What are the latest achievements in China’s aerospace field?

The latest achievements in China’s aerospace field include the successful first flight of the Long March 5B carrier rocket, the successful first flight of the Long March 8 carrier rocket, the successful high-speed reentry flight test of the new generation manned spacecraft test vessel, the successful first flight of the Chang’e 5 The world's first unmanned rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit was completed, the Tianwen-1 Mars exploration mission was the first step in China's planetary exploration, the Beidou-3 global satellite navigation system was completed and opened six months ahead of schedule, the construction of the flux broadband satellite system was launched, and high-resolution earth observation Major system projects.

On April 29, 2021, the Tianhe nuclear module of the Chinese Space Station was successfully launched. Subsequently, it docked with the Tianhao and Tianhao 3 cargo spacecrafts, Shenhao and Tianhao 3 carrier spacecrafts, with a total of six astronauts stationed successively, marking the official entry of China's aerospace industry into the space station era.

On October 14, 2021, my country successfully launched the solar exploration science and technology experimental satellite "Xihe". Its important mission is to study the only precious star that can be relied on - the sun.

China's aerospace industry

The aerospace industry of the People's Republic of China began in 1956. China launched its first artificial earth satellite on April 24, 1970, becoming the fifth country in the world to independently launch artificial satellites after the Soviet Union, the United States, France, and Japan.

The purpose of China's development of aerospace industry is: to explore outer space and expand understanding of the earth and the universe; to use outer space peacefully to promote human civilization and social progress and benefit all mankind; to meet the needs of economic construction, scientific and technological development, To meet the needs of national security and social progress, improve the scientific quality of the entire population, safeguard national rights and interests, and enhance comprehensive national strength. China's development of aerospace industry implements the guiding principles for the development of national science and technology undertakings, which are independent innovation, leapfrogging key points, supporting development and leading the future.

At 9:22 on June 17, 2021, China's Shenzhou 12 manned spacecraft was launched. The flight crew consisted of astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo.

On October 17, 2021, the number of space launches "exceeded 40 for the first time" within a year. In 2021, 55 launch missions were carried out, ranking first in the world.

On December 13, 2021, the "Top Ten Buzzwords in Chinese Media in 2021" was released. “China Aerospace” is among them?

The latest achievements of China's aerospace industry

In 2021, China's aerospace industry ushered in another year of rapid progress, with major achievements in the fields of manned spaceflight, Mars exploration and lunar exploration. Today we will take a look at the top ten achievements of China’s aerospace industry in the past year.

1. There is a "Palace" in the sky: China has officially entered the space station era

On April 29, 2021, the Tianhe core module of the Chinese Space Station was successfully launched. Subsequently, it docked with the Tianzhou 2 and 3 cargo spacecraft, and the Shenzhou 12 and 13 manned spacecraft, with a total of six astronauts stationed there, marking the official entry of China's aerospace industry into the space station era. According to the scheduled plan, the Tiangong Space Station will also receive two experimental modules and several Tianzhou/Shenzhou docking missions in 2022 to complete all construction.

Think back to September 21, 1992, when China’s manned spaceflight project officially started. After 29 years of unremitting exploration, a series of romantic names such as "Long March", "Shenzhou", "Tianzhou" and "Tiangong" have gradually become reality. Now, China will finally have its own "Celestial Palace", where "gods" astronauts can travel freely between the sky and the earth, allowing the ancient flying myth of Chinese civilization to shine from dreams into reality!

2. There are "gods" in the sky. : The application of space stations reaches new heights

The construction of a space station is a milestone event that only occurs after human manned spaceflight technology has developed to a certain extent. It is the pinnacle of human industrial civilization. It can promote the development of aerospace and even many related manufacturing industries, and is the only way for the technological development of any major aerospace country.

The Tiangong Space Station not only has significant engineering significance, but also plays an important role in improving the overall scientific and technological level of our country. Compared with previous manned space missions, which were mainly focused on achieving technological breakthroughs one by one, the Tiangong Space Station has reached the stage of "big harvest" of technology investment, with more emphasis on scientific exploration and practical application value, and building my country's "space laboratory" for exploring the universe. Therefore, the first year of Tiangong’s operation also witnessed the rapid progress of my country’s manned spaceflight and scientific applications.

