China is investing heavily into its space programme.
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Construction of the space station is expected to finish around 2022, when it will consist of the core module and the two labs.
China is set to launch a core module belonging to its first space station around 2018, a China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation official said on Thursday.
China’s advancing space program is precedence for Beijing, by means of President Xi Jinping calling for country to establish itself as a space power, and separately from its civilian ambitions, Beijing has tested anti-satellite missiles.
Additionally, as part of its lunar exploration program, China, in 2013, launched its first lunar probe, the “Jade Rabbit”.
China’s first Space Day has been scheduled for April 24, the day in 1970 on which Dong Fang Hong 1, or The East is Red 1, was launched into Earth orbit on a Long March rocket.
NASA’s yearly budget has been increased for 2016 and 2017 and said to be well over the amount from the previous years according to Space.com, however, in contrast the CNSA’s budget is reportedly at only 2 billion a year. Assembly of its second space lab, Tiangong-2, has been completed and the space station prototype will launch in September. This year, however, China is launching Shenzhou 11 and Tiangong 2 spacecraft.
In addition, two new-generation Long March rockets, the heavy-lift Long March-5 and the medium-sized Long March-7, will also make their maiden space trips this year, according to Chen.
China has been touching to develop its space program for military, commercial, as well as scientific offers, but is still playing catch-up to established space powers US and Russian Federation.
It would orbit close to the Chinese space station, meaning that astronauts may quickly service any problems whenever it needs fix or maintenance.
This and other similar technology could be used in the event of conflict to deny adversaries the use of space-based assets. The telescope is said to “be on a separate space unit and share orbit alongside the space station”, Wang stated.
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What lies in store for global human exploration after the ISS is unknown. So far, only the US, which now operates two rovers on the Martian surface – the veteran Opportunity and the current superstar Curiosity – has achieved the feat.
