NEWS: Tragic news out of the Middle East as 19 wounded service members are evacuated from #SaudiArabia to Germany and a U.S. #refueling #aircraft #crashes in #Iraq, with 6 believed to be on board. Limited information is available at this time. Follow @meidastouch for more.

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China has launched two satellites,
Shijian 29A and 29B,
as part of a technology demonstration
to test new space-based #target-#detection technologies

A Long March 7A carrier rocket took off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province at 6:40 am, December 31, lifting the two satellites to orbit.

China’s #Shijian satellites are a series of experimental satellites that have tested cutting-edge space capabilities,
including on-orbit #refueling and #towing maneuvers

Shijian 21 and 25 are believed to have docked earlier in the year.

This month, they separated, according to Swiss tracking firm S2A.

Shijian 25 was designed to refuel satellites in space,
while 21 had run out of fuel following a 2022 space tug towing maneuver.

Though China has not confirmed the success,
all indications suggest it performed
👉the world’s first on-orbit refueling operation with the two satellites.

We know this thanks to precise satellite tracking from the likes of S2A and US firm COMSPOC.

When it comes to Shijian 29A and 29B, satellite tracking data won’t provide the same level of insight,
as a space-based target detection demonstration is unlikely to require a trackable docking maneuver

https://interestingengineering.com/space/china-launches-two-experimental-satellites