For China, space travel is more than just a prestige project. It is about money, geopolitics and plans to become a high-tech nation. The Table.Media editorial team provides all the news on Chinese space travel. Space travel in China China's space travel dates back to 1956. At that time, the Communist Party of China founded a military research institute, which over the years developed into the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. In 1992, the China Manned Space Administration (CMSA) was established, followed a year later by the China National Space Administration (CNSA), which is responsible for organizational tasks. In addition to a major lunar mission and the construction of a space station, China plans to carry out three major missions to explore the solar system by 2030. These include flights to the asteroid Kamo'oalewa and the comet 311P/PANSTARRS, a sample return mission to Mars and the exploration of Jupiter. History of Chinese space travel The founding of the 5th Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense is considered the beginning of space travel in China. Based on Soviet rockets, the scientists Qian Xuesen and Ren Xinmin researched the military use and further development of the technology. After the political break between China and the Soviet Union, the People's Republic alone developed the Dongfeng 1 short-range missile and the Dongfeng 2A medium-range missile. To date, the Chinese missile program has made great progress, even if there have been regular setbacks. One major point of criticism, however, is that China is unable to control the burnt-out stages of its launchers. The government knowingly accepts that the parts can also crash over populated areas. Even abroad. China's space travel: satellite technology In 1970, China successfully launched its first satellite, and in 1975 it was able to transport a payload back to earth for the first time. China has also been launching weather satellites into space since 1988. The People's Republic also has satellite navigation systems: Beidou, which was put into operation in 2003, Beidou-2, which has been in use since 2021, and Beidou-3, which has been in operation since 2020. International disputes arose in 2007 when China launched its fengyun-1C weather satellite with a medium-range rocket. The satellite exploded uncontrollably into 40,000 pieces with a diameter of more than one centimeter and several million smaller pieces. One of the fragments collided with an American small satellite that had fuel on board. In 2008, the USA shot down the spinning satellite in such a way that all the debris burned up. China's manned space flight China's first plans to launch a human into space date back to 1966, but the so-called Shuguang project had to be abandoned due to a lack of funds and a change in policy. On Sept. 21, 1992, China resumed manned space travel under the name "Project 921". The term is based on the date. The first Chinese man in space was Yang Liwei on board the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft, who completed a 21-hour flight in space on Oct. 15, 2003. Just five years later, on Sept. 27, 2008, Zhai Zhingang became the first Chinese astronaut to complete an extra-vehicular activity – as part of the Shenzhou 7 mission. What are astronauts called in China? In China, astronauts are also called "taikonauts". The term is used for people who fly into space as part of the Chinese space program. The artificial word is made up of three different words. Firstly, from "taikong", which means "space". From "ren", which stands for "human". "Taikongren" would therefore mean spaceman. The suffix "-naut" was borrowed from the word "cosmonaut". The political dimension of space travel in China For President Xi Jinping, space travel is part of the Chinese dream. The Communist Party sees this as the goal of revitalizing the nation and developing into a world power. The name is based on the "American Dream". The space dream is part of this strategy. At a meeting with the crew of the Shenzhou 10 in 2013, Jinping said: "Developing the space industry, making China a space power, that is the space dream we are relentlessly pursuing." To increase acceptance among the population, the "Space Day" was introduced, among other things. The level of space technology is an indicator of a nation's strength. Unlike his predecessors, Xi Jinping is actively and ambitiously promoting space travel in China. The political commitment to space travel and the provision of the necessary funds have enabled China to catch up very quickly in recent years and celebrate important successes. The Zhurong rover has already landed on Mars, the first module of a Chinese space station is already in space and the People's Republic was the first country to land a probe on the far side of the moon. With the imminent end of the International Space Station (ISS), China sees an opportunity to become the sole superpower in space. It underlines the ambition of the Communist Party. For the government, the space program is a building block in its soft power strategy that should not be underestimated – apart from the enormous technological advances that go hand in hand with it. Is China involved in the International Space Station (ISS)? China is not involved in the International Space Station ISS. This was prevented by a veto from the USA, which refused to cooperate. However, funding for the station will expire in 2024. An extension currently seems unlikely. Especially as Russia has announced that it wants to work with China in the future. The Chinese space agency CNSA would like to build a space station on the moon together with the Russian space agency Roskosmos. Although the CNSA emphasizes that the project is "open to all interested nations and international partners", the USA's participation seems to be ruled out. Above all, Russia is to contribute its expertise in manned space travel. An area in which China is still years behind. Added to this is the advanced Russian technology in the field of propulsion technology with liquid oxygen and kerosene. In space travel, lunar bases are seen as a springboard for manned missions to more distant regions – such as Mars. China, Russia, USA: the space race But China is not the only country with ambitious space travel plans. The USA is also pursuing the Artemis Gateway project. Its aim is to establish a permanent space station in orbit around the moon. Although former President Donald Trump put the plans back on the agenda, funding for Artemis has been cut. Implementation by 2024 therefore seems unrealistic. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also called for his country to retain its status as a leading nuclear and space power. Roskosmos is therefore building its own space station. It is to serve as an intermediate station for flights to the moon. The costs for its realization are estimated at around six billion dollars. A first basic segment is already in production. The cooperation between Russia and China in the field of space travel is also a sign of geopolitics. The two nations see themselves as a counterweight to the USA. The Chinese newspaper Global Times comments less diplomatically: "The two countries are showing their determination to uphold global justice in a multipolar world, while the US, under the guise of multilateralism, is imposing its ideology on others and interfering in states to assert its own hegemony." Boom in private space travel in China The ambitious goals in space travel have created a large market for private providers in China. iSpace and Galactic Energy, for example, offer rocket technology and the transportation of satellites. Consulting services in the field of space travel can be purchased from Ultimate Nebula and C-Space has opened a research center for a manned mission to Mars in the Gobi Desert. The German Economic Institute in Cologne estimates that the global market in this sector could be worth USD 1.400 billion per year by 2030. In 2019, it amounted to USD 366 billion. The long-term goal is to earn money from mining raw materials on near-Earth celestial bodies and space tourism. Currently, however, the main business is building satellites and launching them into orbit. News about space travel in China There are geopolitical and economic interests behind space travel in China. The country wants to become a world power and a global technology leader. Space travel is intended to help with this. The Table.Media editorial team has all the news and developments on this topic.
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