China's Shenzhou 19 astronauts take the reins of Tiangong space station
The Shenzhou 18 crew hands over control of the Tiangong space station on 1 Nov to the newly arrived Shenzhou 19 astronauts
China's Shenzhou 18 crew have passed the keys to the Tiangong space station to its new occupants. The Shenzhou 19 mission launched on a Long March 2F rocket from Jiuquan spaceport in northwest China on Oct. 29 and arrived at the Tiangong space station 6.5 hours later.
Shortly thereafter, at 12:51 a.m. EDT (0451 GMT) on Oct. 30, the hatch between the Shenzhou 19 spacecraft and Tiangong was opened, allowing the three Shenzhou 18 mission astronauts to greet the trio of new arrivals aboard. The formal handover of the station happened on Friday (Nov. 1), with Shenzhou 18 commander Ye Guangfu — who recently became China's first astronaut to spend 365 days in space in total — passing a symbolic key to Shenzhou 19 commander Cai Xuzhe. Both crews then shook hands.
The Shenzhou 19 crew is China's youngest so far, with Cai, 48, and rookies Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, both of whom were born in 1990. Wang is currently China's only female spaceflight engineer.
The Shenzhou 19 trio now begin their own six-month-long stay aboard Tiangong and get to work on a planned 86 scientific projects and experiments, as well as extravehicular activities, or spacewalks.
Shenzhou-19 astronauts enter space station
This image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Oct. 30, 2024 shows the crew of Shenzhou-18 and Shenzhou-19 manned spaceships talking with each other. The three astronauts of China's Shenzhou-19 spaceflight mission have entered the Tiangong space station and met with another astronaut trio on Wednesday, starting a new round of in-orbit crew handover
The three astronauts of China's Shenzhou-19 spaceflight mission have entered the Tiangong space station and met with another astronaut trio on Wednesday, starting a new round of in-orbit crew handover.
The Shenzhou-18 crew opened the hatch at 12:51 p.m. (Beijing Time) and greeted the new arrivals, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). The six crew members then took group pictures for the fifth space get-together in China's aerospace history.
They will live and work together for about five days to complete planned tasks and handover work, the CMSA said. The Shenzhou-18 crew is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China on 4 Nov.
China launches Shenzhou-19 spacecraft, carrying country’s third female astronaut
‘I want to wave at the stars’: China to send only woman space flight engineer Wang Haoze to space station
China has successfully launched a three-person crew, carrying the country’s third female astronaut, to the Tiangong space station for a six-month mission.
The Shenzhou-19 spacecraft lifted off atop a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwestern China at 4.27am Beijing time on Wednesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Wang Haoze, 34, is an expert in nuclear-powered rocket technology and was joined by two male colleagues about the spacecraft, which is slated to perform an autonomous rendezvous and docking with Tiangong about 6½ hours after launch.
Unlike Liu Yang and Wang Yaping – the first two Chinese female astronauts, both trained as airforce pilots – Wang’s research background is expected to enhance the crew’s implementation of a total of 86 experiments and tests during their time in orbit.
Three-person crew blasts off for China's Tiangong space station
A long March-2F carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou-19 spacecraft and crew of three astronauts lifts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, in the Gobi desert, northwest China, on Oct 30, 2024
Three Chinese astronauts including the country's only woman spaceflight engineer blasted off on a "dream" mission to the Tiangong space station in the early hours of Wednesday (Oct 30).
The new Tiangong team will carry out experiments with an eye to the space programme's ambitious goal of placing astronauts on the Moon by 2030 and eventually constructing a lunar base. The Shenzhou-19 mission took off with its trio of space explorers from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, state news agency Xinhua and state broadcaster CCTV reported. Headed by Cai Xuzhe, the team will return to Earth in late April or early May next year, CMSA Deputy Director Lin Xiqiang said at a separate press event confirming the launch.
Among the crew is Wang Haoze, 34, who is China's only female spaceflight engineer, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). She is the third Chinese woman to take part in a crewed mission. "Like everyone else, I dream of going to the space station to have a look," Wang told a media gathering on Tuesday alongside her fellow crew members, lined up behind podiums and tall panes of glass to seal them off from the public. "I want to meticulously complete each task and protect our home in space," she said. "I also want to travel in deep space and wave at the stars."
