Space Day of China: What have we done and where are we going?

China’s space quest in modern history dates back to the 1950s. In 1956, China’s first missile-and-rocket research institute was set up, marking the start of China’s space industry.

On April 24, 1970, China successfully launched its first satellite, Dongfanghong I, making China the fifth country on the globe that independently launched a satellite, after the former Soviet Union, the US, France and Japan.

In 2016, the 60th anniversary of China’s space industry, the specific date April 24 was set as Space Day of China. “Exploring the vast universe, developing space programs and becoming an aerospace power has always been the dream we strive for,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping on that occasion.

This Tuesday marks the third China’s Space Day under the theme of “Forging together the new era of space development” and the first China Commercial Space Summit held in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province.

China’s space programs, which can be mainly categorized into the following four areas, is often featured by three-stage development, and usually aims to better the lives of all when entering the mature phase.

The lunar exploration is a typical example of a three-phase mission.

Manned space missions have followed the same strategy. During the preliminary stage, manned spaceships were tested and launched. From 2008 to 2016, Chinese space scientists mastered technologies involved in a spacewalk, the launch of space lab, as well as automatic and manned docking. In years to come, the third step of assembling and operating a complex space station is expected.

As for the satellite systems, they also share the step-by-step developing mode and will gradually cover enough area to form a space-ground integrated information network that can work for all. With sustained efforts in building the BeiDou system, China plans to provide basic services to countries along the Belt and Road in 2018, and then to the whole world.

With high-resolution earth observation system complete, China will be able to carry on comprehensive global observation and collect data crucial to various fields.

In the new era of space development, as China’s space infrastructure continues to improve, deep-space exploration will reach farther, and meanwhile, people will feel closer to space science and technology through its extensive application.

(CGTN)