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China's space programme

China's space programme
The China National Space Administration was founded more than 25 years ago and is overseeing an ambitious programme which includes deep space exploration, a manned space station, and cutting-edge advancements in technology, new materials, robotics and artificial intelligence.
The Nasa Artemis II SLS rocket launches at the Kennedy Space Centre on Wednesday. Photo: AP
United States

Historic Artemis II moon mission lifts off, amid US lunar race with China

After repeated setbacks, Nasa is sending four astronauts around the moon and further from Earth than ever before.

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Science

Is China’s commercial rocket now cheaper than Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9?

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Science

‘Lighthouses in space’: the Chinese jam-proof satellite network to fill GPS gaps

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Space

Opinion | Why China’s space-based solar power is the next frontier of green energy

As the race for orbital energy heats up, China’s ambitious plan to build solar stations in space could boost its strategic influence beyond our atmosphere.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Science

Can China commercial satellite’s ‘octopus tentacle’ pass low-orbit refuel test?

Hukeda-2, with its flexible robotic arm designed to smoothly dock with target spacecraft, was launched on Monday, state media said.

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United States

Nasa clears Artemis moon rocket for an April launch with 4 astronauts

After critical repairs, the rocket returns to the pad for humanity’s first crewed trip to the moon in over 50 years.

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Science

China’s 2030 moon landing: scientists suggest a site long on Nasa’s radar

Research team cites abundant mare basalts, river-like valleys formed from surface lava flows and deposits of volcanic materials.

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A Nasa image shows a close-up of a small fresh crater in the highlands near Rima Bode II. An international team of scientists says it has identified four possible landing sites for China’s first crewed mission to the moon. Photo: Nasa
Science

China can’t buy Elon Musk’s theory on space-based AI centres: experts

Beijing urged to focus on installing computing system in orbit to analyse data from satellites making information gathering more effective.

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Science

What is the moon’s far side made of? Chinese scientists use AI to crack mystery

Findings add to a growing body of insights from China’s historic Chang’e-6 mission to the lunar far side in 2024.

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Science

China boosts science budget: is it listening to everything Elon Musk says?

Beijing says greater allocation reflects importance of science and tech self-reliance in driving China’s economy and its rivalry with the US.

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Beijing’s draft budget announcement shows it is positioning frontiers such as satellite internet as China’s future industries. Photo: Xinhua
Space

Video | Japan’s Space One fails to launch satellites into orbit for third time

The start-up aims to become Japan’s first private company to put a satellite into orbit.

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United States

Nasa overhauls Artemis mission amid setbacks in moon race with China

The US space agency will essentially swap a planned moon landing for an additional test mission staged closer to Earth.

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US-China relations

US must be able to ‘turn around and punch’ as China boosts satellites: general

Head of US Space Force Combat Forces Command also highlights spaceplanes as area of increasing competition with China.

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China-Africa relations

How China’s ‘gifting’ of space infrastructure is a diplomatic tool in Africa

Analysts say Beijing is gifting space infrastructure as a form of soft power on the continent.

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Beijing has funded a new satellite data ground station near Windhoek, Namibia – the latest in a growing network of space facilities across Africa built with help from China. Photo: Handout via Xinhua
China stock market

From AI to aerospace: China meme rocket shares take off in race with US

Investors scramble for opportunities to maintain market momentum after the AI frenzy shows signs of losing steam.

A rocket blasts off from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in Wenchang, south China’s Hainan province. Photo: Xinhua
US-China relations

Why China is being told to integrate commercial space tech with military systems

Appeal comes as strategic rivals such as the US are increasingly eyeing military uses for tech developed by private firms such as SpaceX.

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Science

Steve Durst – the US citizen space diplomat who reached out to China

Durst, who has died aged 82, bridged a political divide for the ‘shared excitement of exploring the cosmos’.

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Science

China’s first man in space Yang Liwei officially retires from active duty

First Chinese astronaut to reach Earth’s orbit says he and his cohort are ready to return to space ‘if our motherland needs us’.

Yang Liwei emerges from the Shenzhou-5 re-entry capsule in October 2003. Photo: Handout
SpaceX

Video | Mars to moon shift pits Musk against China in lunar quest

Elon Musk shifts short-term goals from Mars to the moon, where the race for prime space could pit his company against Chinese research base.

Science

China’s Mengzhou spacecraft passes key test for 2030 crewed moon mission

Test features first flight and controlled vertical splashdown of a Long March-10 carrier rocket.

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Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Hong Kong’s budget should move the city towards ‘inspirational’ development

The 2026-27 budget speech should explain how the city’s economic direction aligns with global and national trends, defining its place in the industries of the future.

People stand on a new boardwalk in Quarry Bay on January 4. Photo: Robert Ng
Space

Editorial | Hong Kong need not wait to help Chinese space ambitions take off

As a leading hub for finance and law, the city has the ‘right stuff’ to be proactive in drawing up solid action plans for the space economy.

A Long March-2C carrier rocket carrying an Algerian remote sensing satellite blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China on January 31. Photo: Xinhua
Space

Opinion | How US-China space race is blurring line between civilian and military

While the private sector seeks the next trillion-dollar breakthrough, national governments race to secure the orbital assets that now underpin modern deterrence.

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Hong Kong economy

Opinion | The world must act on space debris. Hong Kong can play a leading role

As China’s superconnector, the city can advance space sustainability by offering its legal, regulatory, academic and financial expertise.

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Space

Opinion | As China opens up its space sector, Hong Kong should reach for the stars

With deep capital markets and globally aligned legal practices, the city can support a competitive Chinese space programme that shapes global standards.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China relations

Can Musk’s Starship upend the strategic order? A Chinese think tank warns it may

Report warns the transporter could help the US military move troops and equipment in space and calls for a ‘proactive’ response.

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SpaceX is working to develop the Starship reusable spacecraft. Photo: Reuters
Mainland China

The Chinese satellites SpaceX says were on collision course with Starlink

As orbits become more crowded and littered with debris, the US operator is having to move its devices to dodge damage.

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Science

China found something strange on far side of moon no one had seen in nature

The Chang’e-6 lunar probe found tiny tubes formed by a single layer of atoms – something that has previously been seen only in a lab.

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