China releases space science development program for 2024-2050
China unveiled a national mid and long-term development program for space science on Tuesday, which will guide the country's planning of space science missions and space research from 2024 to 2050.
The program, the first of its kind at the national level, was jointly released by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the China National Space Administration and the China Manned Space Agency at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office. The program outlines the development goals of China's space science, including 17 priority areas under five key scientific themes, as well as a three-phase roadmap.
The five key scientific themes include the extreme universe, space-time ripples, panoramic view of Sun-Earth, habitable planets, and biological and physical sciences in space, Ding Chibiao, vice president of the CAS, said at the press conference.
China's space program to keep strong momentum in 2024
China's space program is set to maintain positive momentum in 2024, with major programs including ones related to the China Space Station, manned moon landing, and Chang'e lunar probe missions, being expected to achieve solid progress, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), a state-owned conglomerate and the nation's leading space contractor, revealed on the sidelines of the ongoing two sessions on Monday.
The CASC, in a statement it provided to the Global Times on Monday, disclosed that in 2024, the China Space Station will continue its normalized operation, providing strong support for in-orbit scientific experiments. To be specific, two cargo spacecraft launching missions - Tianzhou -7, -8, two crewed spacecraft launch missions - Shenzhou-18, -19, have been scheduled for the year of 2024, and two crewed return missions for Shenzhou-17 and -18 will be also executed. It is worth noting that the enhanced version of Tianzhou cargo spacecraft has increased its payload capacity to 7.4 ton from 6.9 ton. And as of now, more than 100 space science and application programs covering disciplines including space life science, microgravity research and space new technology, have been arranged up to the space station and some have yielded staged application results, per the CASC.
The CASC is the leading contractor for the development of all spacecraft supporting the China Space Station missions, such as the Tianzhuo, Shenzhou spacecraft, and Long March-2F, Long March-5B and Long March 7 carrier rockets. China's highly-anticipated manned moon landing program has also been activated in 2024, aiming to send taikonauts to the Earth's natural satellite before 2030 and to carry out lunar scientific exploration and related technological experiment.
China Prepares to Secure Its Stake on the Moon
In a significant escalation of its space exploration efforts, China is making strategic moves to defend its interests on the lunar surface. This ambitious endeavor is part of a broader vision that includes a series of sophisticated lunar missions, advancements in space technology, and a clear pathway towards establishing a permanent moon base.
Key Highlights:
- Launch of the Chang’e-6 mission to return samples from the lunar far side.
- Planning of the Chang’e-7 mission to investigate the lunar south pole, including the search for water ice.
- Development of the Chang’e-8 mission to test in-situ resource utilization and 3D-printing technology.
- Aiming for a crewed lunar landing before 2030.
- The establishment of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) in collaboration with Russia, with a target completion date by 2035
China’s space agency has outlined an ambitious agenda that significantly boosts its capabilities and presence in space. The nation plans to conduct 100 orbital launches in 2024, setting a new national record. These missions are diverse, ranging from deep space exploration to the development of new space technology, such as the Long March 12 rocket capable of lifting significant payloads into orbit.
The ILRS, a joint venture with Russia, is a cornerstone of China’s lunar strategy. The roadmap for this international base envisions a multi-phase development, culminating in a permanently habitable outpost by 2035. Before this, a series of robotic missions will deploy necessary infrastructure and test technologies crucial for the base’s construction. China’s efforts are not limited to peaceful exploration. The nation’s space program has potential military implications, particularly in the cislunar space, which is viewed as the next frontier for strategic dominance. The deployment of the Queqiao relay satellite, for instance, highlights China’s intention to establish a robust presence in space that could have dual-use capabilities.
To the moon, Mars and beyond: Could China’s soaring space ambitions be hampered by earthly factors?
A Long March-2F carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou-18 spacecraft takes off for a crewed mission to China's Tiangong space station, April 25, 2024
“To explore the vast cosmos, develop the space industry and build China into a space power is our eternal dream.” These words by Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the country’s latest space white paper published in early 2022. At the time, Beijing was flush from its extraterrestrial achievements, such as a world-first landing on the dark side of the moon in 2019 and a historic first for the country in its touchdown on Mars in 2021.
