China Plans To Launch Next-Generation Recoverable Satellite In April 2019 - Chief Designer

China plans to launch the basic model of its next-generation recoverable satellite, which will be able to remain in the orbit for up to 20 days, in April 2019, Zhao Huiguang, the chief designer of the project carried out by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), said.

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th December, 2018) China plans to launch the basic model of its next-generation recoverable satellite, which will be able to remain in the orbit for up to 20 days, in April 2019, Zhao Huiguang, the chief designer of the project carried out by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), said.

"China is currently working on the project aimed at creating recoverable satellites whose basic model will be able to remain in orbit for up to 20 days, and its the retrievable module can be then reused 15 times. The first launch in the framework of the project is planned for April 2019," Zhao was quoted as saying by the Xinhua news agency on Monday.

According to the chief designer, the satellite is ready and will be subject to mechanical testing in January and thermal testing in February, while in March, it will be rolled out of the factory ahead of the launch.

Zhao added that Chinese engineers were developing two models of the satellite � the basic and advanced ones. The payload of the advanced model can reach up to 600 kilograms (1,322 Pounds), while the basic model can carry up to 500 kilograms.

In 1975, China successfully launched and returned its first recoverable satellite, becoming the third country in the world after the Soviet Union and the United States to do so.