Update 25 Dec 2022: China's manned space program: Year in Review #China2022
2022 marks the 30th anniversary of China's manned space program, and a crucial year to complete the construction of its Tiangong space station. Here's a look back at what China achieved in the manned space program in 2022. #China2022
China's space station Tiangong enters new phase of application, development
This simulated image captured at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Nov 30, 2022 shows China's Shenzhou XV manned spaceship having conducted a fast automated rendezvous and docking with the combination of the space station Tiangong. [Photo/Xinhua]
China's space station, Tiangong, will get busier exploring space science and technology in the following years, as the newly launched Shenzhou-15 mission wraps up the last stage of its construction and kicks off the first stage of its application and development. "China plans to build the space station into a state-level space lab supporting long astronaut stays and large-scale scientific, technological, and application experiments," said Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China's manned space program.
The space station features a basic three-module configuration consisting of the core module, Tianhe, and two lab modules, Wentian and Mengtian. It is designed to be a versatile space lab, capable of accommodating 25 experiment cabinets for scientific exploration. The construction of the space station benefits from the advantages of the new system of pooling national resources and strength. There are hundreds of thousands of scientific researchers coordinating to make technological breakthroughs and tackle major sci-tech problems. The researchers have been adhering to self-reliance and independent innovation and developed a large number of core technologies with independent intellectual property rights. The localization rate of key components reached 100 percent.
With the launch of the Shenzhou-15 mission, the space station will enter a phase of application and development lasting more than 10 years. "In the past 30 years, we have overcome many technical difficulties, such as the technologies of shuttling between space and Earth, extravehicular activity, rendezvous, and docking," said Yang Liwei, the country's first "taikonaut" in orbit since he entered space with Shenzhou-5 in October 2003. So far, a total of 12 astronauts on four missions, Shenzhou-12, Shenzhou-13, Shenzhou-14, and Shenzhou-15, have participated in the in-orbit construction of the space station.
China’s capabilities pose potential threat to American space assets, US military general says
Commander of U.S. Space Command Gen. James Dickinson testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing March 8, 2022, in Washington, D.C. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
© Drew Angerer/Getty Images
A U.S. military leader warned Friday that China is continuing to build capabilities that potentially threaten American assets in space.
Commander of U.S. Space Command Gen. James Dickinson told reporters that China continues to "build capabilities that, really quite frankly, hold most of our assets at risk in the space domain." "I’m seriously focused on our pacing challenge, China," he said. "The unified stance of our allies and partners is critical in countering the coercion and subversion that threatens the international rules-based order here in the Indo-Pacific and beyond," Dickinson noted.
The head of American military operations in space said Russia's invasion of Ukraine had further shown space to be a "contested domain that must be protected." In 2003, China became the third government to send an astronaut into orbit on its own and its program – run by the People's Liberation Army – has made strides since. Last month, China launched the last of three modules for its own space station and has rovers on the moon and Mars. It is also planning a crewed lunar mission during this decade.
Complete China Space Station vs ISS
Chinese Space Program has basked in a fair share of glory after the completion of their Tiangong Space Station in low Earth orbit making a total count of completed working space stations to two. While the International Space Station is a collaboration of space programs from different nations, China managed to complete their own version of a space station themselves – without any foreign help.
In today’s episode, we are going to compare the Tiangong Space Station and the International Space Station in detail:
00:00 – Intro
01:04 - Battle of The Space Stations
02:39 - Comparing the Buildup and Size
05:10 - Modules & Structure Comparison
07:05 - Which One is Better?
NASA Shocked! China Took Over Space Race By Completing Tiangong Space Station
China now holds the position to dominate the space sector and has continuously welcomed other nations in an open collaboration in the space sector. The completion of Tiangong Space Station has revealed one thing: China is no longer a rising space power, it has already taken over. Their actions may have replaced the US supremacy in space.
In today’s episode, we are going to talk about how China has shocked the US & NASA by taking over the space race after completing their space station:
0:00 – Intro
01:13 - How China is taking over with their space station
03:15 - China | The new dominant space power
Shenzhou-14 astronauts out of return capsule
Astronaut Liu Yang is out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-14 manned spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Dec. 4, 2022. The return capsule of the Shenzhou-14 manned spaceship, carrying astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site safely on Sunday. (Xinhua/Lian Zhen)
Astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe are out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-14 spaceship, all in good physical condition.
