:00:14 +0000 Cheryl Arcibal Cheryl Arcibal Uspace Technology Group will set up an artificial intelligence application technology centre in Shenzhen, as the satellite manufacturer realigns its space business after moving its headquarters from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, capital of southern Guangdong province. A unit of Uspace, Gang Hang Ke, will spearhead the centre’s establishment, the company said in a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange on Monday evening. It said the new facility will focus on intelligent decision-making for satellite... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3331382/satellite-maker-uspace-pivots-ai-applications-new-tech-centre-shenzhen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3331382/satellite-maker-uspace-pivots-ai-applications-new-tech-centre-shenzhen?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 23:30:07 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin Just three hours after lift-off on Friday, a trio of Chinese astronauts – and four mice – arrived at the Tiangong space station for China’s first in-orbit mammal study. The Shenzhou-21 crew was launched aboard a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert at 11.44pm Beijing time, according to the China Manned Space Agency. About 10 minutes into the flight, the spacecraft separated from the rocket and entered its planned orbit with high precision. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3331179/china-sends-astronauts-and-mice-space-station-first-mammal-study-orbit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3331179/china-sends-astronauts-and-mice-space-station-first-mammal-study-orbit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Nov 2025 10:16:18 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A Chinese teenage boy, dedicated to DIY rockets, has inspired many by gaining admission to a university’s aerospace engineering programme this year. Zhang Shijie, 18, hails from a village in central China’s Hunan province. His passion for rocket making ignited at 14, after watching a live broadcast of a rocket launch with his father. Recently, he joyfully announced that he has been accepted into the aerospace engineering major at Shenyang Aerospace University, one of China’s premier aerospace... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3326205/self-taught-chinese-teenage-boy-launches-rocket-400-metres-using-inexpensive-materials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3326205/self-taught-chinese-teenage-boy-launches-rocket-400-metres-using-inexpensive-materials?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 01:00:11 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu China has issued a satellite mobile communication business licence to a telecoms giant, in a concrete move that accelerates preparations for the large-scale commercial roll-out of its home-grown satellite services. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced on Monday that it had issued the licence to China Unicom, permitting the state-owned company to conduct services such as direct-to-phone satellite connectivity and expand its applications in emergency and maritime... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3324843/chasing-starlink-china-unicom-one-step-closer-satellite-communication-services?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3324843/chasing-starlink-china-unicom-one-step-closer-satellite-communication-services?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 05:17:20 +0000 Yang Xiaotong Yang Xiaotong The Silk Road once connected China and the Arab world, stretching from Cordoba to Canton. The network not only fostered trade, but also cultural and intellectual exchange. Today, as humanity stands on the brink of a new age of exploration, this time of the cosmos, the stage is set to revive this historic partnership. For Arab countries, especially the Gulf states, space exploration represents a way to diversify their economy and reinvent their image. They are investing billions in space... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3322274/china-and-middle-east-space-silk-road-written-stars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3322274/china-and-middle-east-space-silk-road-written-stars?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Aug 2025 21:30:07 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin China has completed a critical landing and take-off test of its crewed lunar lander, moving a step closer to putting astronauts on the moon before 2030. A prototype of the four-legged Lanyue lander – designed to ferry two astronauts between lunar orbit and the surface – underwent a comprehensive trial on Wednesday in Huailai county, in northern China’s Hebei province, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Thursday. Using giant tether towers to mimic lunar gravity and a cratered field... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3321150/china-completes-key-lander-test-preparation-crewed-moon-mission-2030?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3321150/china-completes-key-lander-test-preparation-crewed-moon-mission-2030?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Aug 2025 21:58:10 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin A leading Chinese rocket company appears to have quietly failed another key reusability test, casting doubt on its goal of flying and landing China’s first reusable rocket. Publicly available satellite images suggest an explosion took place at Deep Blue Aerospace’s test site near Ejin Banner, Inner Mongolia, some time between late July and early August. Dramatic scorch marks can be seen east of the launch pad – on the opposite side from where the rocket was supposed to land – indicating it may... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3321091/scorch-marks-deep-blues-test-site-china-point-reusable-rocket-failure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3321091/scorch-marks-deep-blues-test-site-china-point-reusable-rocket-failure?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Aug 2025 10:00:35 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun While its home-grown airliners bring China the most attention in the complex, lucrative field of aviation, the country is also making strides in an equally important realm: the many components necessary to ensure the safe, smooth operation of jets and other aircraft. Recent developments in a number of areas show Beijing is continuing to reduce its reliance on foreign parts, close long-standing technological gaps and assert itself as a major player in civil aviation at all levels of the supply... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3320682/nose-tail-how-china-reshaping-aviation-supply-chain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3320682/nose-tail-how-china-reshaping-aviation-supply-chain?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Aug 2025 09:00:35 +0000 Nora Mankel Nora Mankel China’s astronauts had to improvise a repair to the Tiangong space station without specialised tools during their record-breaking nine-hour space walk at the end of last year, according to the mission’s commander. In an interview with state broadcaster CCTV aired on Sunday, Shenzhou-19 mission commander Cai Xuzhe said a payload adaptor unexpectedly jammed during a cargo installation outside the spacecraft and the team had to add the repair to their spacewalk tasks. Cai said it was something they... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3320230/chinas-shenzhou-19-astronauts-reveal-record-spacewalk-featured-surprise-repair?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3320230/chinas-shenzhou-19-astronauts-reveal-record-spacewalk-featured-surprise-repair?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jul 2025 06:00:13 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin A team of Chinese researchers has criticised the world’s largest Earth-imaging satellite fleet, describing the shoebox-sized spacecraft as “low-cost orbital landmines” that threaten the safety of space operations. Using a self-developed tracking platform, software scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences analysed the Dove constellation – which has launched hundreds of CubeSats since 2013 to provide daily, medium-resolution imagery of the Earth’s surface – according to the team’s article... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3320140/us-earth-imaging-satellite-fleet-creating-low-cost-orbital-landmines-china-team-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3320140/us-earth-imaging-satellite-fleet-creating-low-cost-orbital-landmines-china-team-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jul 2025 12:00:10 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen Chinese aerospace engineers have a revolutionary software design that they say will allow them to overcome a major barrier to stealth aircraft development. The new platform allows plane designers to have as many design variables as they want without increasing computing load – a feat long deemed impossible in aviation circles. The researchers described their innovation as breaking the “dimensionality curse” and used the US Navy’s X-47B, a demonstration stealth drone, to illustrate how the system... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3319249/chinese-scientists-break-design-curse-killed-us-navys-x-47b-drone-programme?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3319249/chinese-scientists-break-design-curse-killed-us-navys-x-47b-drone-programme?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jul 2025 13:00:09 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin A year after its rocket accidentally lifted off and then crashed during a test, Beijing-based start-up Space Pioneer has redesigned the vehicle and shown that it can withstand the intense forces of launch. In a recent ground-based test in central China, the company used the rocket’s nine-engine first stage – which produces nearly 900 tonnes of thrust combined – to simulate key mission phases, including fuelling, lift-off, flight and recovery. The structure held up under all test conditions, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3318085/chinas-tianlong-3-rocket-passes-critical-stress-test-year-after-explosive-mishap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3318085/chinas-tianlong-3-rocket-passes-critical-stress-test-year-after-explosive-mishap?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2025 04:00:10 +0000 Regina Ip Regina Ip The idea that Hong Kong could play a leading role in the global space economy was greeted with scepticism when I raised the possibility with Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu earlier this month. However, critics fail to realise that space technologies have permeated many aspects of our lives – from checking the weather and ordering our meals on our mobile phones to navigating our daily commutes and settling stock transactions in real time. A report published by the American consultancy firm... