On January 5, 2017 at 15:18 UTC the Chang Zheng-3B/G2 (Long March-3B/G2) rocket-carrier was launched from Xichang Cosmodrome, Sichuan province, southwestern China. The rocket orbited the “TJSW-2” (Tongxin Jishu Shiyan Weixing) telecommunication technology test satellite. The satellite was manufactured by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. This launch was the first space launch of the year worldwide.

On January 3, 2017, Igor Petrovich Volk, Hero of the Soviet Union, pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR, test-pilot, passed away at the age of 79. He logged over 7000 flight hours in over 80 different aircraft types. Over the years, he flew on all types of Soviet fighters, bombers, and transport aircraft. He showed outstanding abilities in complex tests of various airplanes at critical angles of attack, stall, and spin. He was the first who tested aircraft behavior at high super-critical angles of attack (around 90°) and performed aerobatics such as the "cobra" maneuver. He served as the head of cosmonaut training for the Soviet Space Shuttle “Buran” program.