Chinese scientists complete rice, Arabidopsis life-cycle experiments in space
A researcher processes space scientific experimental samples at the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 5, 2022. Chinese scientists have completed the life-cycle growth experiments of rice and Arabidopsis in the Chinese space station and successfully obtained their seeds, said the CAS on Monday. With the safe landing of the Shenzhou-14 spaceship's return capsule at the Dongfeng landing site Sunday night, the seeds of rice and Arabidopsis, which have undergone a 120-day life cycle, were delivered to China's manned space program's space application system along with other samples. (Xinhua)
Chinese scientists have completed the life-cycle growth experiments of rice and Arabidopsis in the Chinese space station and successfully obtained their seeds, said the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on Monday.
With the safe landing of the Shenzhou-14 spaceship's return capsule at the Dongfeng landing site Sunday night, the seeds of rice and Arabidopsis, which have undergone a 120-day life cycle, were delivered to China's manned space program's space application system along with other samples. According to the CAS website, previously, scientists worldwide have only managed to obtain the seeds of a few crops like Arabidopsis, rape, wheat, and peas in space, except for the major food crop -- rice.
The Chinese research team has completed the full life-cycle growth experiment of rice for the first time in the world. It has also systematically studied the effects of microgravity on flowering in space using the model plant Arabidopsis, the CAS said. The experiments, undertaken by the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences under the CAS, were conducted from July 29 to Nov. 25.
China's six astronauts in two missions make historic gathering in space
This image captured at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China shows the Shenzhou-15 and Shenzhou-14 crew taking a group picture with their thumbs up after a historic gathering in space on Nov. 30, 2022
The three astronauts aboard China's Shenzhou-15 spaceship entered the country's space station and met with another astronaut trio on Wednesday, a historic gathering that added the manpower at the in-orbit space lab to six for the first time.
Chen Dong, the commander of the Shenzhou-14 crew, opened the hatch at 7:33 a.m. (Beijing Time). The three space station occupants greeted the new arrivals with warm hugs and then they took a group picture with their thumbs up, shouting in chorus -- "China's space station is always worth looking forward to."
The space reunion kicked off the first in-orbit crew rotation in China's space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). The six astronauts are projected to live and work together for about five days to complete planned tasks and handover work, said the CMSA.
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Historic meeting in Tiangong belongs to China and the world: Global Times editorial
The manned spaceship Shenzhou-15, atop the Long March-2F Y15 carrier rocket, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Nov. 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang)
At 7:33 am (Beijing Time) on November 30, taikonauts of Shenzhou 14 and Shenzhou 15 spacecraft successfully "joined forces" in China's Tiangong Space Station. This historic meeting marks that the Chinese space station has stepped into the application and development stage. The two groups of taikonauts can then rotate in orbit, and the space station will be manned in orbit in the long run. Photos of the six astronauts embracing in space, as well as the blessings of "Long Live the Motherland" from netizens, swept the screen early in the day. It also shows China has become a veritable space power in the world.
International media outlets have paid great attention to this remarkable achievement of China's aerospace industry. They specifically mentioned two landmark events: First, in the early 1960s, both the Soviet Union and the US achieved astronaut spaceflight. At that time, Chairman Mao Zedong said, "How can China be regarded as a powerful country? We can't even send a single potato into space." Second, in 2011, the US passed the "Wolf Amendment," which prohibited NASA and other agencies from using government funds to engage in cooperation with the Chinese government and China-affiliated organizations, in practice excluding China from the International Space Station. The low starting point of China's space industry, the great difficulties and obstacles it encountered, and the rapid progress and outstanding achievements it made in just a few decades have left a huge exclamation mark to any witness.
From Dongfanghong satellites, Long March rockets, Chang'e lunar probes to Tiangong Space Station, every step of China's aerospace industry has been down-to-earth, and it has brought us a lot of inspiration. Aerospace is a major national project, and it cannot be accomplished without the centralized and unified leadership of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the new system for mobilizing the resources nationwide. Over the years, despite various challenges, China has always insisted on taking the road of self-reliance and arduous innovation in the aerospace field. Today, the country is able to independently control its own destiny, and has made breakthroughs in a large number of core technologies with its own intellectual property rights. All core components are 100 percent homemade. Adhering to the path of independent innovation has been proved right in practice, which in turn has strengthened our determination to stick to independent innovation. Chinese aerospace will continue to obtain massive positive feedback in such a virtuous circle.