For example, astronauts on the Tiangong Space Station have completed four difficult extravehicular walks, each lasting 6-8 hours, which is much longer than the 20-minute extravehicular walk achieved by Shenzhou 7 in 2008. breakthrough. And Wang Yaping also took the "first step" for Chinese women to enter space. Currently, Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu are stationed in space. They are expected to work for about six months and will definitely break the record for the longest stay in space for Chinese astronauts.

In addition, the space station has also achieved many technological breakthroughs such as rapid rendezvous and docking, radial docking, etc., which greatly enhanced related technical performance. In terms of specific applications, the type and number of scientific experiments on the space station will also far exceed the sum of all previous missions. In terms of aerospace science popularization, the "Space Classroom" of Tiandi Interactive has also planted the seeds of aerospace in the minds of hundreds of millions of students.

3. Zhurong "descends to earth": China's Vulcan sets foot on Mars

On May 15, 2021, after a 296-day space journey, Tianwen-1 The Zhurong rover and its landing assembly carried by the Mars probe successfully landed in the southern Utopia Planitia in the northern hemisphere of Mars, achieving an unprecedented major breakthrough in China's aerospace history: Tianwen-1 became China's first artificial Mars satellite; Zhurong and became China’s first Mars rover (Mars rover). Zhurong, the name derived from the "God of Fire" in ancient Chinese mythology, has successfully set foot on Mars!

Currently, Zhurong has exceeded its scheduled three-month working time and is still working normally on Mars. It has traveled more than 1,400 meters, and every step is a new record in the history of China's aerospace exploration of Mars. Zhurong has also been continuously sending various scientific research data to the earth that reveal the mysteries of Mars. It has also become a model of international scientific research cooperation. It has conducted in-orbit communication relay tests with the European Space Agency's Mars Express mission, realizing China-Europe's "space cooperation" on Mars. shake hands".

4. Xihe is launched, China enters the era of solar exploration

On October 14, 2021, my country successfully launched the first solar exploration science and technology experimental satellite "Xihe" . Its important mission is to study the Sun, the only precious star that humans can rely on, and gain an in-depth understanding of important physical processes such as the origin and evolution of its magnetic field and the acceleration and propagation of high-energy particles, so that our country can officially enter the era of solar exploration.

Xihe is the name of the mother of the sun god in ancient Chinese mythology. It is extremely romantic to use such a special name to describe a satellite that explores the origin of the sun. In addition, another protagonist of the solar myth, "Kuafu", is also being brewed. It will be a solar observatory facing the sun 24 hours a day, revealing every move of the sun to us.

Xihe’s exploration of the sun and Kuafu’s pursuit of the sun are new myths written during the process of China’s aerospace research on the sun.

5. Against all odds, the Long March rocket launches broke the record

In 2021, China’s rocket launch plan has achieved 55 times, not only ranking first in the world, but also helping mankind Aerospace broke the record for the highest rocket launch in history. Among them, the number of Long March series rocket launches exceeded 400, with 48 rockets and 103 spacecraft launched throughout the year, setting a new annual record for launch missions.

The Long March series of launch vehicles took 37 years from the first to the 100th; to the 200th, it took another 7 years; to the 300th, it took more than 4 years; and to The 400th one took just over 2 years. In the intensive launch missions in 2021, the shortest interval between two launches was only more than 4 hours, and it achieved a series of intensive implementation of 4 missions in 7 days. With the rapid increase in quantity, the quality and quantity of launched payloads are also rising. These are the most direct proof of the rapid progress of China's aerospace industry.

The name of the Long March Rocket comes from the poem "Qilu·Long March", which was written in October 1935, when the Long March was not completely over. The poem describes the spirit of the Red Army that was not afraid of hardships and marched forward courageously during the Long March. The most famous line is the beginning: "The Red Army is not afraid of the difficulties of the expedition, and thousands of rivers and mountains are just waiting for it." In the future, the Long March will continue to march!