Fast forward to now and Beijing is keeping its space ambitions fired up, blasting off towards a record launch year while charting further lunar and deep space explorations over the next decade. The latest exploit was on Apr 25, when three Chinese astronauts embarked on China’s latest crewed mission to its homegrown space station. Barely a week before that, the Chinese military elevated the status of its space unit as part of a wider defence reorganisation. From political prestige to scientific advancements - observers say the potential gain is clear as China reaches for the stars through its space ambitions. The rub is whether the world’s second-largest economy will keep the funds and focus flowing towards its ventures beyond Earth as domestic and external challenges loom ever larger.
“Slower overall economic growth in China may impact the government's willingness to spend on space,” Mr Clayton Swope, deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told CNA. Against this backdrop, analysts interviewed by CNA suggest that serious expansion of the commercial space arena could be key in easing pressure on Chinese government coffers by tapping private enterprise to supplement state endeavours while still advancing innovation and development. At the same time, China has to consider how its earthly international relations could impact its ambitions beyond the atmosphere, especially with vocal callouts by American officials over security, spying and space territorial concerns.
China’s space success is ready to launch - with or without foreign partners
The Tiangong station is a major step in China's ambitious space programme
On Jan 25, Space News reported that the European Space Agency (ESA) no longer intends to
send European astronauts to Tiangong, China’s newly completed space station. The report quoted the ESA director general Josef Aschbacher saying that the agency was already “very busy” with its International Space Station (ISS) commitments and that it currently lacked both the budgetary and political “green light” to engage with China’s space station.
The director general’s remarks come several years after the stall of efforts to prepare European astronauts for flights on China’s space station. This had been a major development following decades of cooperation between the two space agencies. In 2016, a Chinese astronaut participated in an ESA astronaut training course. The next year, two European astronauts carried out sea survival training with their Chinese counterparts. But after 2017, the budding human spaceflight cooperation between the two sides hit a snag.
The assertion that budgetary constraints are holding the ESA back from participating in Tiangong’s mission has its merits. As pointed out by Eric Berger, the senior space editor at Ars Technica, ESA funding is less than one-third of NASA’s. The European agency must be choosier about how it uses its limited resources.
Space race a test of countries’ response to a more multipolar world
The light trail of the launched manned spaceship Shenzhou-15 after it blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
The ongoing space race is another aspect of the world undergoing a shifting order, moving away from the dominance of one major power, said an expert.
China has been gradually building up its space capabilities and the latest trip by its astronauts to its Tiangong space station was merely the latest in its efforts to explore the new frontier, said the University of Hong Kong’s Laboratory for Space Research director Quentin Parker on Wednesday (Nov 30).
China on Tuesday
launched the Shenzhou-15 spacecraft carrying three astronauts to its Tiangong space station. It has made major advances in the field, with newer technology and machinery, and has also constantly highlighted cooperation with international partners, Dr Parker told CNA’s Asia Now.
China launches Chang'e 6 sample-return mission to moon's far side
China is headed back to the moon's mysterious far side — and this time, the nation will bring back some souvenirs.
The robotic
Chang'e 6 mission launched today (May 3) at 5:27 a.m. EDT (0927 GMT; 5:27 p.m. Beijing time), riding a
Long March 5 rocket off a pad at the Wenchang Space Launch Site, in southern China's Hainan province.
If all goes according to plan, Chang'e 6 will
touch down on the moon's far side, scoop up some samples and rocket them back to Earth — something that's never been done before. Indeed, just one mission has ever soft-landed on the lunar far side:
Chang'e 4, which put a lander-rover duo down in January 2019.
Chang'e-6 is on a business trip to the back of the Moon
China's Chang'e-6, the first mission to the far side of the Moon, signifies a landmark step in lunar exploration.
Launched via the Long March 5, Chang'e-6 aims to collect 2kg of lunar samples, possibly altering our understanding of the Earth, Moon, and early solar system. The mission includes international payloads, demonstrating China's commitment to space exploration cooperation.
The mission, described as China's most complex and challenging, will try to collect samples from the Lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin, the largest, oldest impact crater on the Moon. Its success could boost China's ambition for a manned Moon landing by 2030.
China launches mission to the far side of the moon
The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program saw a quiet phase recently as China geared for the initiation of the well awaited phase 4 of the Chang’e program.