China Is Now a Major Space Power
The Long March-5B Y4 carrier rocket, carrying the space lab module Mengtian, blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province.PHOTOGRAPH: HU ZHIXUAN/XINHUA/GETTY IMAGES
THE SIZE OF the neighborhood in low Earth orbit has now officially doubled. On October 31, China launched the final piece of its new Tiangong space station, completing its construction. The 18-meter lab module, named Mengtian (meaning “dreaming of the heavens”), enables a range of scientific experiments and now allows the station to accommodate up to six people at a time. It currently hosts commander Chen Dong and two other astronauts.
It’s a significant accomplishment for China’s rapidly growing space program, which plans to build a base on the moon, deploy a lunar rover, and send new landers and orbiters to Mars. It’s also the first long-term neighbor the International Space Station has had since Russia’s Mir station was deorbited in 2001. (China flew two Tiangong experimental prototypes between 2011 and 2019, but they are no longer orbiting.) “This is important for the Chinese space program. The International Space Station won’t run for much longer. You may well end up with only one orbiting space station—the Chinese one,” says Fabio Tronchetti, a space law professor at Beihang University in Beijing and the University of Mississippi.
The Chinese space program plans to have Tiangong last for 10 to 15 years, with the possibility of extending its lifespan, Tronchetti says. The much larger ISS, operated by the United States, the European Space Agency, Russia, and other partners, could be retired as soon as 2030—that’s the end date the Biden administration gave it after extending its mission last year. (Earlier this year, Russia threatened to pull out by 2024, thanks to the ongoing geopolitical tensions that followed its invasion of Ukraine. But space analysts now expect Russia to continue its support until 2030 as well.)
China completes construction of Tiangong space station
The construction of China's Tiangong space station has been completed, after the Mengtian module docked with the orbiting laboratory. Photo: China Manned Space Agency
China has completed the construction of its Tiangong space station, after launching its third and final component on Monday. The Mengtian module, which translates to 'dreaming of the heavens', launched on a Long March 5B rocket from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Centre and was able to dock with the space station about 13 hours later.
Astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuhe have been on board the orbiting laboratory since June for a six-month mission to complete the construction. Tiangong is about one-fifth of the size of the International Space Station (ISS) and is able to accommodate three astronauts, or six people during a short handover. The T-shaped station now includes the Tianhe core module and two laboratory modules including the Wentian and Mentian. An uncrewed Tianzhou cargo craft is scheduled to dock with the station next month and another crewed mission is expected in December to finish off the final phase of construction.
China has previously said that it is open to hosting astronauts from other countries on its space station. The country has ambitions to become a leading space power, with a thriving sector that includes human flights to its new space station, planetary, lunar and deep-space exploration, a satellite navigation system and the continued development of its space transport system. From 2016 to December 2021, China completed 207 launch missions, including 183 by the Long March carrier rocket series. China has already landed a spacecraft on the Moon and Mars.
China's Tiangong space station
3D illustration of the Chinese space station Tiangong, Tianhe core module in the middle, Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft on the top, Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft at nadir, Wentian & Mengtian on the left & right, scheduled to launch in Jul & Dec 2022
Tiangong is a space station that the Chinese Manned Space Agency (CMSA) is building in low Earth orbit. In May 2021, China launched Tianhe, the first of the orbiting space station's three modules, and the country aims to finish building the station by the end of 2022. CMSA hopes to keep Tiangong inhabited continuously by three astronauts for at least a decade. The space station will host many experiments from both China and other countries. Tiangong, which means "Heavenly Palace," will consist of Tianhe, the main habitat for astronauts, and two modules dedicated to hosting experiments, Mengtian and Wentian, both of which are due to launch in 2022. Shenzhou spacecraft, launching from Jiuquan in the Gobi Desert, will send crews of three astronauts to the space station, while Tianzhou cargo spacecraft will launch from Wenchang on the Chinese island of Hainan to deliver supplies and fuel to the station.
