| China's space industry takes world leadership |
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The launch from the Jiuquan near the Gobi desert on September 29 was successful. Tian Gong a "heavenly palace", now revolves around the Earth at 350 kilometers altitude, where it will stay for two years. It is 10.5 meters long and 8.5-ton cylinder, which is shortly to be joined by the unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou 8th Next year the interconnected modules visited by astronauts in two rounds, Shenzhou 9 and 10. The astronauts will stay on board for up to two weeks.
The project is a milestone for China's ambitious space program. The
stated intention is to put astronauts on the moon the 2025th Two
successful satellite, Change 1 and 2, have already created
high-resolution 3D maps of the moon. Change 3 is postponed in 2013, to
land a robot to explore the surface for three months. Then follows a
Lander that can return to Earth with samples, and then a manned moon
mission.
The country's two major space agencies have 140 000 employees. The commercial part is growing rapidly, 15-25 rocket launches per year. China manufactures including television satellites sold to other countries, complete with launch. Thus, China is contained in a market that previously belonged to the U.S. and Europe.
Olle Norberg, Director General of National Space Board, has been in place in Beijing.
When you look at test facilities and assembly halls to get a feel for
how ambitious it is. They keep the same class as the European and
American, he says.
The rate is much higher than the U.S. and the Soviet Union was in its
space race. China takes bigger strides with fewer launches, and see the
space program as part of its economic development.
Tian Gong-1 was preceded by only three manned space flight. For this to
be a journey to the moon, China must acquire more knowledge.
This is where the Tian Gong comes into play. Here the technology for
docking, life support systems and EVA tested. It may be followed by two
or three small manned stations before a more permanent space station
built around 2020. It will be less than the International Space
Station, with a weight of 60 tons in three sections.
The rocket that shot up Tian Gong-1 is too small to do the job, but a
new rocket under development, Long March 5, will be able to lift 25
tons.
It is a wise strategy to build skills at home, and they have built up
the industrial capacity quickly. What is behind the research, so there
is an opportunity for countries like Sweden to be involved early, says
Dr. Olle Norberg.
Much is kept secretly in the Chinese space program whose technological
roots lie in the development of nuclear weapon-bearing rockets. It
still has frequent connections to the military. Therefore, China has
previously been out of many international collaborations on space
technology, such as the International Space Station.
U.S. embargo against allowing Chinese rockets to send up American
satellites, after suspicion of industrial espionage in a serious
accident 1996th
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 07 November 2011 ) |
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