Preparations were made, everything needed to be pixel perfect and it was – as recently, in front of the whole world the Chang’e 6 mission was launched aiming once again, for the far side of the moon.
China has once again done the unthinkable and what was previously thought undoable!
China’s Chang’e-6 is carrying a surprise rover to the moon
The Chang'e-6 spacecraft stack showing, for the first time, an apparent lunar rover attached to the mission lander. Credit: CAST
China’s Chang’e-6 spacecraft appears to carry a previously undisclosed lunar rover as part of the mission’s far side exploration plans. Chang’e-6 launched on a Long March 5 rocket from Wenchang early May 3. The mission will attempt to bring back to Earth the first ever samples from the lunar far side.
China had disclosed objectives, a landing site and science payloads for the mission ahead of launch. However, following launch, the spacecraft’s maker, the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), revealed an image showing a rover attached to the mission lander. Chang’e-6 is a backup to the 2020 Chang’e-5 nearside sample return mission. With that mission successful, Chang’e-6 has been repurposed for a more ambitious lunar far side sampling mission.
A similar process saw the backup Chang’e-4 mission land in Von Kármán crater on the lunar far side, following the success of the Chang’e-3 lander and rover mission. The Chang’e-6 mission includes new,
international payloads—from France, Sweden, Italy, and a Pakistani cubesat—and now an additional rover, something not carried by Chang’e-5.
Chang'e-6 is just the tip of China's ambitions for the Solar System
China's Chang'e-6 mission is intended to bring back lunar samples but is also a stepping stone to much more ambitious space exploration
China launched one of its most ambitious missions so far on 3 May, sending a stack of four spacecraft towards the Moon. The aim is to collect the first samples from the lunar far side and deliver them safely to Earth, potentially bringing back new insights into our nearest neighbour, our own planet, and the early history of the Solar System. To do this, the quartet will need to perform an intricate cosmic dance.
The Chang'e-6 spacecraft spent roughly 4.5-days on its voyage to the Moon. Once in orbit around the Moon, a lander separated from the orbiter and targeted a landing area within Apollo crater on the far side of the satellite, where it is expected to land in early June. As this far side of the Moon never faces Earth, operations and communications with Earth will be facilitated by Queqiao-2, a communications relay satellite launched by China in March.
The lander will use a scoop and a drill to collect surface and subsurface materials. These will be blasted into lunar orbit by an ascender, which will then be tasked with catching up with the orbiter and handing over its precious cargo. A precise rendezvous and docking between orbiter and ascender will need to be affected while travelling at just over a mile per second (1.68km per second). This will need to be automated, due to the light-time delay due to their distance from ground stations on Earth.
China's Chang'e 6 probe to the moon's far side has a big lunar mystery to solve
China's Chang'e-6 mission, currently on its way to retrieve a sample of material from the far side of the moon, will test theories of why the lunar near and far side are so different.
Having launched on May 3, Chang'e-6 is expected to land in early June within the Apollo double ring impact basin, which lies inside the even larger South Pole–Aitken basin (SPA). The immense SPA is the largest impact feature of its kind in the solar system, spanning 2,400 by 2,050 kilometers (1,490 by 1,270 miles) in area; it was formed some 4.3 billion years ago, which is very early in the history of the solar system. Though Apollo is younger, it is also the largest impact site to be superimposed on the SPA. Apollo sports a double-ringed structure, with its inner ring of mountain peaks having a diameter of 247 kilometers (153 miles) and an outer ring about 492 kilometers (305 miles) across.
As the first sample-return mission to the far side, Chang'e-6 aims to bring back to Earth about 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of precious lunar material. The far side is a relatively unknown place; its mystery is also enhanced by the fact that we cannot see it from Earth. It was only photographed for the first time by the Soviet Luna 3 spacecraft in 1959. And with this photograph in hand, scientists around the world were amazed to learn how different looking the far side of the moon is in comparison to the side we're familiar with. While both the near and far side sport a multitude of craters, the near side also displays vast, volcanic plains called lunar maria, which create impressions like the "man in the moon" shape and cover something like 31% of the whole near-side area.