Tiangong will be much smaller than the International Space Station (ISS), with only three modules compared with 16 modules on the ISS. Tiangong will also be lighter than the ISS, which weighs about 400 tons (450 metric tons) following the recent addition of Russia's Nauka module. The 54-foot-long (16.6 meter) Tianhe module launched with a docking hub that allows it to receive Shenzhou and Tianzhou spacecraft, as well as welcome the two later experiment modules. A large robotic arm will help position the Mengtian and Wentian modules and assist astronauts during spacewalks. Tianhe is much larger than the Tiangong 1 and 2 test space labs China launched in the last decade and nearly three times heavier, at 24 tons (22 metric tons). The new Tiangong, visiting spacecraft and cargo spacecraft will expand the usable space for the astronauts; so much that they'll feel as though "they will be living in a villa," compared with how little space was available on previous Chinese space labs, Bai Linhou, deputy chief designer of the space station, told CCTV. Tianhe features regenerative life support, including a way to recycle urine, to allow astronauts to stay in orbit for long periods. It is the main habitat for the astronauts and also houses the propulsion systems to keep the space station in orbit.
China has said it will take 11 launches to finish Tiangong: three module launches, four crewed missions and four Tianzhou spacecraft to supply cargo and fuel. The first three launches — Tianhe, Tianzhou 2 and Shenzhou 12 — have gone smoothly. Once completed, Tiangong will be joined by a huge, Hubble-like space telescope, which will share the space station's orbit and be able to dock for repairs, maintenance and possibly upgrades. Named Xuntian, which translates to "survey the heavens," the telescope will have a 6.6-foot (2 m) diameter mirror like Hubble but will have a field of view 300 times greater. Xuntian will aim to survey 40% of the sky over 10 years using its huge, 2.5-billion-pixel camera. The space station could potentially be expanded to six modules, if everything goes according to plan. "We can further expand our current three-module space station combination into a four-module, cross-shaped combination in the future," Bai told CCTV. The second Tianhe core module could then allow two more modules to join the orbital outpost.
China space station: What is the Tiangong?
China launched a 23-tonne research lab module to its newly built space station Tiangong on Sunday 24 July. The lab Wentian, or "Quest for the Heavens", is expected to carry out biological and life science research
Tiangong space station, or "Heavenly Palace", is China's new permanent space station. The country has previously launched two temporary trial space stations, named as Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2.
The new lab Wentian is the second of three key modules to Tiangong. The first key module Tianhe - which contains living quarters for crew members - was sent into orbit in April 2021. The other key module, Mengtian science lab, is due to be launched by the end of 2022. China has big ambitions for Tiangong. The station will have its own power, propulsion, life support systems and living quarters. It is also designed to provide refuelling power to China's new space telescope, called Xuntian, which will fly close to the space station next year.
China is only the third country in history to have put both astronauts into space and to build a space station, after the Soviet Union (now Russia) and the US. China hopes Tiangong will replace the International Space Station (ISS), which is due to be decommissioned in 2031. Chinese astronauts are currently excluded from the ISS because US law bans its space agency, Nasa, from sharing its data with China.
3 Chinese astronauts arrive at Tiangong space station for 6-month stay
The Shenzhou 14 mission docked to China's Tianhe space station module on June 5, 2022. (Image credit: CMSA)
During their time in orbit, the trio will conduct a variety of scientific experiments and educational outreach activities, perform several spacewalks and install some new equipment inside and outside Tianhe, Chinese space officials have said. The astronauts will also oversee the arrival of Tiangong's other two modules, Wentian ("Quest for the Heavens") and Mengtian ("Dreaming of the Heavens"), which are scheduled to launch in July and October, respectively. Wentian and Mengtian will attach on either side of Tianhe, forming a T-shaped orbiting outpost about 20% as massive as the International Space Station (ISS).
The two previous crewed missions to Tianhe, Shenzhou 12 and Shenzhou 13, also sent three astronauts to the core module. Shenzhou 12 launched in June 2021 and lasted for three months, and the six-month-long Shenzhou 13 launched in October and returned to Earth in mid-April. Shenzhou 15 is expected to launch around the end of the year. (It's tough to know for sure; China tends not to reveal many details about its space missions until they're just about to happen.) If all goes according to plan, Shenzhou 15 will overlap with Shenzhou 14, marking the Tiangong space station's first-ever crew handover.
Shenzhou-14 astronauts enter space station core module
On June 5, China launched the crewed spaceship Shenzhou-14, sending astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe to its space station combination for a six-month mission. The trio will cooperate with the ground team to complete the assembly and construction of China's space station, developing it from a single-module structure into a national space laboratory with three modules.
The three Shenzhou-14 astronauts successfully entered the Tianzhou-4 cargo craft at 12:19 p.m. BJT on Monday, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced. The trio was sent to China's space station on June 5. China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4, with supplies for the Shenzhou-14 crewed mission, docked with the combination of the space station core module Tianhe and the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft in May.