6. The return of the Long March 7A, the historic expansion of the Long March rocket

After experiencing the setbacks of the initial launch, the Long March 7A (A ) The rocket finally returned as the king on March 11, 2021, and made new achievements on December 23! The Long March 7A rocket is expanded on the basis of the Long March 7, absorbing the advantages of the gold medal rocket Long March 3B, A three-level semi-configuration is achieved. The entire rocket of Chang Qijia uses non-toxic and safe propellants and focuses on high-orbit missions. Its transportation capacity, especially the synchronous transfer orbit capacity, has been increased to 7 tons, filling the gap between 5.5 tons and 7 tons in my country's geostationary transfer orbit. Carrying capacity gap.

Chang Qijia adopts the design concept of "generalization, serialization, and combination", which can easily achieve mass production and high-density launch. It also tested the Ka-band 6M satellite data space-based measurement technology for the first time, directly reaching the Skylink relay satellite, which greatly reduced the dependence on the Yuanwang space measurement ship and will gradually open a new era of Long March rocket telemetry.

7. Space beacon, "sky chain" linking the sky and the earth

The rotation of the earth is a huge obstacle to the telemetry of space missions. When the spacecraft cannot be observed by ground and maritime telemetry stations , it will enter the communication blind zone. To this end, our solution is to build a signal relay path linking the sky and the earth above the equator at an altitude of 35,786 kilometers, just like a "space beacon" to allow unimpeded information exchange.

Behind the smooth progress of "Tiangong Classroom" is the escort of the Skylink series of satellites (Photo source: CCTV)

China's relay satellite communication system is called "Skylink" . After several years of construction, the Tianlian-1 system finally officially came to an end on July 6, 2021. At the same time, the Tianlian-2 system has also launched satellites one after another, and has carried out a series of upgrades based on the previous ones. Students can participate in "space classroom" unhindered, astronauts can use super "space Wi-Fi" in space, and Long March rockets and spaceships can freely travel in space. These are all inseparable from Tianlian's hard work behind the scenes.

8. The excitement continues, Chang'e's lunar exploration achieves more historic breakthroughs

Chang'e 3 allowed humans to land on the moon again after 37 years, and Chang'e 4 allowed humans to land on the back of the moon for the first time. , Chang'e 5 allowed mankind to obtain lunar samples again after 44 years. At present, more exciting breakthroughs are still going on.

In 2021, China Aerospace disclosed the 1,731 grams of lunar soil sample obtained by Chang'e-5 for the first time, and distributed it to domestic and foreign research staff for research. Since Chang'e-5's launch and control conditions were almost perfect, and its orbiter part still had a large amount of propellant left, it began to complete various difficult "additional questions."

After returning the lunar soil sample to the vicinity of the Earth, it crossed the ecliptic plane of the Earth's revolution around the sun at 13:29 on March 15, 2021, and successfully arrived at Sundila, 1.5 million kilometers away from the Earth. Grange 1 o'clock, this is the first time that China Aerospace has completed this mission! Currently, it is still traveling in deep space.

Not only that, Chang'e 4 and Yutu 2 are still working overtime behind the moon, constantly revealing the mysteries of this never-visible lunar surface for mankind (due to tidal locking, the moon can never be seen from the earth) most of the surface behind).

9. Heavy weapons are beginning to appear, and manned moon landings are expected in the future

China’s existing manned spaceflight mainly relies on the Long March rocket (2F, 5, 5B, 7), Shenzhou spacecraft, Tianzhou spacecraft and Tiangong space station, but they are far from enough for future manned moon landings and further exploration into deep space. Our country has determined that it will conduct a manned moon landing in the future, and a series of preparations are in place. For example, a new manned spacecraft test vessel has successfully test-flighted, and new manned rockets and heavy-lift launch vehicles have entered the intensive research and development stage. New models of rockets have become the focus of manned moon landings.

