CHINA REFUELS SATELLITES IN ORBIT

National University of Defence Technology has announced that China has

successfully completed the in-space refuelling of orbital satellites following end of last May launch of a new generation carrier rocket. Similar to air-refuelling for planes, the process refuels a satellite in orbit in a microgravity environment life and boost its manoeuvre capabilities considerably. Developed by the university, Tianyuan-1 is the country’s first in-space refuelling system for orbital satellites. It was launched into orbit aboard the Long March-7 carrier rocket. A series of core independent processes were tested and verified after the launch, with data and videos recording the full process sent back to Earth, the university said in a statement. Though an area of great interest, the process is complicated and only a few countries have begun its development.