China launches new communications satellite. Chinese spacecraft releases mystery object in orbit

1. China launched a new communications satellite into orbit on Saturday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan province. The "ChinaSat 19" satellite was launched at 7:50 p.m. Beijing time by a Long March-3B carrier rocket.

The satellite will primarily provide communications services for major routes in the Pacific, the eastern Pacific Ocean and the west coast of North America.

The launch marks the 447th mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.
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2. A Chinese reusable rocket orbiting Earth has released another object into orbit, according to the US Space Force, which detected the unknown craft on Monday. According to the Orbital Focus website, the second object is probably traveling less than 200 meters from its parent.

With little official information to go on, US experts believe the new object is related to a project funded by the Natural Science Foundation of China. Specifically, the paired craft may be involved in the development of an orbital segment on a fully reusable two-stage-to-orbit space transport system. The system’s suborbital component performed a second flight in September.

Space watchers have hypothesized that the object may be a small satellite designed to monitor the larger craft, a service module, or the result of a test to see if the larger craft could successfully deploy satellite payloads.

The “reusable experimental spacecraft” was launched August 4 from Jiuquan in the Gobi Desert, propelled by one of China’s Long March 2F rockets, and has been in orbit for three months. It is possible the object was released some time ago and only became visible when the spacecraft shifted its orbit slightly two weeks ago.

Beijing has been characteristically silent on the nature and details of the mission, and it is not clear when the spacecraft will land or where. It is being developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.
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3. Spain briefly closed parts of its airspace over the risks posed by a Chinese rocket re-entering Earth's atmosphere.

Barcelona and Ibiza airports were among those impacted by the grounding, which lasted around 40 minutes on Friday.

The decision came after China sent its powerful Long March 5B rocket to deliver the final module of its Tiangong space station.

A remnant of the rocket made an uncontrolled re-entry.

The 23-ton center Chinese rocket stage tumbled back to Earth in the Pacific Ocean, the United States Space Command reported in a tweet on Friday morning.
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