Chang'e 6
Chang'e 6 (Chinese: 嫦娥六号; pinyin: Cháng'é liùhào) is a robotic lunar exploration mission by the China National Space Administration. As China's second sample return mission, it will attempt to obtain a sample of soil and rock from the far side of the Moon, while it conduct scientific experiments on the lunar surface. Like its predecessors in the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, the spacecraft is named after the Chinese Moon goddess Chang'e. It launched on 3 May 2024 and the mission is expected to last about 53 days.
The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program is designed to be conducted in four[6] phases of incremental technological advancement:
- The goal of the first phase was to reach lunar orbit. This was completed by Chang'e 1 in 2007 and by Chang'e 2 in 2010.
- The second phase sought to land and rove on the Moon, a feat that was accomplished by Chang'e 3 in 2013 and by Chang'e 4 in 2019.
- The third phase involves the collection of lunar samples and sending them to Earth, first completed by Chang'e 5 in 2020 and planned for Chang'e 6.
- The fourth phase consists of the development of a robotic research station near the Moon's south pole.[6][7][8] The program aims to facilitate crewed lunar landings in the 2030s and possibly build a crewed outpost near the lunar south pole.
China eyes May 2024 launch for 1st-ever lunar sample-return mission to moon's far side
An illustration of China's Chang'e 3 lunar lander on the moon's surface. (Image credit: CNSA/CLEP)
Engineers working on China's Chang'e-6 mission have foregone family reunions over the Lunar New Year to help get the spacecraft ready for launch.
The components of the complex Chang'e-6 moon sample return mission arrived at Wenchang spaceport on Hainan island in early January. There, a team of engineers and researchers, many with extensive experience from the 2020 Chang'e-5 mission, is intensively testing and adjusting the equipment, according to a China Central Television (CCTV) report.
The mission will make the first ever attempt at collecting material from the far side of the moon and deliver it to Earth for analysis. Launch is planned for around May. Chang'e-6 is expected to be a 53-day-long mission. The mission lander will seek to touch down in Apollo basin on the far side of the moon and collect up to 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) of lunar materials using a scoop and a drill.
China's Chang'e-6 scheduled for launch in first half of 2024
China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe is scheduled for launch in the first half of this year, the China National Space Administration said Wednesday.
Components for the Chang'e-6 lunar probe have been transported to the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern province of Hainan, and pre-launch tests will be carried out as scheduled, the agency said. Currently, the facilities at the launch site are in good condition and preparatory work is underway as planned, it added.
The Chang'e-6 is set to collect samples from the far side of the moon, marking a mission that will be the first of its kind in human history. The mission is poised to make breakthroughs in key technologies, such as automatic sample collection, take-off and ascent from the far side of the moon. Meanwhile, the probe will carry out scientific exploration of the landing zone.
China’s Chang’e-6 probe arrives at spaceport for first-ever lunar far side sample mission
The far side of the moon and distant Earth, imaged by the Chang’e-5 T1 mission service module. Credit: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Components for China’s Chang’e-6 lunar far side sample return mission spacecraft arrived at Wenchang spaceport Wednesday.
The delivery is part of preparations to launch a stack of four spacecraft to land on the far side of the moon, collect samples and deliver them to Earth. The 8,200-kilogram probe will launch on a Long March 5 rocket around May this year. The spacecraft components were delivered to Hainan island via Antonov An-124 and Xi’an Y-20 transport planes, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced Jan. 10. These were then transferred to Wenchang Satellite Launch Center. Assembly and testing will begin in the near future.
CNSA stated the mission will launch within the first half of 2024. Earlier indications suggest the Chang’e-6 will launch around May. Chang’e-6 is a follow up to the 2020 Chang’e-5 mission which collected 1,731 grams of lunar material from Oceanus Procellarum on the near side of the moon.
Chang'e 6
Chang'e 6 (Chinese: 嫦娥六号; pinyin: Cháng'é liùhào) is a planned robotic Chinese lunar exploration mission that has been officially announced for the first half of 2024 and is expected to launch around May 2024. It will attempt China's second sample return mission. The mission will attempt to obtain the first-ever soil and rock samples from the lunar far side and return it to the Earth; the primary phase of the mission is expected to last about 53 days. Like its predecessors, the spacecraft is named after the Chinese moon goddess Chang'e.