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3317831/few-small-steps-hong-kong-giant-leap-chinas-space-sector?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3317831/few-small-steps-hong-kong-giant-leap-chinas-space-sector?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Jul 2025 01:30:07 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin China is developing the world’s first high-orbit quantum communication satellite to enable more efficient, globally accessible quantum networks and lay the groundwork for redefining the international standard of the second, according to Pan Jianwei, the country’s “father of quantum”. Set to launch around 2027, the satellite will operate in geostationary orbit more than 35,000km (21,700 miles) above the Earth, Pan revealed during a pre-recorded keynote speech at a conference in Germany this month... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3315963/new-dawn-pan-jianwei-reveals-high-orbit-quantum-satellite-global-network?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3315963/new-dawn-pan-jianwei-reveals-high-orbit-quantum-satellite-global-network?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jun 2025 12:00:12 +0000 Ralph Jennings,Frank Chen Ralph Jennings,Frank Chen Washington’s technology-export restrictions targeting Chinese plane makers this week will delay China’s jet engine indigenisation process in the near term, but any setback will only harden resolve in Beijing for tech self-reliance to test and launch a home-grown engine, analysts said on Friday. United States officials have reportedly suspended some sales of technologies linked to jet engines that could be built for Chinese state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China’s (Comac) civilian... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3312505/us-export-controls-delay-not-grounding-chinas-aircraft-engines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3312505/us-export-controls-delay-not-grounding-chinas-aircraft-engines?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 May 2025 14:30:08 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin China has launched an ambitious mission to bring asteroid samples back to Earth – part of broader efforts to explore the solar system and make advances in planetary science, resource utilisation and defence. The Tianwen-2 spacecraft lifted off aboard a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest China at 1.31am Beijing time on Thursday, according to the China National Space Administration. “About 18 minutes after lift-off, the rocket placed the spacecraft into a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3312192/chinas-tianwen-2-lifts-mission-bring-asteroid-samples-back-earth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3312192/chinas-tianwen-2-lifts-mission-bring-asteroid-samples-back-earth?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 May 2025 19:12:45 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen Renowned Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) scholar Wang Jian has called for greater integration of the technology in space exploration, as he shared his vision on the state-backed Zhejiang Lab’s plan to build a computing constellation consisting of 1,000 satellites, designed to process data in orbit rather than through land infrastructure. “It’s a good time to think about how we can put AI into space, not just in your laptop or cellphone,” said Wang, director of Zhejiang Lab and founder of... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3311383/chinese-scientist-behind-supercomputer-orbit-urges-collaborative-use-ai-space?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3311383/chinese-scientist-behind-supercomputer-orbit-urges-collaborative-use-ai-space?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 May 2025 09:40:58 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin China has launched the first batch of satellites for its space computing constellation, a system that could rival the most powerful ground-based supercomputers once fully deployed. Twelve satellites, each equipped with intelligent computing systems and inter-satellite communication links, were sent into orbit aboard a Long March 2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre around noon on Wednesday, according to state-owned Guangming Daily. They are part of the Three-Body Computing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3310506/china-launches-satellites-start-building-worlds-first-supercomputer-orbit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3310506/china-launches-satellites-start-building-worlds-first-supercomputer-orbit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 May 2025 10:24:29 +0000 Massoud Amin Massoud Amin American dominance in science and innovation was not inevitable. It was a deliberate, strategic achievement born of open borders, inclusive institutions and forward-looking investment in education and research. That edge, forged over a century, is eroding – quietly but rapidly threatening the foundations of US leadership worldwide. In today’s polarised national discourse, headlines focus on tariffs, immigration and the culture wars. But behind the noise lies a far more consequential trend: the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3310036/trumps-attack-science-risks-dismantling-century-innovation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3310036/trumps-attack-science-risks-dismantling-century-innovation?