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China

China Is Seeking Users For Their New Space Station

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
May 28, 2018
Filed under
China Is Seeking Users For Their New Space Station

United Nations and China invite applications to conduct experiments on-board China’s Space Station
“The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and China’s Manned Space Agency (CMSA) have invited applications from United Nations Member States to conduct experiments on-board China’s Space Station (CSS). In 2016 UNOOSA and CMSA signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to develop the space capabilities of United Nations Member States via opportunities on-board the CSS, which is expected to be operational from 2022. The Announcement of Opportunity for this initiative, as well as application instructions, were released at a ceremony hosted by UNOOSA and the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Vienna on 28 May.”

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.

29 responses to “China Is Seeking Users For Their New Space Station”

  1. Saturn1300 says:
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    Unless SpaceX lowers their price, China will get all the commercial and ISS will be splashed.

    • Jeff2Space says:
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      This statement makes no sense to me. SpaceX currently has about 60% of the global commercial launch market. Why would they lower their prices? Also SpaceX is the lowest cost provider for both commercial crew and commercial cargo to ISS.

      And what does SpaceX’s prices have to do with ISS getting “splashed”? ISS is a US Government program. It will stay up as long as Congress continues to fund it. And as SLS shows, due to pork politics, funding doesn’t necessarily depend on a program’s high cost or lack of results.

      • ThomasLMatula says:
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        Yep, ISS will stay in orbit until some system failure results in a forced re-entry. Costs have nothing to do with it, it’s just another case of Technology Russian Roulette.

        • Jeff2Space says:
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          Luckily most systems are not only multiply redundant, but there are on-orbit spares for everything NASA has deemed critical. Now if something that can’t be easily fixed breaks (something like cooling lines or power lines start leaking or breaking down) then that’s a real problem. On the Russian side, given the way Mir was kept going by the Russians, I don’t think the Russian side is in danger of being “condemned” anytime soon either.

          Now, something really bad like MMOD creating a big fracking hole in one of the main pressurized modules would be a big problem.

      • Saturn1300 says:
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        If there is no income, then costs have to be lowered. Congress may decide it is not worth it and put the money into exploration. Pres. has already said 2025. SpaceX is highest for CC2. They might lower their price, but they are doing a lot of new projects and may need the money. They have said they will not lower their price below 50m because they need the money for new projects. But sure, Congress might fund ISS forever.

        • Jeff2Space says:
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          SpaceX is the only CC2 provider that’s proven it can return cargo back to earth (like EVA suits that need refurbished, which is a critical capability). It’s a capability that Dreamchaser should have, but Dreamchaser has yet to fly to orbit and back. SpaceX based Dragon 2 off its proven Dragon, so it’s far more likely to work right the first time, IMHO.

          Cygnus reenters destructively, so it can only provide up-mass not down-mass. So it ought to be cheaper (less capable ought to mean less cost to NASA).

          Also if the Lunar Gateway thing becomes reality, it’s going to need the same sorts of resupply contracts as ISS because the flight rate of SLS is far too low for “routine” operation of the gateway. I would think SpaceX could do that with Dragon 2 launched on Falcon Heavy. Cygnus and Dreamchaser would also need larger launch vehicles for this destination.

        • Daniel Woodard says:
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          Where will the income come from for the next exploration project? The ISS had some tourist revenue until the loss and later cancellation of Shuttle eliminated the spare seat on the Soyuz.

          • SouthwestExGOP says:
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            ISS had no tourist revenue – Russia had tourist revenue and they do not share.

    • Daniel Woodard says:
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      SpaceX actually won some Chinese customers on price, although China is also working toward reusability. It would be interesting if SpaceX offers to provide flights to the CISS (Chinese Internaitonal Space Station).

      • Michael Spencer says:
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        Have you seen/heard anything about possible orbit parameters for this proposed station?

        Wenchang is about 19°N; Jiuquan about 41°.

        • ThomasLMatula says:
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          I have heard they are moving operations to Wenchsng because it allows larger launchers.