The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program is designed to be conducted in four phases of incremental technological advancement: The goal of the first phase is to reach lunar orbit, this was completed by Chang'e 1 in 2007 and by Chang'e 2 in 2010. The second phase seeks to land and rove on the Moon, a feat that was accomplished by Chang'e 3 in 2013 and by Chang'e 4 in 2019. The third phase involves the collection of lunar samples and sending them to Earth, first completed by Chang'e 5 in 2020 and planned for the Chang'e 6 mission. The fourth phase consists of the development of a robotic research station near the Moon's south pole. The program aims to facilitate crewed lunar landings in the 2030s and possibly build a crewed outpost near the lunar south pole.
Unlike the Chang'e 5 mission which returned in excess of 1.73 kilograms of material from the northern hemisphere of the lunar near side, the Chang'e 6 mission will attempt to land and return material from the southern hemisphere of the lunar far side. Specifically, the landing segment of the Chang'e 6 mission will target the southern portion of the Apollo crater which itself lies within the larger South Pole-Aitkin (SPA) impact basin on the lunar far side; it is hoped that samples collected from the target area may include lunar mantle material ejected by the original impact that created the SPA basin. The mission's lander will endeavor to collect up to two kilograms of lunar far-side material including surface soil and rocks (using a scoop) and subsurface samples (using a drill).
Chang’e 6 Mission to Include International Scientific Instruments
Photo screens from a simulated animation showing the Chang’e-6 probe. [Photo/VCG]
The planned launch of China’s Chang’e 6 lunar probe is drawing international interest as it sets to embark on a groundbreaking mission to collect samples from the moon’s far side. Additionally, this mission will be distinguished by the inclusion of three European scientific instruments, which marks a significant step in international space cooperation.
The Chang’e 6 mission is not just a milestone for China but also for European space science. Among the payloads, the mission will carry:
- A radon measurement device from France to study lunar dust dynamics.
- An Italian laser retroreflector for precise lander range-finding.
- A Swedish negative ion detector, marking its first deployment beyond Earth.
Over 20 international proposals vied for the chance to be part of the Chang’e 6 mission. The selected instruments from France, Italy, and Sweden are set to explore the enigmatic lunar far side, which has remained largely a mystery until recently. Experts like Yang Yuguang emphasize the importance of international collaboration in space missions to enhance their scientific yield. The participation of global scientists, especially in significant missions like Chang’e 6, is highly sought after and beneficial for all parties involved. China’s history of space cooperation with Europe has yielded successful outcomes, such as the Tianwen 1 Mars mission data relay. The Chang’e 6 provides another platform for advancing this collaborative relationship, particularly in lunar research. The Chang’e 6, aboard a Long March 5 rocket, is scheduled for launch from Hainan’s Wenchang Space Launch Center soon. It aims to land in the South Pole-Aitken Basin and continue the exploratory work initiated by its predecessor, Chang’e 5.
China to debut new Long March rockets in 2024
A Long March 2D rocket lifts off from Xichang spaceport carrying the Yaogan 39 (04) remote sensing satellites on Oct. 23, 2023. (Image credit: Ourspace)
China will debut several new Long March rockets this year to boost its options for space launches. Two major rocket-making academies under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Science (CASC) are set to give test flights to new rockets.
The Long March 6C is a new variant of the existing Long March 6A, which is China's only rocket using a liquid propellant core with solid-fueled side boosters. The rocket will launch from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China at some point during the first half of the year. "The Long March 6C is about 43 meters [141 feet] long. With its three liquid oxygen-kerosene engines, it will be used in launch missions with a mass of 2,000 kilograms [4,400 pounds], which will help it enhance its capacity for high-frequency launch missions," Yu Yansheng, a rocket expert from the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), under CASC, told China Central Television (CCTV).
SAST is also preparing to debut another, more powerful rocket — the Long March 12. The two-stage, kerosene-fueled Long March 12 will be capable of carrying 22,040 pounds (10,000 kg) of payload to low Earth orbit or 13,200 pounds (6,000 kg) to sun-synchronous orbit, boosting China's options for launching satellite constellations. The Long March 12 will launch from a new commercial launch site at Wenchang, near China's national coastal Wenchang spaceport. It will be China's first launch vehicle with a diameter of 12.4 feet (3.8 m). This means it can be transported over land by rail. China's largest-diameter rocket, the Long March 5, at 16.4 feet (5.0 m), needs to be transported by sea.
