Author Topic: New Generation Crew Spacecraft Test - CZ-5B - Wenchang - May 5, 2020 - 1000UTC (Read 154689 times)

Phillip Clark · « **on:** 06/12/2017 11:03 am »

Source: https://www.chinaspaceflight.com/China-Launch-Schedule.html

With the delay of Tianhe 1 to 2019, this will be the first launch of the CZ-5B launch vehicle variant. Could it be that the primary role of the launch will be to prove the new launch vehicle and it will carry something akin to a boilerplate of the New Generation Manned Spacecraft? Using Google Translate, the payload is described as "a new generation of manned spacecraft test ship". The use of the CZ-5B would suggest that the spacecraft will be flying in the "lunar" version which will have a mass of ~20 tonnes.

Phillip Clark · « **Reply #1 on:** 06/12/2017 11:08 am »

Source: https://www.chinaspaceflight.com/China-Launch-Schedule.html

This could be the first flight of a functioning New Generation manned Spacecraft and the use of the CZ-7 is suggestive of this being a test of the LEO variant of the spacecraft with a mass of ~14 tonnes. Using Google Translate, the payload is described as "a new generation of manned spacecraft first flight", slightly different wording than used for the spacecraft planned for launch in 2018 atop the first CZ-5B.

Phillip Clark · « **Reply #2 on:** 08/08/2017 04:43 pm »

Could someone please translate the Chinese captions on this illustration? I am not sure if they specifically relate to the sub-scale model which flew on the maiden flight of the CZ-7 or not.

Many thanks.

russianhalo117 · « **Reply #3 on:** 08/08/2017 11:11 pm »

Quote from: Phillip Clark on 06/12/2017 11:03 am

Source: https://www.chinaspaceflight.com/China-Launch-Schedule.html

With the delay of Tianhe 1 to 2019, this will be the first launch of the CZ-5B launch vehicle variant. Could it be that the primary role of the launch will be to prove the new launch vehicle and it will carry something akin to a boilerplate of the New Generation Manned Spacecraft? Using Google Translate, the payload is described as "a new generation of manned spacecraft test ship". The use of the CZ-5B would suggest that the spacecraft will be flying in the "lunar" version which will have a mass of ~20 tonnes.

It is to be a test article akin to EFT-1 but with possibly more functionality on the flight than EFT-1.

Quote from: Phillip Clark on 08/08/2017 04:43 pm

Could someone please translate the Chinese captions on this illustration? I am not sure if they specifically relate to the sub-scale model which flew on the maiden flight of the CZ-7 or not.

Many thanks.

AFAIK, they are the same

Galactic Penguin SST · « **Reply #4 on:** 01/20/2020 01:59 pm »

https://twitter.com/EL2squirrel/status/1219248956414103552

According to CAST's Vice Chief Designer of the next generation crew spacecraft, this prototype will be on a 3 days mission in orbit ending with the spacecraft making a high speed re-entry test from a high elliptical orbit (a la Orion EFT-1). The spacecraft will have a LEO version (reported at ~14 tonnes) and a BLEO version (~21 tonnes) that will only differs in the service module; this prototype is of the BLEO version.

zandr · « **Reply #5 on:** 01/20/2020 07:43 pm »

Cross-post
From Xinhua
China's space station core module, manned spacecraft arrive at launch site

Quote

A core module prototype of China's space station and a prototype of China's new-generation manned spacecraft arrived at the launch site in south China's Hainan Province after a week of ocean and rail transport, the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) announced Monday.

The core module will take part in joint rehearsals with the Long March-5B carrier rocket at the Wenchang Space Launch Center while the new manned spacecraft will be launched by the rocket's maiden flight in the first half of this year.
…
The new-generation manned spacecraft is 8.8 meters long and has a takeoff weight of 21.6 tonnes. It will be used for transporting crew to the space station and to conduct China's future manned lunar missions...

Steven Pietrobon · « **Reply #6 on:** 01/21/2020 05:40 am »

For comparison, Orion has a liftoff mass of 35.3 t including LAS, fairings and SM adaptor, an in orbit mass of 25.7 t and length of about 8.1 m. The Chinese NGCS is 21.6 t and has a length of 8.8 m.

