China
China this month published the first-ever mid- to long-term space science mission and overview of the country’s space research through 2050, aiming to become a “world space power” in the third phase of its post-2036 plan. The plan was announced.
The plan and roadmap is touted to be the first of its kind at the national level, and will help China achieve “significant international influence” as it aims to become a force in global space science. We aim to achieve “groundbreaking and unique results”.
This was jointly announced by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China National Space Administration (CNSA), and China Manned Space Administration (CMSA), and coordinated by the News Office of the State Council, which is equivalent to the Cabinet Office.
The vision is to “achieve high-quality development of space science, promote breakthroughs in space technology innovation, upgrade space applications, join the ranks of the world’s leading space nations, and make China a world leader in space science.” CAS said it aims to “establish the
The main goals include implementing national space science missions, strengthening basic research, building a high-level talent pool for space science, and achieving breakthroughs at the world level.
The second phase, from 2028 to 2035, will focus on manned missions and the establishment of a lunar research station, while the third phase, from 2036 to 2050, will include “more than 30 missions.”
international cooperation
International cooperation will also play a role in China’s plans for the next 25 years. This builds on extensive collaboration with the European Space Agency on the Einstein spacecraft and the Solar Wind Magnetospheric Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) mission scheduled to launch next year.
Wang Zhi, director of the National Space Science Center under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), said at a joint press conference in Beijing on the 15th, “In the future, China will actively initiate, propose and participate in international cooperation projects.” Ta. October. “We will continue to strengthen cooperation in various fields,” he said.
Some observers say this is China’s attempt to bring its space program, which has traditionally been led by the military, under more civilian direction. He pointed out the role of CAS in space research, especially the setting of scientific goals and objectives in the equipment design of spacecraft.
Breakthroughs in space science can also facilitate other “major world-class scientific achievements,” according to CAS.
“Our country’s space science research is generally still in its early stages,” CAS deputy director Ding Zhibiao admitted at a press conference in Beijing. “This is a weakness that must be addressed in building an aerospace power,” Ding said.
Ambition of space power
“China’s space science has advanced from the early stage to a new era of accelerated development,” Wang said in a recent paper. But others dispute how fast China can move to catch up or even surpass the United States in space.
“China has not yet reached the status of a (space) power,” said Dimitrios Stroikos, an expert on Chinese space policy and a research fellow in international relations at the London School of Economics. He described China’s just-announced space program as “very ambitious.”
As Russia declines as a space power, “the United States is the undisputed number one,” Stroikos said at China Week, a public event held at King’s College in London on October 17.
Stroikos pointed out that tangible technologies such as space technology have always been a means of projecting power and are part of China’s aspirations to become a great power under Xi Jinping.
The space program is “ambitious in that only the United States can do things on the same scale,” said Bredin Bowen, associate professor of astropolitics and space warfare at Britain’s Durham University School of Government and International Affairs. he told University World. news.
“China is number two after the United States. And, of course, in some areas of space science, they’re doing things that the Americans aren’t doing. So just the sheer size of it is ambitious,” Bowen said. he said.
But he added that the U.S. has “many solid advantages” and said the “milestones” set under China’s just-announced plan were “low-key,” adding that the U.S. has “many solid advantages” for space missions. Stone warned that he was often late. “Obviously they’re not going to do everything. The schedule is very fluid, but it’s still going to get a lot done,” he said.
Ding also said that China plans to conduct space science research and development based on five scientific themes: extreme space, ripples in space and time, panorama of the sun-earth system, habitable planets, and exploration of cosmic laws. said.
“We need collaboration with universities and institutions to see if we can commercialize some of these results,” said another CAS official.
CMSA Deputy Director Lin Xiqiang highlighted seven research centers already established in the Greater Bay Area, including Peking University and the Yangtze River Delta region near Shanghai, southern Guangdong province in China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
He said these centers aim to achieve breakthroughs in cosmology, galactic science, and the study of celestial bodies in the Milky Way and our solar system.
data sharing
Wang said the establishment of multinational joint scientific teams “with complementary advantages” would be encouraged in space science projects, and the sharing of scientific data would be expanded to promote “important scientific achievements.” said.
“We will do everything we can to help other countries, especially developing countries, go into space,” he said, adding that developing countries’ science efforts, including the use of space technology to tackle climate change and reduce disasters, he said. He mentioned the possibility of increasing his abilities.
As if to address criticism that China is reluctant to share data with scientific partners or take advantage of scientific research conducted in other countries, CNSA’s Yang said, “We will not take advantage of cooperation,” he said.
“When we cooperate with other countries, we draft detailed agreements. For example, under all (international) agreements, but also under BRICS and the World Meteorological Organization, we have to share information with each other. We have defined the method in detail,” Yang said.
“We carry out international cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit and ensure that all these achievements benefit the world,” he added.
Bowen said international cooperation is a key part of China’s space ambitions to project itself as a technological powerhouse and an alternative to the United States, especially when working with developing countries.
“This kind of international cooperation is much more important than what they are doing on the moon or on the (International) Space Station,” he noted.
“China’s space activities are very closely linked to the larger Belt and Road Initiative,” he said, referring to China’s trade and infrastructure projects with countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Space cooperation is “part of the same ecosystem as China, which is trying to project economic power and become an attractive source of cooperative investment for other parts of the world, and is also displacing Western countries,” he added. Ta.
But he said countries need to consider the impact of the global space race, especially given the current technology competition between the United States and China.
“Countries that wish to cooperate with both countries (the United States and China) need to be very careful to ensure that they do not cross-contaminate or violate (export control) laws and political considerations,” he said. There is,” he said.
He explained that the competitive environment “will only become more difficult in the near to medium term” as China’s capabilities improve and become increasingly attractive as an alternative to the United States.
