Chapter 50 22. The Avenue of Stars for Space Exploration

By 2020, China will launch its own manned space station.Since 1993, the United States, EU member states, Russia, Canada, Japan and Brazil have established the International Space Station and stepped into the ranks of exploring outer space. I will show you a "Avenue of Stars"... In the next 20 years, China will continue to firmly believe in a tried and tested truth: Everything depends on itself! Humans on Earth are increasingly dependent on space, satellites, communications, long-distance detection, military, and more.Without these cutting-edge technologies, there would be no satellite navigation, no weather forecasts, no GPS, no satellite TV, and no more in-depth study of our planet.

Today, without satellites, many programs and projects in the fields of ecology, agriculture, science, strategy, military, etc. would be obsolete or questioned, so they are very important to many countries. In fact, satellites have a wide range of military and commercial uses: satellite photography, radar and optical observation of the Earth, listening to and recording broadcast communications data, and more.There are so many satellites that we are already talking about space pollution. In 2007, European Union officials were implementing the Galileo program, which aims to wean itself off reliance on the U.S. GPS military system.The system is free for civilian use but is limited in functionality, does not provide military intelligence and is not precise enough.

For its part, China is continuing its long-range navigation pilot program with the launch of the Compass/Beidou-2 version and, between 2010-2012, an expected launch of 35 satellites. In the 1950s, China had long recognized the strategic significance of missile and space operations.Yet it was the Soviet Union and the United States that launched the first artificial satellite in 1957.At the time, China received aid from the Soviet Union, but has since managed to develop its own technology. In 1970, China's first artificial satellite "Dongfanghong" was successfully launched.In aerospace, yesterday's leaders (the Soviet Union and the United States) or today's newcomers (China) face competition from other countries.

The countries joining this battle for space include: France, Japan, India, Canada, South Korea, North Korea, etc., not counting the numerous cooperation plans.It only took a few years for China to rank among the space powers!After successfully realizing the manned spaceflight program, China has undoubtedly become an important player in the arena of "space warfare". On October 12, 2005, China successfully launched the "Shenzhou VI" spacecraft, carrying two astronauts: Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng. China is expected to launch a moon landing program in 2020 as the first step in its march to Mars.

Now, China is the third country after the United States and Russia that has independently completed manned space flight and mastered the technology of launching artificial satellites, and is also the fifth country in the world that has the ability to independently design, manufacture and launch satellites. China successfully launched its first lunar exploration satellite, named Chang'e, on October 23, 2007, at the Xichang Launch Base in Sichuan Province.The one-year lunar exploration program has cost 129 million euros.Some other Asian countries, such as Japan and India, are also engaged in plans to conquer the moon.

All this is just the first phase of China's lunar exploration program.The second plan is to achieve a soft landing of the "Lunar Exploration Vehicle" on the surface of the moon. The third phase should be to send and recover a second exploration vehicle loaded with lunar soil and rocks to conduct scientific research on these precious samples.The lunar exploration satellite will take three-dimensional images of the moon in preparation for the installation of scientific infrastructure on the lunar surface.Lunar exploration is China's first step in space travel. In addition to its plans to explore Mars, China is also very interested in surrounding asteroids and interstellar space.

China hopes to join the ranks of 16 other countries participating in the construction of the International Space Station.But China doesn't necessarily want to be in a race to conquer the moon with other countries, although China says it wants to share the results of its experiments with countries around the world. If the plan is successful, it will not only establish a good reputation among the Chinese people, but also strengthen China's international status, and at the same time improve people's understanding of the universe.However, for other more ambitious projects, China does not exclude international cooperation, especially with the Russian Federation and other emerging space powers.

Although the budget is lower than that of the Americans, the result seems to be a strong demonstration of China's strength-both in civilian and military aspects, China already has navigation satellites, weather satellites, long-distance communication satellites and earth observation satellites. Today, Chinese launch vehicles are capable of destroying any kind of satellite. China also demonstrates its strength by destroying satellites.So, in January 2007, China launched a ballistic missile that destroyed a defunct weather satellite. Even if there is no Star Wars in the future, this strategic move gives China the opportunity to test its anti-satellite weapons, which worries the United States.In the competition of space weapons, China is at the forefront of the world.

In this expedition, China has many long-term challenges: building a space station, sending Chinese astronauts into space, bringing back samples of the moon in just a few years, conducting the first manned space mission to Mars, etc. The successful completion of a space program is to show the world its "high value-added" technology, and at the same time give points to the country's universities and scientific research levels, telling the world that there are great plans and well-trained scientists here. Thus, the space race demonstrates China's new strength.China's goals are very ambitious.A program like this is a real strategic challenge for other world powers.