China's manned spacecraft Shenzhou-14 was successfully launched into orbit from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Sunday morning. Three taikonauts, Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe, will stay in orbit for six months and help complete the construction of China's space station by the end of this year.
Three Chinese astronauts arrive at space station
Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe (L to R), Chen Dong and Liu Yang take part in a ceremony prior to the launch of the Shenzhou-14 mission (Photo: AFP/STR)
Three Chinese astronauts arrived at the country's space station on Sunday (Jun 5), the Chinese space agency for human flights said, the latest stride in Beijing's aim to become a major space power. The trio blasted off in a Long March-2F rocket at 2.44am GMT (10.44am Singapore time) from the Jiuquan launch centre in north-western China's Gobi desert, reported state broadcaster CCTV.
The team is tasked with "completing in-orbit assembly and construction of the space station", as well as "commissioning of equipment" and conducting scientific experiments, state-run CGTN said on Saturday. The astronauts entered the central module of the Tiangong station at around 12.50pm GMT (8.50pm Singapore time), the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said. The journey took about "seven hours of flight", CCTV reported.
Tiangong, which means "heavenly palace", is expected to become fully operational by the end of the year. China's heavily promoted space programme has already seen the nation land a rover on Mars and send probes to the Moon.
Shenzhou (spacecraft)
Shenzhou consists of three modules: a forward orbital module (轨道舱), a reentry module (返回舱) in the middle, and an aft service module (推进舱)
Shenzhou (Chinese: 神舟; pinyin: Shénzhōu, /ˈʃɛnˈdʒoʊ/; see § Etymology) is a spacecraft developed and operated by China to support its crewed spaceflight program, China Manned Space Program. Its design resembles the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, but it is larger in size. The first launch was on 19 November 1999 and the first crewed launch was on 15 October 2003. In March 2005, an asteroid was named 8256 Shenzhou in honour of the spacecraft.
The literal meaning of the native name 神舟 (p: Shénzhōu; /ˈʃɛnˈdʒoʊ/) is "the Divine vessel [on the Heavenly River]", to which Heavenly River (天河) means the Milky Way in Classical Chinese. 神舟 is a pun and neologism that plays on the poetic word referring to China, 神州, meaning Divine realm, which bears the same pronunciation. For further information, refer to Chinese theology, Chinese astronomy and names of China.
Shenzhou consists of three modules: a forward orbital module (轨道舱), a reentry module (返回舱) in the middle, and an aft service module (推进舱). This division is based on the principle of minimizing the amount of material to be returned to Earth. Anything placed in the orbital or service modules does not require heat shielding, increasing the space available in the spacecraft without increasing weight as much as it would if those modules were also able to withstand reentry. The Shenzhou spacecrafts are:
Tiangong space station
Rendering of Tiangong Space Station between October 2021 and March 2022, with Tianhe core module in the middle, Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft on the left, Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft on the right, and Shenzhou-13 crewed spacecraft at nadir
Tiangong (Chinese: 天宮; pinyin: Tiāngōng; lit. 'Palace in the Sky'), officially the Tiangong space station (Chinese: 天宫空间站), is a space station being constructed by China in low Earth orbit between 340 and 450 km (210 and 280 mi) above the surface. Being China's first long-term space station, it is the goal of the "Third Step" of the China Manned Space Program. Once completed, Tiangong will have a mass between 80 and 100 t (180,000 and 220,000 lb), roughly one-fifth the mass of the International Space Station and about the size of the decommissioned Russian Mir space station.
The construction of the station is based on the experience gained from its precursors, Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2. The first module, the Tianhe ("Harmony of the Heavens") core module, was launched on 29 April 2021, followed by multiple crewed and uncrewed missions and two more modules to be launched in 2022. Chinese leaders have expressed the hope that the research conducted on the station will improve researchers' ability to conduct science experiments in space, beyond the duration and capacity offered by China's existing space laboratories.
