China announced plans on Tuesday to expand its space program over the next few decades by launching manned lunar missions, building a lunar space station and exploring habitable planets and extraterrestrial life.
China’s top space bodies unveiled a national mid- and long-term development program for space science that will guide the country’s space science mission and space research planning from 2024 to 2050.
An established space power, China has in recent years built its own space station that is currently in operation in addition to launching several space missions, including a lunar probe that collected samples from the far side of the Moon for the first time And brought them back to earth. Scientific study.
The program released to the media here by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China National Space Administration and China Manned Space Agency outlines China’s space science goals, including 17 priority areas under five major scientific disciplines and three phases. Are included. Roadmap.
CAS vice president Ding Chibiao told the media here that the international lunar research station initiated by China will be constructed during the second phase from 2028 to 2035.
The program also outlines a roadmap for the development of space science in China by 2050.
In the first phase, until 2027, China will focus on space station operations, implementing the manned lunar exploration project, the fourth phase of its lunar exploration program, and the planetary exploration project.
Under the new plan, he said, scientists will also explore the habitability of celestial bodies in the solar system and exoplanets and search for extraterrestrial life.
The key areas of space development in the coming years will be the origin and evolution of the solar system, characterization of planetary atmospheres, search for extraterrestrial life and detection of exoplanets, Ding said.
According to the programme, the theme of Extreme Universe focuses on exploring the origin and evolution of the universe, physical laws under extreme cosmic conditions, dark matter and the origin and evolution of the universe as well as the detection of cosmic baryonic matter.
Studies will be conducted on detecting medium to low frequency gravitational waves and fundamental gravitational waves, with the goal of uncovering the nature of gravity and space-time and exploring the Sun and Earth.
The priority areas as per the program include Earth’s cycle system, Earth-Moon comprehensive observations, space weather observations, three-dimensional solar exploration and heliosphere exploration.
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