Images Emerge of What Seems to be China's new Space Capsule

China has stated they are developing a new space capsule. This is intended to replace the current, Russian derived capsules that have served as the means for China to place taikonauts into orbit and dock with their space habitats. China is planning on operations with their new space station they are building and with operations beyond Earth orbit. The current capsules are insufficient for the task for beyond LEO and China has been quite open with their intent to put boots on the lunar ground within a decade. However, other than some artist renderings, there's not been a lot of information or imagery of the capsules they are working on.

Until now:









Form follows function, so, folks, stow the "THEY STOLE IT."

Any one of you can look at the thrusters above and see how the arrangement and everything is wildly different than the Orion, Crew Dragon or Starliner. General shape would come from about 30 minutes worth of simulations. Make note of the rest. The details. They matter.

Looks... practical.

I wonder if it's just me but the materials look not very refined.

Structurally, would you rely on those welds or design in bolts?

a reply to: Tempter

Both are used in the Orion, Starliner and Crew Dragon.

You wrote the details matter.

I looked at the pictures, for a while. I could not shake off the feeling that something is in there I know and have seen before.

The frame they built with the floors around it... they used the same aluminium trusses like I have seen they use for building machines. Actually these as a single slit version I have here laying around in the garage. I know they are expensive and they are used for building machines that do not move.

You can put things into the single slits and then use it for screwing something to it. I even know of a box in the garage where those 90° angled things are in that go in to the corners to make it more stable.

I know that two single 4x4 beside each other on each side of the car under the wheels can take a 1800kg car no problem. So you can maybe drive a tank on the frame and it will not even be impressed.

Chinese design is generally subtly different than Western design, whether it's cars or eyeglasses or spaceships. They tend to have fewer and less gradual curves in their design, with more of a concentration on functionality than aesthetics. Even for something like a spaceship, which you would assume to be purely functional, Western design tends to want to make things look good while they're working, while the Chinese just don't seem to care that much.

Look at the way the Chinese use Western fonts in business and shipping. They usually don't care about kerning or proper line weight. As long as they can be read and understood, that's all that matters. It's gotten a little better with improved computers, but you still occasionally find a Chinese shipping label or instruction sheet that looks really funky.

a reply to: anzha

China is going to the Moon eh?

Well then you can be sure its fake.

a reply to: anzha

Yes, form follows function, BUT, they have an active intelligence gathering capability, that has used western technology secrets to save on R&D. It looks a little smaller than the current US spacecraft. Great find, between this and the LHD pics you found earlier, you are spoiling us.

a reply to: anzha

Kinda looks like the robot in Lost in Space...DANGER WILL ROBINSON...DANGER

Honestly, you can't tell us to "stow" it because we have every right to call them out.

Aside from trade, we're pretty much enemies, don't like that label? Ok, competition.

Yes, they do steal and why not? Like Zaphod said once, it is cheaper and easier to do, the trade off? Innovation and ingenuity stagnate.

Sorry, but I'm too much of a Nationalist to give them credit, I'm all for and only for American.

Not impressed with this capsule, meanwhile, I am interested in Indias achievements in space.

originally posted by: DJMSN
a reply to: anzha

Kinda looks like the robot in Lost in Space...DANGER WILL ROBINSON...DANGER

Beep. Boop. Fart noise.

Exterminate!!......... Exterminate!!....... Good job theres no stairs on the moon

a reply to: GD

There will always be a lot of spying every which way. If you think the US doesn't do it, please, say so so I may laugh. I need that relief.

I sincerely wish folks would realize we, the US, have lost a lot of our edge. We blew it. Big time. Over the last 30 years, we've managed to go from #1 in almost everything to far, far down the list. There are things we are better than others, but that's simply because the others have had the will do chase those goals. Now, we have a nation that has the will and has the money and has all those scientists and engineers we have been training for 40 years now.

As for the finds for China, you missed out on the shot of the newest J-31 prototype over on the aviation forum. Or the J-20 pix.

it looks to clean. It looks like a model rather than a functional piece of equipment.
Seriously, if you look at images of ablative shielding, all of them are non-radially symmetrical in one way or another due to the reentry profile, for the purpose of reducing heat build up. On top of that the ablative material looks entirely too sharp and non-ceramic. So it was either shopped to look cleaner for PR purposes or it isn't a functional heat shield.

a reply to: anzha
We have not lost our edge, others are just ridding on the coat-tails of our R&D. Yes, in all fields.

a reply to: dubiousatworst

Space craft tend to be built in htper-clean environments to stop dirt, grease and dust contamination.

Great photos and discussion, I look forward to developments.

Whatever their great ambitions are, don't forget that their Long March 5 Falcon-9-equivalent booster splashed on its second launch and it's been more than two years with nothing but promises of 'soon' returning to flight.

In the ramp up to that 'great leap forward', I predicted more-than-usual difficulties here:

Aerospace America: "China Space 2.0" -- China's Coming Great Leap Higher in Space
www.jamesoberg.com...

That serious LM5 setback was a spectacular UFO seen from the Phillipines:

satobs.org...