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 Is Winning the Space Race
China’s history of exploration and commercialization of space began around the same time the USSR and the USA were locked in their infamous Space Race. It was after the first US moon landing that China, then under Mao Zedong, moved from working solely on launching ballistic missiles, to working on a program to ultimately launch a manned crew in China’s effort not to be left behind. But no one noticed as the focus was on the US vs. USSR Cold War competition.
In the 1970s, the Chinese government developed a series of rockets called the Long March 1. It was with this series that China successfully launched its first in a series of satellites into orbit. Overall, the series was widely considered successful. Project 714, adopted in 1971, was to be the first Chinese manned launch into space, but the project was canceled due to political turmoil. After the denouncement of the Cultural Revolution, most space programs in China halted altogether. While China continued development on the Long March rocket series and other satellite missions through the 80’s and 90’s, they were largely unsuccessful.
That all changed in 2003 when China became the third nation in the world to send a successful, crewed rocket into space aboard the Shenzhou 5 and return them safely to Earth. They have not stopped doing so since and Chinese space missions have taken off like, well, a rocket. In 2011, China launched their first space station, the Tiangong 1. While it was compatible with the International Space Station, though the Chinese government was barred from taking part in the ISS missions over concerns that their space program had ties to their military, a U.S. fears that continue to this day to overshadow China’s program and prevents meaningful cooperative efforts. Two crewed rockets launched in 2011 and 2012 successfully docked with Tiangong 1. When Tiangong 1 was retired in 2016 (and re-entered Earth’s atmosphere in 2018), China launched Tiangong 2. The first manned crew boarded in the same year and it has been manned ever since.
What's behind China's space programme expansion
China is a relative late-bloomer when it comes to the world of space exploration. But just 15 years after it first sent an astronaut into orbit, China has become the first country to successfully land a robotic spacecraft on the far side of the Moon.
And in the next decades it plans not only to build a new space station, but also a base on the Moon and conduct missions to Mars. Importantly, Xi Jinping, the country's most powerful leader since Chairman Mao, has thrown his support behind the "space dream" - and with it billions in investment. Chinese state media, meanwhile, have cast the "space dream" as one step in the path to "national rejuvenation".
So why are President Xi and China so keen to make their mark in space - and what does it mean for the rest of the world? According to Prof Keith Hayward, a fellow of the UK's Royal Aeronautical Society, China is being driven by the same motivations as the US, Russia and others:
- First, demand from the military, without which "you would not have had half the money going in".
- Second, as "a good way to show off". "You could say that this is the space Silk Road - it demonstrates China is a force to be reckoned with," Prof Hayward notes.
- Third, hitherto untapped resources which have the potential to make whoever finds them wealthy.
Chinese space program
The space program of the People's Republic of China is about the activities in outer space conducted and directed by the People's Republic of China. The roots of the Chinese space program trace back to the 1950s, when, with the help of the newly allied Soviet Union, China began development of its first ballistic missile and rocket programs in response to the perceived American (and, later, Soviet) threats. Driven by the successes of Soviet Sputnik 1 and American Explorer 1 satellite launches in 1957 and 1958 respectively, China would launch its first satellite, Dong Fang Hong 1 in April 1970 aboard a Long March 1 rocket, making it the fifth nation to place a satellite in orbit.
China has one of the most active space programs in the world. With space launch capability provided by the Long March rocket family and four spaceports (Jiuquan, Taiyuan, Xichang, Wenchang) within its border, China conducts either the highest or the second highest number of orbital launches each year. It operates a satellite fleet consisting of a large number of communications, navigation, remote sensing and scientific research satellites. The scope of its activities has expanded from low Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars. China is one of the three countries, alongside the United States and Russia, with independent human spaceflight capability.
Currently, most of the space activities carried out by China are managed by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force, which directs the astronaut corps and the Chinese Deep Space Network. Major programs include China Manned Space Program, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, Gaofen Observation and Planetary Exploration of China. In recent years, China has conducted several missions, including Chang'e-3, Chang'e-4, Chang'e-5, Tianwen-1 and Tiangong space station.
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:
Long March (rocket family)
Comparison of Long March rockets
The Long March rockets are a family of expendable launch system rockets operated by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The rockets are named after the Chinese Red Army's 1934–35 Long March during the Chinese Civil War.
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):
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