China first observed its Space Day on April 24, 2016, to commemorate the anniversary of the country’s first-ever satellite launch, Dongfanghong-1, back in 1970. This year, festivities kicked off in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, under the theme: Voyaging into space, pursuing dreams. This was particularly apt given that the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and its Russian counterpart used the occasion to announce collaboration on establishing the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). This has been welcomed by both scientists and space enthusiasts around the world, not least because the project is open to international cooperation.
There is much for Beijing to celebrate, including the upcoming landing of its first independent Mars probe. The Tianwen-1 and the craft reached Mars’ orbit this February and is expected to ‘touch base’ at the Utopia Planitia in mid- or late May. This is not to forget the construction of the Chinese Space Station (CSS); the first section of which is expected to be completed at the end of next year, exactly three decades after China approved the manned space project in 1992. Just last week, the Long March-5B Y2 carrier rocket and Tianhe core cabinet capsule were rolled out to the launch tower at the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in Hainan Province; with pre-launch checkups underway, according to the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO).
All of which builds comfortably on previous accomplishments. For while the year 2020 was marred by the onset of the global pandemic — this did not prevent China from enjoying multiple successes in terms of its aerospace programme. Indeed, last May, Beijing launched the Long March-5B, its most powerful rocket, into its maiden orbital voyage. Then, in August, came the launch of its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System ( BDS). This is the country’s largest space-based system and represents one of four global navigation networks; alongside America’s GPS (Global Positioning System), Russia’s GLONASS and the European Union’s Galileo.
China and Russia are now collaborating on the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), a complex set of experimental research facilities created on the surface and/or in the orbit of the moon
Last December, the Chang’e-5 lunar probe became China’s first lunar sample-return mission, making an epic Earth-Moon round trip ‘armed’ with 2 kilogrammes of lunar samples; making China the third country in the world to manage this feat and the first country in more than four decades to do so. The mission’s success also included additional breakthroughs in Chinese space technology, including: a complex take-off from the rough lunar terrain and, most challenging of all, the rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit, which are believed to build a solid foundation for future manned lunar missions.
The ILRS, a complex set of experimental research facilities created on the surface and/or in the orbit of the moon, is designed to carry out multidisciplinary and multipurpose research activities, including: the exploration and use of the moon, lunar observations, fundamental research experiments and technology verification with the possibility of long-term unmanned operation with the prospect of ensuring human presence. To support the ambitious plan of building a moon base, China is developing a 10-metre-diameter heavy-lift carrier rocket, capable of launching a payload of no less than 50 tonnes to lunar orbit. Thereby strongly supporting the moon base building, as well as even bigger scale lunar exploration activities.
In addition to the ILRS, China will also host international experiments on its upcoming space station since it might be the only one of its kind in orbit after the International Space Station’s retirement. The CSS is set to be operational for a full decade, while this can be extended to 15 years with proper repair and maintenance. Following the core module’s launch, the cargo spaceship Tianzhou-2 is expected to be sent to space in May if system evaluations go smoothly. The Shenzhou-12 crewed spacecraft is scheduled for launch in June, sending astronauts to orbit for about three months, during which period regenerative life support system and maintenance will be tested. China has scheduled 11 launches linked to space station building over the next two years; including four manned and four cargo missions.
To establish the lunar base on the South Pole of the Moon, a trio of supplementary missions have been planned. It is worth recalling that when, during the Cold War, the former Soviet Union and the US were busy competing in the so-called Space Race to achieve superior spaceflight capability — China’s space programme was still in its rudimentary stages. Thereby underscoring just how much progress the Asian giant has made in the decades since.
Now, back to the ILSR. The project will get underway with the launch of the Chang’e-6, which will retrieve samples from the South Pole of the Moon. Then will come Chang’e-7, attempting to collect data on the resources available around the location where the Moon base might be built. Chang’e-8 will then test the technologies that will power the base and will represent the last mission before China begins construction of the base, according to the current timeline.
The lunar station should be ready by 2031, if the execution of the plans proceed without impediments. Unfortunately, this is not a given since international space exploration programmes are typically plagued by delays. Nevertheless, voyaging into space represents the realisation of another dimension of the Chinese Dream. And it is one that will be fulfilled.
The writer is a retired Group Captain of PAF. He is a columnist, analyst and TV talk show host, who has authored six books on current affairs, including three on China