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 May 2025 12:30:10 +0000 China is planning a traffic management system for satellites amid its push to develop the commercial space sector. “Our calculations show that low Earth orbit could get overcrowded with about 100,000 satellites,” Meng Lingjie, director of the China National Space Administration’s (CNSA) Earth observation and data centre, told the news portal Jiemian.com last week. “To keep space sustainable, the CNSA is working on a traffic management system to better organise satellite placement and operations.... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3308090/china-plans-space-traffic-management-system-amid-commercial-satellite-boom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3308090/china-plans-space-traffic-management-system-amid-commercial-satellite-boom?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Apr 2025 12:00:23 +0000 The United States and Japan are moving to expand their space cooperation beyond civilian projects to include defence and military initiatives, a senior cabinet official from Tokyo said in Washington on Friday, citing moves by Beijing and other Indo-Pacific rivals. The reiteration of deeper space defence collaboration came at a forum hosted by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, as efforts by China and Russia loomed. At the forum, Jun Kazeki,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3306259/spurred-china-us-and-japan-expanding-space-cooperation-beyond-civilian-projects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3306259/spurred-china-us-and-japan-expanding-space-cooperation-beyond-civilian-projects?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Apr 2025 22:53:27 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen The first details of C949, a supersonic airliner project, have been quietly unveiled by Chinese state-owned aerospace giant Comac, signalling its ambitions to dominate the skies with the radical new jet that could redefine global air travel. In a recent academic paper, Comac engineers revealed the blueprint of a 1.6-Mach airliner designed to fly further and much more quietly than the retired Concorde – a feat that could position China at the forefront of a 21st century supersonic renaissance. A... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3304082/comac-c949-china-unveils-quiet-supersonic-jet-50-longer-range-concorde?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3304082/comac-c949-china-unveils-quiet-supersonic-jet-50-longer-range-concorde?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Mar 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen Chinese nuclear engineers have discovered a critical inefficiency issue in Nasa’s lunar nuclear reactor design – but, they claim, minor structural adjustments could slash fuel consumption by 75 per cent while boosting power output and longevity. The findings, from a study led by Zhao Shouzhi, chief reactor designer at the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), have already been integrated into China’s lunar base reactor programme – a development that could tilt the ongoing moon race in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3302163/chinese-nuclear-scientists-identify-flaw-nasas-lunar-reactor-design?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3302163/chinese-nuclear-scientists-identify-flaw-nasas-lunar-reactor-design?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Mar 2025 04:31:49 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong A US defence contractor is facing scrutiny after allegations surfaced that its latest weapon system may be using a jet engine that was made in China and sold online. On March 5, California-based start-up Mach Industries posted a promotional video on social media showcasing its latest product – a vertical take-off cruise missile. In the video, the missile is seen launching vertically from a stationary position on the ground before dramatically diving towards a target, resembling the attack... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3302388/did-us-military-contractor-use-chinese-made-jet-engine-strategic-strike-missile?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3302388/did-us-military-contractor-use-chinese-made-jet-engine-strategic-strike-missile?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Mar 2025 12:00:08 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela A powerful new plasma engine has just been unveiled by Chinese engineers – and it is expected to propel China ahead of the United States in the race to develop plasma technology for Mars and other deep space missions. The new engine also brings China’s technology closer to that of leader in the field Russia, which recently released an advanced prototype plasma engine capable of taking a ship to Mars in less than two months. China’s “high-thrust magnetic plasma thruster”, designed by the Xian... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3302325/us-losing-plasma-engine-race-china-and-russia-ahead-long-journey-mars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3302325/us-losing-plasma-engine-race-china-and-russia-ahead-long-journey-mars?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Mar 2025 02:00:13 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen China has made significant progress in multiple industries under its “Made in China 2025” plan that Beijing initiated a decade ago, but the state-led initiative remains controversial on the global stage amid an escalating trade war with the US. In the latest China Future Tech webinar, South China Morning Post technology editor Zhou Xin, Political Economy Editor Jasmine Wang, Science News Editor Stephen Chen and Political Economy Correspondent Ralph Jennings discussed major questions surrounding... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3300047/made-china-2025-4-questions-countrys-manufacturing-upgrade-10-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3300047/made-china-2025-4-questions-countrys-manufacturing-upgrade-10-years?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Feb 2025 09:00:18 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen In an ironic twist of cosmic problem-solving, Chinese researchers have transformed a lingering Nasa headache into a revolutionary propulsion breakthrough that could redefine modern warfare and space travel. The two Nasa astronauts have been marooned at the International Space Station since June last year after multiple helium leaks incapacitated the thruster systems of their spacecraft – Boeing’s troubled Starliner capsule. As a result, helium, the ultralight gas used to pressurise liquid rocket... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3299454/chinese-scientists-turn-boeings-helium-leak-crisis-stealth-missile-tech-breakthrough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3299454/chinese-scientists-turn-boeings-helium-leak-crisis-stealth-missile-tech-breakthrough?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Feb 2025 04:00:12 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen China’s aerospace industry has made significant strides in the development of a superfast turbojet that can add heat in the global race for new-generation military aircraft. Scientists at Taihang National Laboratory, a leading aerospace engine research institute in southwest China, have completed ground tests of an unnamed turbine engine with advanced artificial intelligence technology that enables it to operate efficiently and stably at speeds of up to Mach 4. The engine meets the military’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3296089/smart-turbine-engine-chinas-mach-4-blackbird-completes-ground-test-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3296089/smart-turbine-engine-chinas-mach-4-blackbird-completes-ground-test-study?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Jan 2025 22:00:08 +0000 Haining Gao Haining Gao / https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3296433/war-tech-talent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3296433/war-tech-talent?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jan 2025 09:00:08 +0000 A dedicated fund for state capital grants to supercharge breakthroughs in China’s aircraft-technology research will soon accept applications and identify recipients, as Beijing builds on the momentum of home-grown jets such as the C919 to develop domestic aviation solutions and components. The fund, established by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and National Natural Science Foundation in June, will bankroll “large aircraft” research programmes focusing on basic,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3294861/applicants-wanted-chinas-c919-benefit-beijing-bankrolls-large-aircraft-research?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3294861/applicants-wanted-chinas-c919-benefit-beijing-bankrolls-large-aircraft-research?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Jan 2025 11:00:20 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen Starlink is not as invulnerable as previously thought, according to a team of award-winning scientists in China who recently simulated a space operation targeting the giant constellation. Results from the computer simulation showed that China could effectively approach nearly 1,400 Starlink satellites within 12 hours using just 99 Chinese satellites. These could be equipped with lasers, microwaves and other devices to conduct reconnaissance, tracking or other operations. “The potential military... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3294047/chinese-scientists-simulate-hunting-starlink-satellites-orbit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3294047/chinese-scientists-simulate-hunting-starlink-satellites-orbit?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Jan 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Harvey Kong Harvey Kong Hong Kong residents will have the rare opportunity to observe four of the brightest planets in the solar system with the naked eye until February, with the city’s space museum hosting a live stream of the astronomical event on Friday. The phenomenon, known as a planetary parade, is an event where several planets appear visible in the night sky at the same time. “The eight planets orbit around the sun, but they all orbit around it at different speeds. When they are moving at varying speeds, there... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3294304/stargazers-hong-kong-witness-rare-planetary-alignment-4-planets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3294304/stargazers-hong-kong-witness-rare-planetary-alignment-4-planets?