If a worker wants to do his job well, he must first sharpen his tools. The core of a rocket is the engine. In 2021, the first engineering prototype of the 220-ton afterburning cycle hydrogen-oxygen engine of the heavy-duty launch vehicle was completed and made a stunning debut at the 11th Institute of the Sixth Academy of the Aerospace Science and Technology Group (Beijing), marking the successful completion of the deep-stage development work of the engine. Perhaps its significance can be better explained through comparison: Long March 5 is the most powerful rocket currently in service in China. Its core liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen engine YF-77 has a thrust of about 70 tons in vacuum, which is "only" three-thirds of the new model engine. About one. Although the thrust of the new engine is three times, the research and development difficulty and technical complexity are far more than three times.

10. With multi-faceted development, China will go further into deep space

In 2021, the number of human rocket launches has exceeded the highest point during the Cold War, which also heralds a brand new The Space Age has officially arrived. The opportunities of this era may far exceed the significance of the age of navigation, land power and aviation to the world's powerful countries. As a Chinese nation that has suffered deeply but is now undergoing a great rejuvenation, it cannot miss this opportunity.

Currently, China’s aerospace industry is still moving forward steadily. It is expected that in 2022, China Aerospace will continue to maintain high-frequency rocket launches. China and Russia also issued a high-level joint statement on cooperation in building an international lunar scientific research station, which means that both parties will join hands to set foot on the moon. The fourth phase of Chang'e's lunar exploration missions, including Chang'e-6, 7, and 8, have also been officially approved. The National Space Administration also officially announced that our country will implement near-Earth asteroid sampling and return and main-belt comet orbiting detection missions around 2025 to achieve near-Earth asteroid orbiting detection, attachment and sampling return; around 2030, we will implement Mars sampling and return mission; in addition, Jupiter galaxy orbit detection and planet crossing detection missions will also be implemented.

It can be said that this is an era of stars and sea, and Chinese astronauts are these wavemakers who are riding the wind and waves. Not only did they bring a series of Chinese myths from dreams into reality, they also continued to create new space myths in this corner of the universe.

China’s Space Plan in 2022

According to the official social media account of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group, China Aerospace Science and Technology Group plans to arrange more than 40 space launch missions in 2022 and will complete manned spaceflight. 6 major missions, the Chinese space station has been fully completed, and the first flight of the Long March-6A carrier rocket will be completed.

It is reported that on January 4, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation held a 2022 model work meeting in Beijing. Wu Yansheng, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Chairman of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said at the meeting that in 2021, all model tasks throughout the year were successfully completed, achieving a good start for the development of the "14th Five-Year Plan": China's space station construction has achieved a major stage victory, and "Space Station "Question 1" has expanded China's interstellar exploration into a new frontier. The number of space launches and flight tests has once again set a new historical record. The completion rate of the plan and the amount of funding have both reached a record high.

Xu Qiang, general manager and deputy party secretary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, made a model work report at the meeting, summarizing the scientific research and production work of the model in 2021, and deploying the scientific research and production tasks for 2022.

The report pointed out that China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation plans to arrange more than 40 space launch missions in 2022 and will complete 6 major manned space missions, including two cargo spacecrafts, two Shenzhou spacecrafts and experimental module I, The launch of Experimental Module II, as well as on-orbit rendezvous and docking, extravehicular activities and spacecraft return missions, fully completed the space station; completed the first flight mission of the Long March 6A carrier rocket.

The report shows that the model scientific research and production tasks throughout the year showed four major characteristics: First, the major engineering tasks are very arduous, and the number of launch flight tests continues to remain high; second, the model technology research is difficult, and technical risk identification and control The requirements are high; third, the pressure is high for model batch production and delivery, and the task of transformation and upgrading of scientific research and production is heavy; fourth, the requirements for systematic development of equipment are high, and system work needs to be coordinated and promoted.

Wu Yansheng further put forward requirements for the model work throughout the year, which is to improve China's ability to enter space, use space, and explore the universe, maintain the good momentum of continuous success in space launches and major flight tests, and promote deepening reforms. Put cost control in a more important position.

