China has long been considered one of the leading countries in space exploration, right behind Russia and the United States. With over 15 spacecraft launched to date, the country continues to make great progress in the field and is heading toward a launch record. Now, Chinese authorities are planning on carrying out 20 separate spacecraft launches within the next year alone with over 35 spacecraft being sent into space. The majority of the spacecraft will be launching satellites to be used for communication purposes.
Space authorities in China have come together on this new project and have made the largest known Chinese rocket, which is capable of restarting its engine over 20 times, and is over 50 percent more efficient than other spacecraft of comparable size.
Known as Yuanzheng 1, the massive spacecraft, considered a ‘space bus,’ is unique in that it can easily launch 10 satellites at the same time. Space buses have been in use since the 1980s and are designed to carry multiple satellites, solar equipment and other useful tools that are needed to help maintain efficient communications here on Earth.
This particular endeavor holds a lot of potential. Researchers will be able to test out new technologies, including several features on Yuanzeng 1, compared to those found on prior space buses. For example, Yuanzeng 1 has the ability to move old satellites and to scrap them to prevent other spacecraft from crashing into each other.
In addition, there have been many talks about different exploration programs that the country would like to extend, such as its lunar program, in order to reach unknown areas of the moon as well as to make breakthroughs in space discovery and technology. The biggest goal yet, however, is to send a man to the moon from China by 2025, as this has not yet been achieved and would be a source of great pride for the Chinese people.
With this mission, Chinese space researchers will hopefully be able to understand the environmental status of the moon and any changes that it undergoes. The Chinese government has also opened up to the idea of having investors donating to the project. This is a new strategy that is currently being testing out in order to cut down on the government’s costs.
