China launches Long March 5 rocket as space programme looks to get back on track

BEIJING, Dec 27, 2019, SCMP. China launched its heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket on Friday evening, in what could be a key step forward in its ambitious space programme after a series of setbacks. Also known as the CZ-5, the rocket blasted off from a launch pad at the Wenchang centre in Hainan province with more than 1,000 tonnes of thrust at 8.45pm, South China Morning Post reported.

The rocket carried a Shijian-20 communications satellite built on the new Dongfanghong-5 platform.
It will be one of the largest satellites operating at geosynchronous orbit 36,000km above China and surrounding areas. Its solar panel reaches over 40 metres when extended – longer than the wingspan of a Boeing 737, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

The satellite is expected to take China’s space communication frequency to 5 gigahertz and data transfer speed to 1 terabyte per second. It is also the first Chinese satellite to use a high-powered ion-thrust engine designed to improve its manoeuvrability and service time.

It also carries quantum encryption equipment to enable ultra-secure communication for military and government users, according to space authorities.

“This satellite’s mission will change China’s position from a follower to a leader in space communication,” said a Beijing-based space expert who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the technology.

Friday’s launch was seen as a critical mission for the rocket team after previous failures.

On its maiden mission in November 2016, the rocket failed to reach the speed required for the early phase of the flight, though it managed to lift its satellite cargo into orbit, allowing China to declare the trip a success.

But months later, during a second attempt in July 2017, a turbo pump that injected fuel into the combustion chamber malfunctioned and the main engine died minutes after take-off.

The rocket plunged into the sea. The CZ-5 was pulled out of service for more than two years for an investigation, problem solving and extensive testing. Other Chinese space projects were also affected, including a mission to bring samples from the moon back to Earth, building the nation’s first space station, landing a rover on Mars, and a telescope project.

The stakes were high for the third CZ-5 attempt, according to scientists who attended pre-launch briefings. “Although there has long been talk of playing down politics in the space programme to reduce the pressure on the researchers, the pressure of this launch is very high,” one of the scientists said. “There is simply no room for failure.”

While the CZ-5 is not the world’s largest rocket – its low-Earth orbit capacity is 28 tonnes compared to the 60 tonnes of the Falcon Heavy built by SpaceX in the US – Chinese space experts said it may end up with more transport missions. They said the Falcon Heavy was too big for most missions and too small for ultra-heavy tasks such as landing humans on the moon.

China’s presence in space remains far behind that of the United States – there are about three times more American satellites in orbit than Chinese. And China’s space programme budget is about a tenth of Nasa’s, according to one Chinese physicist’s estimate.

But China has made some headway in recent years, including launching the world’s first quantum communication satellite that uses cutting-edge technology. Its satellite navigation system BeiDou has also surpassed GPS in terms of the number of satellites in operation. Chinese scientists are developing a satellite that can “see” objects 500 metres under the sea, such as submarines.

After the lunar rover Jade Rabbit made the first landing on the far side of the moon, it is now the longest functioning piece of equipment on the moon.

However, Chinese space experts said there was still a long way to go – estimating the country needed 10 to 15 years to catch up with the US in space.

Stephen Chen investigates major research projects in China, a new power house of scientific and technological innovation. He has worked for the Post since 2006. He is an alumnus of Shantou University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the Semester at Sea programme which he attended with a full scholarship from the Seawise Foundation.