          • Daniel Woodard says:
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            And because it provides a clear over water launch azimuth, which reduces the risk of occasional impact of launch vehicles in populated areas, and allows any given launch vehicle to carry a heavier payload to the profitable geostationary orbit because the earth’s rotation provides a greater initial speed.

        • Daniel Woodard says:
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          Both can launch to inclinations as high as that of the ISS, at some cost in payload. A critical issue will be whether they want to make it accessible to Russia, which would require an orbit similar to the ISS.

    • Shaw_Bob says:
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      SpaceX already plans to lower their launch prices to a substantial degree once the Block 5 F9 and F9H are flying. There are no commercial launch providers anywhere near as cheap at present, and their rates are only going to drop further! As a US company, however, they may find that they will suffer government restrictions on flights to the Chinese station.

      • Saturn1300 says:
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        SpaceX price for CC2 is highest. Will NASA and SpaceX change the contract?

        • Vladislaw says:
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          What does that higher price get you? 3 tons of down cargo…

        • Michael Halpern says:
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          The CC2 price for SpaceX assumes new boosters it can be negotiated down using flight proven boosters

      • Zed_WEASEL says:
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        Please stop using the F9H moniker for the earlier iteration of the SpaceX tri-core concept. The F9H was based on 3 F9 Block 1 cores.

        There is only Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy.

    • Vladislaw says:
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      Your statement is just silly. By the time the Chinese have that station in LEO and is operational, America will have three commercial cargo service providers, two commercial passenger services providers and a commercial station all servicing LEO.

      China is behind .. no matter how you try and paint it.

      • Michael Spencer says:
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        True. Still, while tiresome, the hare and the tortoise offer an apt lesson.

        • Michael Halpern says:
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          It can, but so can the saying “opportunity waits for no one” China is looking to have their Saturn V knock off ready in the 2030s by that time BFR and New Armstrong will be considered old.

          • Michael Spencer says:
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            By that time, BFR will have been replaced with the Next Best Thing; and New Armstrong still will be a big secret. (Ok, that last thing is bitchy, but still).

          • Michael Halpern says:
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            No they’ll be on New Magellan (first captain to circumnavigate the globe) or New Lindbergh,
            New Armstrong will likely be 3-5 years after BFR,

    • ThomasLMatula says:
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      The payloads that go to the Chinese station will be determined by geopolitics not price or science. I syspect most if not all will be from emerging nations China is looking to influence or has resources China needs. And the price those nations pay, if they even have to pay, will have no relation to the costs involved. This is just classical soft power projection using space.

    • George Purcell says:
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      No. This is Chinese industrial policy–provide Chinese finance to developing countries to be spent on Chinese space tech. It’s just a variant of how they do infrastructure project funding in LDCs.

  2. Daniel Woodard says:
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    China’s goal for human spaceflight is to build national pride, showcase their technology to potential customers, and most important, to build international relationships and show that they have “joined the club” of the world’s leading nations.

    They could have accomplished all this by joining he US on the ISS, an approach which would have brought additional funds and logistical support to the ISS program, but the US rejected this despite our own lack of any firn commitment for long term support.

    China wants to show the world that it is a dependable partner, and our lack of a clear path forward for the ISS may push our partners onto their station.

    • Vladislaw says:
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      launching a crew once every 2 or 3 years does not show reliable transportation. A minimum of 3 or four crew flights plus routine cargo flights with down cargo capability.

      • Daniel Woodard says:
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        You are welcome to that point of view, but what counts for China is whether they launch often enough to remain current in their operational skills and can attract international partners.

        • Vladislaw says:
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          well until they actually put up a station and are routinely flying cargo and crew we will not know that answer.

          I go back to what Dr Griffin said when he visited. The number one question from chinese human space flight managers was how was NASA able to keep getting money to fly humans.. they found out it almost impossible.

          To me that states in real terms just how UNimportant human space flight is to the chinese.