Bradley Perrett covered China, Japan, South Korea and Australia. He is a Mandarin-speaking Australian.
Before joining Aviation Week in 2006 he was a macroeconomics, politics and aerospace journalist with Reuters. Perrett holds a bachelor’s degree in law from Macquarie University, Sydney. He left Aviation Week in 2020.
BEIJING — Shanghai-based space contractor SAST says it is progressing so smoothly with development of the Long March 6 light satellite launcher that the rocket may beat its larger cousin, the Long March 5, into service. Long March 6 will be able to loft 1,000-kg. (2,200-lb.) payloads to an orbit of 600 km. (370 mi.) altitude, SAST Vice President Meng Guang says, briefing a delegation from the U.S. space industry on the company’s progress.
Chinese spacecraft builder CAST intends to develop a large satellite bus matched to the throw weight of the Long March 5 rocket under development by sibling company CALT. Aimed squarely at the most active part of the communications satellite market, the bus will have a mass of 6.5-7 tons, be able to carry a payload of 1.2 -1.5 tons and generate 15-20 kw. of electrical power. The design life will be 15 years and the designation DFH-5, says CAST President Yang Baohua.
Joint ventures with foreign companies will be the primary means by which the aircraft-systems company of Chinese manufacturer Avic moves into the global civil market. Driven by the Comac C919 program, the systems joint ventures will generally take over almost all of the civil assets of Avic in their respective fields of business, say Chinese executives.