What are the highlights of China’s aerospace industry worth looking forward to in the next five years?

The launch vehicle has developed diversified launch capabilities on land and sea, and has carried out 207 launches in the past five years;

The construction of China's space station has been fully implemented, and six astronauts have stationed there successively, ushering in the era of long-term manned presence;

Chang'e 4 landed on the far side of the moon for the first time for inspection and inspection, and Chang'e 5 brought back 1,731 grams of lunar soil ;

Tianwen-1 has realized the leap of China's spaceflight from the Earth-Moon system to interplanetary exploration, leaving China's mark on Mars for the first time;

The Beidou global satellite navigation system has been completed and opened. The high-resolution earth observation system has formed systematic capabilities

In the past five years, the implementation of major projects has played a huge role in promoting and leading my country's space science.

For example, in terms of historical evolution, "Through the study of the shallow structure of the moon, we have gained new understanding of the moon's evolutionary history, especially in terms of geology." National Space Administration's Lunar Exploration and Aerospace Liu Jizhong, director of the Engineering Center, said that through the analysis and research of Chang'e-5 lunar samples, the timeline of lunar geological activities has been deduced from the 3 billion years originally thought to be 2 billion years, which means that the moon is about 1 billion years younger. " These understandings of the moon, including the evolution of the lunar landscape, play a very critical role."

Liu Jizhong said that in terms of material energy, through preliminary research, new types of deep material on the moon have been discovered, and at the same time, the more accurate fine structure of the cosmic ray energy spectrum has been discovered so far; in terms of space environment, through After several years of scientific research, we have gained a new understanding of the lunar particle radiation dose and obtained new values.

“We also discovered the lunar micromagnetosphere and established a new model and new mechanism for the interaction between the solar wind and the moon. Through observations of the Earth from space, we also gained insights into the entire activity evolution of the Earth’s plasma layer. New understanding." Liu Jizhong said.

The foundation is solid and the future is promising. So, during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, what are the highlights of China's aerospace industry worth looking forward to?

According to Wu Yanhua, during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, our country will launch a number of new major aerospace projects, including lunar exploration. The fourth phase of the project, the planetary exploration project, and a number of major projects such as heavy-duty launch vehicles will also need to be demonstrated and implemented, and implementation will continue after approval.

“We must promote the integrated and coordinated development of space technology and space applications, especially the collaborative construction of space infrastructure, including communication, navigation, and remote sensing satellites, to form a complete space infrastructure and promote satellite applications. , widely serving economic and social development, and at the same time serving the whole world." Wu Yanhua said that the next step will be to coordinate the planning of space science exploration and launch a batch of satellites for scientific demonstration. At the same time, we must make good use of the space station, lunar exploration, and planetary exploration platforms to conduct in-depth scientific research, strive for original scientific discoveries, and contribute to mankind.

The results of the "Xihe" solar exploration can be expected

The "Xihe" satellite is my country's first scientific and technological experimental satellite for solar exploration. After Chang'e-5 successfully returned lunar samples and Tianwen-1 successfully completed the "orbiting, landing and patrolling" detection of Mars, the "Xihe" allowed our country to complete the survey of the solar system within one year. The full coverage of the earth, planets and sun detection has played the "trifecta" of my country's deep space exploration.

After more than three months of on-orbit testing and experiments, the "Xihe" satellite has completed more than 40 satellite platform technical verifications and conducted more than 290 detections and imaging of the sun. The satellite platform and The relevant loads work stably and normally, and their functions and performance meet the general requirements of development.

At present, the "Xihe" satellite has achieved a series of technical and scientific experimental results. According to Zhao Jian, director of the Earth Observation and Data Center of the National Space Administration, first, the ultra-high pointing accuracy and ultra-high stability technology of the new high-precision satellite platform have been verified in orbit. Compared with traditional satellite platforms of the same inertia, this The pointing accuracy and stability accuracy of the satellite have been improved by two orders of magnitude. Second, in terms of solar scientific detection, this is the first time in the world that the solar H-α spectral line and the spectral image of the H-α band of the entire solar surface have been obtained in orbit.

