Photo: CNN
At a time when the West seems to be accelerating its investment in space exploration, China, otherwise occupied with economic and military expansion, appears to have fallen off the map of space-faring-capable countries. But that’s far from being the case.
Having become the third country to independently send a man to space in 2003, China set a high bar for itself. A bar that can only be surpassed with the construction of its own space station and the build of new spaceships to tend to its needs.
As per China Plus, the Asian country has put together a technical committee which has been tasked with creating the standards needed for the building of manned space technology, their applications, and the related services.
Interestingly enough, the committee will create rules for both civilian and military in space, showing China is in a way responding to Donald Trump’s decision to create a space force.
China plans to launch the core module of its own space station, Tianhe-1, in 2020. More modules will be launched in subsequent years until the station will become, sometime in 2022, the size of the now-defunct Mir and will be capable of housing a crew of three.
China is forced to build its own space station because the country’s taikonauts have been banned by the U.S. from setting foot on the ISS.
Despite having welcomed space travelers from nations like Malaysia, South Africa and former foe Russia, U.S. unspecified concerns (perhaps fears of space technology being used by the Chinese to bolster their military) about national security have prevented the Chinese from having a taste of the world’s most exciting experiment.
Separately, the country is developing a new generation spacecraft to replace the current Shenzhou. This new capsule will not only be meant to send humans into low orbit but also to more distant destinations, like the Moon or Mars.
As per China Plus, the Asian country has put together a technical committee which has been tasked with creating the standards needed for the building of manned space technology, their applications, and the related services.
Interestingly enough, the committee will create rules for both civilian and military in space, showing China is in a way responding to Donald Trump’s decision to create a space force.
China plans to launch the core module of its own space station, Tianhe-1, in 2020. More modules will be launched in subsequent years until the station will become, sometime in 2022, the size of the now-defunct Mir and will be capable of housing a crew of three.
China is forced to build its own space station because the country’s taikonauts have been banned by the U.S. from setting foot on the ISS.
Despite having welcomed space travelers from nations like Malaysia, South Africa and former foe Russia, U.S. unspecified concerns (perhaps fears of space technology being used by the Chinese to bolster their military) about national security have prevented the Chinese from having a taste of the world’s most exciting experiment.
Separately, the country is developing a new generation spacecraft to replace the current Shenzhou. This new capsule will not only be meant to send humans into low orbit but also to more distant destinations, like the Moon or Mars.
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