Jack Congram

Jack Congram

Chief Content Officer - Space nerd trying to follow all things space, especially interested in China's state and private space efforts.

Weekly Dose of Space (5/5-11/5) Weekly Dose of Space (5/5-11/5)

Welcome back to Weekly Dose of Space! Last week saw six launches worldwide, with a fifty-fifty split between the U.S. and China. This week also saw the latest lunar exploration mission enter lunar orbit along with auroras heading south due to a rare phenomenon. As always, we'll

May 12, 2024 7 mins

The Long March 3B/E Y97 vehicle lifting off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. China launches new experimental communication satellites

China has continued to ramp up its launch cadence for 2024 with a Long March 3B/E lifting off at 09:43 am China Standard Time, or 01:43 am Universal Coordinated Time, from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, located in the country's Sichuan province, on May 9th.

May 9, 2024 4 mins

The Long March 6C Y1 vehicle lifting off from Launch Complex 9A from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. Long March 6C debuts from Taiyuan!

Lifting off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center at 11:21 am China Standard Time, or 03:21 am Universal Coordinated Time, was China's newest launch vehicle. The Long March 6C flew from Launch Complex 9A carrying four payloads into a sun-synchronus orbit. The four payloads onboard for

May 7, 2024 3 mins

Weekly Dose of Space (28/4-4/5) Weekly Dose of Space (28/4-4/5)

Welcome back to Weekly Dose of Space! Last week saw four launches worldwide, with one headed out into deep space. This week also saw news of space science and new commercial space capabilities. As always, we'll also look ahead to the launch schedule worldwide for next week. SpaceX

May 5, 2024 6 mins

The Long March 5 Y8 vehicle at LC-101 ahead of the Chang'e 6 mission. ©China National Space Administration Chang'e 6 is Moon-bound after a perfect launch!

China kicked off its Chang'e 6 lunar far-side sample return mission at 17:27 pm China Standard Time, or 09:27 am Universal Coordinated Time, from LC-101 at the Wenchang Space Launch Site, in the southern province of Hainan. This mission is part of the country's

May 3, 2024 7 mins

Monthly Dose of Space - April 2024 Monthly Dose of Space - April 2024

Welcome to our seventh Monthly Dose of Space! In this monthly newsletter, we bring you major news from the past month we haven't covered in our weekly newsletters. April has been another busy month, so let's jump into it! SpaceX Work at Starbase this month started

May 1, 2024 14 mins

Recovery teams working to help the taikonauts out of their capsule. ©Xinhua Shenzhou-17 crew safely returns to Earth

China's twelfth crewed space mission has successfully returned to Earth at 09:46 am Universal Coordinated Time on April 30th, the capsule touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in the Inner Mongolia region. Returning from the Tiangong Space Station were, Tang Hongbo (汤洪波), Tang Shengjie (唐胜杰), and

Apr 30, 2024 2 mins

Weekly Dose of Space (21/4-27/4) Weekly Dose of Space (21/4-27/4)

Welcome back to Weekly Dose of Space! Last week once again saw four launches worldwide, with launches occurring in both hemispheres. This week also saw lots of space exploration news from China too. As always, we'll also look ahead to the launch schedule worldwide for next week. SpaceX

Apr 28, 2024 6 mins

The Long March 2F/G lifting off with the Shenzhou-18 spacecraft. Shenzhou-18 taikonauts board China's space station!

China has launched its seventh crewed mission to its Tiangong Space Station on the 25th of April at 20:59 pm China Standard Time, or 12:59 pm Universal Coordinated Time. The crew, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu, are expected to stay aboard the station for six months.

Apr 25, 2024 8 mins

A model of the present Long March 9 design at 2022 Airshow China in Zhuhai. ©China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology Why is China building the Long March 9?

China is developing one of the largest and most capable rockets in the world, but what for?

Apr 23, 2024 6 mins

Weekly Dose of Space (14/4-20/4) Weekly Dose of Space (14/4-20/4)

Welcome back to Weekly Dose of Space! Last week saw four launches worldwide, with it being an even split between SpaceX and the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. This week saw plenty of space policy news too. As always, we'll also look ahead to the launch schedule worldwide

Apr 21, 2024 6 mins

The crew of Shenzhou-17 tuning into the launch of Tianzhou-7. ©China Manned Space Agency China plans to conduct a Moon mission and crew rotation in under a week?

China has three major events happening in its space program at the of April and beginning of May. These three events are; the launch of Shenzhou-18 to the Tiangong Space Station, the return of the Shenzhou-17 crew to Earth, and the launch of the Chang'e 6 lunar far-side

Apr 19, 2024 3 mins

NASA's Space Launch System (left) and China's Long March 10 (right). How the U.S. and China plan to land humans on the Moon before 2030

Both the United States of America and the People's Republic of China are planning to perform crewed missions to the Moon before the year 2030. The two countries have different ideas on how these missions should be performed in terms of launch plans and public-private partnerships. But how

Apr 17, 2024 22 mins