What is the solar H-α spectral line? "This is the spectral line produced by the electron energy level transition after the interaction between photons and hydrogen atoms. It is the spectral line with the strongest response when the sun explodes, and can directly Reflecting the characteristics of the explosion." Zhao Jian said that in previous human observations of the sun, the H-α spectral line could only be detected on the earth, but due to atmospheric disturbance, this data was discontinuous and unstable.

“Now through satellite detection in orbit, we can remove these unstable factors, conduct high-resolution observations and imaging of the sun, and more accurately obtain physical quantities such as atmospheric temperature and velocity when the sun erupts. changes, and then establish a complete physical model of the energy accumulation, release, and transmission of solar bursts from the photosphere to the corona, providing key data for studying the dynamic processes and physical mechanisms of solar bursts, and is expected to obtain scientific output with international influence. " Zhao Jian said.

As for my country’s future solar exploration plan, Zhao Jian said that scientists are currently carrying out relevant demonstration research to further understand the structure of the sun, determine the characteristics of solar activity, master its mechanism and activity patterns, and better understand Forecasting space weather benefits mankind.

Chang'e-8 will be launched before 2030

At present, the country has approved the four-phase mission of the lunar exploration project, including the Chang'e-6, Chang'e-7, and Chang'e-8 missions. These three missions It will be implemented gradually over the next 10 years.

"The Chang'e-4 that we have launched has landed on the back of the moon, and the mission has been successfully implemented." Liu Jizhong said that there will be three more missions in the future. Chang'e-6 will return samples to high-value areas on the moon, and will later return new lunar soil and new samples to the earth. Chang'e-7 mainly conducts scientific exploration of the lunar polar regions, especially the distribution of water on the moon. Chang'e-8 will carry out scientific exploration of the polar regions and verify subsequent key technologies for the scientific research station.

“In the entire fourth phase of lunar exploration, we will basically achieve the goal of building a basic scientific research station, and at the same time, we will also lay the foundation for our subsequent cooperation with international countries to build an international lunar scientific research station. We and our international counterparts have also carried out these tasks. We will closely communicate and coordinate and work together to carry out relevant detections," Liu Jizhong said. For example, the Chang'e-7 mission has signed an agreement with Russia's "Luna-26" to jointly conduct detections. "According to the current overall development progress, we will complete the related work of Chang'e-6 and Chang'e-7 around 2025, and at the same time carry out the development of Chang'e-8; before 2030, we will complete the launch of Chang'e-8. Before 2030, The fourth phase of lunar exploration can achieve the expected results."

Building an international lunar scientific research station

"Generally speaking, like the South Pole station and the North Pole station on the earth, the South Pole of the moon will tend to be located in the future. Build ground scientific research facilities, build scientific research experimental facilities in lunar orbit and on the lunar surface, and carry out multi-disciplinary and multi-target scientific research work," Wu Yanhua said.

So, what is the international lunar scientific research station? How to carry out the follow-up work?

my country will jointly build an international lunar scientific research station with the Russian Federation. "Our Chang'e-6, Chang'e-7 and the corresponding missions planned by Russia will take about five years to complete the survey work before building the station. It will take us about another 10 years to complete the construction of facilities. Building a lunar scientific research station is like Just like building a small town, it must have an energy system, a communication and navigation system, a long-distance transportation system, a space-to-ground shuttle system, and a ground support system. If the long-term goal of permanent residents is taken into account, it must also have a long-term goal. There is a life support system." Wu Yanhua said that after 2035, it is planned to conduct scientific research on the moon in stages according to the scientific research missions of various countries and organizations.

"The space agencies of China and Russia also need to officially release a declaration to the world on the construction of an international lunar scientific research station, and release the construction principles and participation purposes to the international community." Wu Yanhua revealed that, in general, in At each stage of a task or project, including various task levels of construction, whether it is the system level, sub-system level, equipment level, or scientific data sharing research level, including the heaven and earth support level, "we do not set limits. Come and build it."