According to CMSA, which operates the space station, the purpose and mission of Tiangong is listed as: Further development of spacecraft rendezvous technology; Breakthrough in key technologies such as permanent human operations in orbit, long-term autonomous spaceflight of the space station, regenerative life support technology, and autonomous cargo and fuel supply technology; Test of next-generation orbit transportation vehicles; Scientific and practical applications at large-scale in orbit; Development of technology that can aid future deep space exploration. In addition, private sector commercial activities being encouraged, according to the designer of China's human spaceflight program: “When our space station is completed and running, we will actively encourage the private sector to engage in space through various ways.” “We hope there will be competitive, cost-efficient commercial space players to participate in areas including space applications and space resource development.” Operations will be controlled from the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center in China. To guarantee the safety of astronauts on board, a Long March 2F with a Shenzhou spacecraft will always be on standby for an emergency rescue mission.
China's Space Station Will Be Open to Science from All UN Nations
Artist's illustration of China's planned space station, which the nation aims to have up and running by 2022. (Image credit: CMSE)
China is working with the United Nations to help arrange scientific experiments aboard that country's space station.
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and China's Manned Space Agency have invited applications from UN member states to conduct experiments on China's space station (CSS). In 2016, the two signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to develop the space capabilities of UN member states via opportunities to use the station, which China expects to be operational by 2022. [Gallery: Tiangong 1, China's First Space Laboratory]
The "announcement of opportunity" and application instructions for this initiative were released at a ceremony hosted by UNOOSA and the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Vienna on Monday (May 28).
Long March (rocket family)
Comparison of Long March rockets
The Long March series has performed more than 350 launches, including missions to low-Earth orbit, sun-synchronous orbit, geostationary transfer orbit, and Earth-moon transfer orbit. The new-generation carrier rockets, Long March 5, Long March 6, Long March 7, Long March 11, and Long March 8, have made their maiden flights. Among them, the Long March 5 has a low-Earth orbit carrying capacity of 25,000 kilograms, and a geosynchronous transfer orbit carrying capacity of 14,000 kilograms. The Long March rockets have subsequently maintained an excellent reliability record. Since 2010, Long March launches have made up 15–25% of all space launches globally. Growing domestic demand has maintained a healthy manifest. International deals have been secured through a package deal that bundles the launch with a Chinese satellite, circumventing the United States embargo.
The Long March rockets are organized into several series (There is no Long March 10):
related: List of Long March launches
Chinese space program
Lunar Lander on 144 Dec 2013 & Martian Lander on 6 Jun 2021
The PRC is a member of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and a signatory to all United Nations treaties and conventions on space, with the exception of the 1979 Moon Treaty.[29] The United States government has long been resistant to the use of PRC launch services by American industry due to concerns over alleged civilian technology transfer that could have dual-use military applications to countries such as North Korea, Iran or Syria. Thus, financial retaliatory measures have been taken on many occasions against several Chinese space companies.
Due to security concerns, all researchers from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are prohibited from working with Chinese citizens affiliated with a Chinese state enterprise or entity. In April 2011, the 112th United States Congress banned NASA from using its funds to host Chinese visitors at NASA facilities. In March 2013, the U.S. Congress passed legislation barring Chinese nationals from entering NASA facilities without a waiver from NASA. The history of the U.S. exclusion policy can be traced back to allegations by a 1998 U.S. Congressional Commission that the technical information that American companies provided China for its commercial satellite ended up improving Chinese intercontinental ballistic missile technology.[33] This was further aggravated in 2007 when China blew up a defunct meteorological satellite in low Earth orbit to test a ground-based anti-satellite (ASAT) missile. The debris created by the explosion contributed to the space junk that litter Earth's orbit, exposing other nations' space assets to the risk of accidental collision. The United States also fears the Chinese application of dual-use space technology for nefarious purposes. The U.S. imposed an embargo to the U.S. - China space cooperation throughout the 2000s and by 2011, a clause inserted by then-Congressman Frank Wolf in the 2011 U.S. federal budget forbids NASA from hosting or participating in a joint scientific activity with China. The Chinese response to the exclusion policy involved its own space policy of opening up its space station to the outside world, welcoming scientists coming from all countries. American scientists have also boycotted NASA conferences due to its rejection of Chinese nationals in these events.
China's Plan for Space Exploration
China is only the third country in history to have put both astronauts into space and to build a space station, after the Soviet Union (now Russia) and the US.
China hopes Tiangong will replace the International Space Station (ISS), which is due to be decommissioned in 2031. Chinese astronauts are currently excluded from the ISS because US law bans its space agency, Nasa, from sharing its data with China.
China's ambitions do not end there. A few years from now it wants to take samples from asteroids near the Earth. By 2030, it aims to have put its first astronauts on the Moon, and to have sent probes to collect samples from Mars and Jupiter.
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