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #7 on:** 01/21/2020 01:19 pm »

Couple more CCTV shots

https://twitter.com/aj_fi/status/1219592119112884224

Quote

China is preparing for a pretty cool test of a new-generation spacecraft for human spaceflight. The 8.8-metre-long, 21.6 tonne spacecraft is now at Wenchang spaceport with its Long March 5B launcher soon on the way. Images: CCTV/framegrab

Olaf · « **Reply #8 on:** 01/21/2020 02:36 pm »

https://twitter.com/AJ_FI/status/1219592188423802881
https://twitter.com/AJ_FI/status/1219592225996316676

Steven Pietrobon · « **Reply #9 on:** 01/22/2020 05:11 am »

Its using airbags for landing!

https://twitter.com/AJ_FI/status/1219592151421595652

Andrew Jones
‏ @AJ_FI
18 hours ago

The test will be uncrewed and test performance in orbit. But it will also similar to the Orion EFT-1 test flight in 2014, reaching an apogee of ~8,000 km before high speed reentry, according to CCTV, much higher than Shenzhou. It will test reentry and parachute & touchdown.

SciNews · « **Reply #10 on:** 01/22/2020 02:09 pm »

China’s new crewed spacecraft to be reusable

Steven Pietrobon · « **Reply #11 on:** 01/23/2020 03:05 am »

From the video, the spacecraft is carrying 10 t of propellant. With a 21.6 total mass and assuming an Isp of 314 s (the same as the Apollo SPS) gives a delta-v of 1914 m/s, about double that for Orion. This means it could go into low Lunar orbit and back out again by itself, something that Orion can't do.

Phillip Clark · « **Reply #12 on:** 01/23/2020 07:18 am »

Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 01/23/2020 03:05 am

From the video, the spacecraft is carrying 10 t of propellant. With a 21.6 total mass and assuming an Isp of 314 s (the same as the Apollo SPS) gives a delta-v of 1914 m/s, about double that for Orion. This means it could go into low Lunar orbit and back out again by itself, something that Orion can't do.

On a lunar mission about 1 km/s would be required for trans-Earth injection, plus propellant for LEO manoeuvres, docking with the lander stack and then probably for trans-lunar course corrections and manoeuvres in selenocentric orbit. So 1,9 km/s seems to be more than enough for the mission. I am assuming that the LOI manoeuvres will be performed by a rocket that is part of the lunar lander assembly.

ncb1397 · « **Reply #13 on:** 01/23/2020 07:40 am »

Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 01/23/2020 03:05 am

From the video, the spacecraft is carrying 10 t of propellant. With a 21.6 total mass and assuming an Isp of 314 s (the same as the Apollo SPS) gives a delta-v of 1914 m/s, about double that for Orion. This means it could go into low Lunar orbit and back out again by itself, something that Orion can't do.

Orion should be about 1200-1300 m/s. So about 50% more. Double is rounding to the nearest whole integer, which you can do, but isn't very precise and can be misleading.

hektor · « **Reply #14 on:** 01/25/2020 07:21 am »

Is the type of the LAS known for this vehicle? And will it be installed for this mission (vs. Launching under a simple fairing) ?

HeartofGold2030 · « **Reply #15 on:** 01/25/2020 11:47 am »

Quote from: hektor on 01/25/2020 07:21 am

Is the type of the LAS known for this vehicle? And will it be installed for this mission (vs. Launching under a simple fairing) ?

I can’t locate it’s origin, but this diagram of the CZ-5B has been circulating Chinese aerospace forums and it shows the capsule being hidden under a fairing. If this configuration is accurate, then it’s likely this prototype won’t have an abort system. Furthermore, the blunt nose of this capsule suggests that if it does have an abort system, it will be a pusher and not a puller system. There are sizeable thrusters on the bottom of the service module, but these seem catered towards in-space propulsion, maybe they double as abort thrusters?

Kryten · « **Reply #16 on:** 01/25/2020 12:05 pm »

The capsule in this case is merely an extra test payload for what is mostly a test of the config of CZ-5 for launching the station core, crucially including the long fairing. AIUI operational flights would be exposed and have a tower LES.

Lars-J · « **Reply #17 on:** 01/27/2020 06:30 am »

Quote from: Kryten on 01/25/2020 12:05 pm

The capsule in this case is merely an extra test payload for what is mostly a test of the config of CZ-5 for launching the station core, crucially including the long fairing. AIUI operational flights would be exposed and have a tower LES.

But that doesn’t explain why they are installing such an aerodynamic nose cone for the test spacecraft. It looks fairly high fidelity (not like a mock-up), which indicates that either:
A) this is the cargo version and the crew version will be very different
B) it will use a pusher LAS
C) no LAS at all

Satori · « **Reply #18 on:** 01/27/2020 01:54 pm »

https://twitter.com/LiuyiYiliu/status/1221749441566138368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">

HeartofGold2030 · « **Reply #19 on:** 01/27/2020 02:55 pm »

A CG render of the CZ-5B

https://twitter.com/LiuyiYiliu/status/1221747382292926464