China Aero & Space Weekly News Round-Up - Episode 3 (12th - 18th Oct. 2020)

Welcome to another episode of the China Aerospace Weekly News Roundup! This week, updates include:

0:00 Welcome and news summary
1:00 Gaofen launch and Fengyun anniversary
5:56 CAS Aerospace Industry Base in Guangzhou
15:45 Shaanxi Zhongtian share price rockets

1) A big week in EO
It was a big week in China’s EO and meteorology sector. First, China launched the Gaofen-13 EO satellite at just after midnight on Monday 12 October. It is the second Gaofen satellite bound for geostationary orbit, an interesting choice and a must-have for any sufficiently large EO constellation. Gaofen-13 is the latest in China’s Gaofen constellation, a primarily civil constellation of EO satellites of which there are currently ~20 satellites (depending on whether one defines the Jilin-Gaofen series, operated by Charming Globe, as part of the Gaofen series). The launch was the first in a couple of months for Xichang, with the launch center having undergone a series of upgrades to increase its annual launch capacity from around 17 to 30.

Somewhat related to Gaofen, China’s Fengyun meteorological EO satellites celebrated their 50th anniversary this week. Chinese Premier (#2 most powerful politician) Li Keqiang wrote a statement on the importance of Fengyun, and Hu Chunhua (Vice Premier of CCP) attended an event for Fengyun. Premier Li’s statement was featured prominently on CASC’s homepage, and is seen as a high-level endorsement of the program more generally.
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzA4MjcxMjQyNA==&mid=2650306911&idx=1&sn=ff55ac1b505b9392c8387761d61bc7ea&chksm=878d5b58b0fad24e07e74113646ce9b4be884d995a8899e8d0ad27e10e05171765b80d4caf3b&scene=0&xtrack=1#rd
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/10/long-march-3b-lofts-gaofen-13/

2) Developments on a deal between Guangzhou and the CAS
The Municipal Government of the southern city of Guangzhou and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) had signed an agreement in 2019 to jointly build a 99-square-kilometer Nansha Science City in Nansha (a rural district of Guangzhou). Several space institutes & companies will open facilities there, including CAS Spaceflight Technology Center (research) and the Zhongke Aerospace Exploration company (commercial launch company). On September 29 2020, the Zhongke Aerospace conference was held there, officially kicking off the construction of the project.

Zhongke Aerospace, aka CAS Space, is a CAS spin-off with main headquarters in Beijing (Beijing Zhongke Aerospace), and with subsidiaries in other provinces. The company plans to develop solid and liquid rockets, aiming at 30 rockets per year by an undefined timeline. Liquid rockets seem reusable (see infographic with rocket family in video: presence of grid fins and landing legs).

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzA3ODMxNTIxMA==&mid=2650539298&idx=1&sn=b5655c2ebb41ce1f45c3fe88e8290ffa&chksm=874c0e87b03b879118886ecbad87454c1975a05a9b342fab9d0c2b524c8a79ce31e179826cd7&mpshare=1&scene=1&srcid=10136iGrCfFiJFn0g2bV5NtF&sharer_sharetime=1602534543223&sharer_shareid=78223961af74244f9e096328f3f0b7e8#rd
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=Mzg5NDA5NTY3MA==&mid=2247485782&idx=1&sn=88a29c0e3fd08147014b83297e6f6eca&chksm=c025910ff752181986d4e396a071aa91492e08e554e15057e88ca023d6fd18d01967c52680fb&mpshare=1&scene=1&srcid=1016F1JRZKdpQHGOTo94OTdk&sharer_sharetime=1602836946368&sharer_shareid=78223961af74244f9e096328f3f0b7e8#rd

3) And another recent IPO company share price continued to “rocket”
Shaanxi Zhongtian, a CASC subsidiary that IPOed on 25 September, continues to go up the 10% daily limit every day, now (Monday 19 Oct) having reached 10 days in a row of +10%, i.e. 250%+ return since IPO (would be ~RMB 18.6 per share to RMB 48 per share). The company’s performance is an indication of probably three factors, namely: 1) lot of savings in China, 2) strong investor preference for state-owned companies that are seen as more stable, and 3) Few ways for average investors to invest into the space sector. The biggest winner here? Probably CASC, which has seen their stake in Zhongtian increase in value from ~RMB 1.5 billion to ~RMB 4 billion.

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Видео China Aero & Space Weekly News Round-Up - Episode 3 (12th - 18th Oct. 2020) канала Dongfang Hour