BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) — The following is a summary of published science and technology news of China.

NEXT-GENERATION SPACESHIP

China is developing a next-generation spaceship that features seating for up to seven people, the country’s manned space agency revealed Thursday.

Roomier than the current three-seater spaceship, the new one will be able to carry more cargo supplies and more crew members, which will contribute to expanding the scale of manned spaceflights and opening up new areas, such as space tourism, said Zhou Jianping, the chief designer of China’s manned space program, in an interview.

BRIGHTEST AFTERGLOW

A huge star in the depths of the universe ended its life in a brilliant explosion, ejecting a beam like a searchlight that happened to shine towards Earth. Its super high energy photons flew through the vast universe for about 2 billion years and coincidentally splashed on a newly built observatory in China.

This magnificent “cosmic firework” that occurred some 2 billion years ago was perfectly recorded, helping scientists to better understand the death of stars and the physical laws of the most violent explosions in the universe besides the Big Bang.

PARACHUTE SYSTEM

During a recent space launch, China tested a parachute system that can help guide fallen rocket boosters into targeted areas, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology said on Friday.

The system was used on a Long March-3B rocket carrying a BeiDou navigation satellite into orbit on May 17 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province, according to the academy.