Probe To Bring Lunar Soil To China
China plans to launch the Chang'e-5 probe by the end of 2020, according to the deputy chief designer of China's lunar exploration project. It will return the first automated sampling from the lunar surface to Earth. The mission is expected to set this and other records for China's aerospace history - including the first unmanned docking in lunar orbit at a distance of 380,000 kilometers from Earth, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
The announcement was made at the 2020 China Space Conference in Fuzhou which commenced Friday and is jointly hosted by China's Society of Astronautics and its Space Foundation. It ended Monday.
The representative said preparations were going smoothly. The first two phases of the lunar program - orbiting flight and a safe, soft landing - were completed successfully in earlier missions starting with Chang'e-1 in 2007.
The Chang'e-5 probe will be carried on board a Long March-5 rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in South China's Hainan province.
Hydrogen Fuel Supplier Explores International Collaboration
Shanghai-based Re-Fire Technology, a supplier of fuel-cell systems and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle powertrain engineering, will invest in projects in North America and Europe, said its chairperson Li Qi at the fifth International Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Congress held in Shanghai recently.
Hydrogen is a zero-emission fuel burned with oxygen. It can be used in fuel cells or internal combustion engines. China's government has been providing domestic support for hydrogen energy development. More than 20 provinces have rolled out plans to develop hydrogen energy projects.
Re-Fire Technology said its plan for North America and Europe would, in particular, concentrate on the heavy-duty truck sector. It has been cooperating with German motor-vehicle company Continental and signed an agreement with TUV Rheinland - an inspection service provider. Meanwhile, an investment plan in Switzerland is waiting for regulatory approval, Yicai Global reported.
Founded in 2015, Re-Fire has applied for more than 88 patents as of May 2020 with 45 granted for fuel-cell integration, thermal management and system control technologies, according to its website.
China Tianying Looks To Sell Minority Stake In Its Spain Unit
China Tianying Inc., a waste collection and urban cleaning and maintenance company operating in 34 countries, is exploring a sale of a minority stake in its Spain unit Urbaser SA. This might raise about $400 million to $600 million and account for 20% to 30% of Urbaser's shares, Bloomberg News reported quoting people familiar with the matter.
China Tianying acquired its 100% stake in Urbaser for 8.88 billion yuan ($1.3 billion) in 2018. Urbaser is the world's sixth-largest urban solid waste collection company and operates in more than 20 counties. Urbaser reported $2.5 billion in revenues in 2019 and won a $256 million contract to operate a waste-to-energy plant in Paris in April.
Widening its investor base could help China Tianying make the most of China's environmental protection policies while also expanding overseas, a China Tianying representative said.
A person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that Tianying was looking to raise cash to help cut debt and fund expansion in China.