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Jan 2025 11:34:40 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen For more than three years in the Tiangong space station, astronauts have been conducting a seemingly mundane experiment. It involves striking alloy particles that are suspended in a vacuum chamber with a laser and then recording the subtle changes that occur as the particles cool. The experiment has been going for so long that the equipment and samples have been replaced three times. But it has been worth it. Using data from the astronauts’ work, scientists back on Earth have now managed, for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3293302/gift-heaven-china-makes-first-industrial-grade-niobium-alloy-hypersonic-flight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3293302/gift-heaven-china-makes-first-industrial-grade-niobium-alloy-hypersonic-flight?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Jan 2025 05:00:10 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Eminent computational physicist Chen Hudong – an elected member of the US National Academy of Engineering (NAE) – has left the United States after more than four decades to take up a full-time position in China. Chen retired in April as scientific director of software multinational Dassault Systèmes, part of the French Dassault Group, which also boasts one of the world’s largest manufacturers of combat aircraft, including Mirages and Rafales. The software industry veteran has joined the College... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3293288/ex-dassault-aerospace-physicist-leaves-us-china-lead-new-energy-research?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3293288/ex-dassault-aerospace-physicist-leaves-us-china-lead-new-energy-research?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Jan 2025 15:00:08 +0000 China’s BeiDou navigation system is set to reap more domestic users and accelerate its replacement of the US-based GPS system after a state-owned telecoms giant teamed up with major domestic mobile phone makers to popularise the use of its unique short messaging function. Under the short messaging service (SMS) communication partnership announced on Tuesday, China Telecom, the country’s third-largest mobile communications operator, will work with phone manufacturers to enable its 423 million... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3289339/beidou-sms-function-set-gain-more-chinese-users?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3289339/beidou-sms-function-set-gain-more-chinese-users?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Dec 2024 09:30:08 +0000 China expects to launch the next generation of its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System by 2035, following a series of upgrades – a development that would help it vie with the US-backed Global Positioning System (GPS) for international clients. BeiDou’s developers anticipate “breakthroughs” in key technology next year, state media reported, citing a government-organised seminar on Thursday to mark the 30th anniversary of the home-grown navigation system’s conception. Three pilot satellites could... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3288672/chinas-next-gen-beidou-satellite-system-ramp-rivalry-us-based-gps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3288672/chinas-next-gen-beidou-satellite-system-ramp-rivalry-us-based-gps?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Nov 2024 12:00:09 +0000 China’s chief civilian aircraft maker may need to find more foreign suppliers to accelerate production of its C919 narrowbody passenger planes as it aims to fill hundreds of orders amid upheavals in the global supply chain, as to satisfy the different configuration needs among buyers, according to analysts and a company source. The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), which has delivered a total of 12 C919 aircraft since late 2022, is working against the clock to elevate the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3286779/chinas-c919-order-backlog-raises-urgency-foreign-part-acquisitions-new-suppliers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3286779/chinas-c919-order-backlog-raises-urgency-foreign-part-acquisitions-new-suppliers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Nov 2024 03:00:15 +0000 The state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) has signed a framework agreement at a major air show to sell its first C929, a widebody jet aeroplane akin to the Airbus 350 or Boeing 787. An eventual delivery – the plane is still being developed – to flagship carrier Air China would put Comac’s third type of civilian jet into the air. Meanwhile, Comac has formally rebranded its ARJ21 small plane as the C909 – bringing its designation in line with the planemaker’s naming... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3286260/chinas-4-commercial-jets-unboxed-rebranded-c909-futuristic-c939?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3286260/chinas-4-commercial-jets-unboxed-rebranded-c909-futuristic-c939?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Nov 2024 00:00:17 +0000 Things are looking up for Hong Kong taking up an important role in planning for natural disasters and developing smart cities after a locally designed satellite was placed into orbit. The city should encourage more of what the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has achieved with some smart civic investment. Funded by Hong Kong’s Innovation and Technology Commission and supported by mainland China authorities, the satellite was launched late last month from a platform off the coast of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3281288/skys-limit-hong-kong-enters-space-age?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3281288/skys-limit-hong-kong-enters-space-age?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Oct 2024 20:30:09 +0000