Rocket Launch
Picture Source: NASA

There is a new space power to be reckoned with, it is a space power that has launched a man into space last year, only the third country to do this behind Russia and the U.S. The country is China. In 1993 China established the CNSA, Chinese National Space Administration and the CASC, China Aerospace Corporation. The CNSA serves as the connection between other space agencies and the CASC controls the space program in China.

Some of its accomplishments are impressive. One such is the SMM project of China. This stands for the small multi-mission satellite project. Its members are China, Thailand, Iran and Pakistan with South Korea, Mongolia and Sri Lanka and Indonesia possibly joining in the future.

The goal of China is to become a power in space and develop advanced propulsion. This includes continuing manned space flight, launching broadcast satellites along with many other types of satellites including, but not limited to, geostationary meteorological satellites.

Six months ago China's first man in space returned to Earth. When he returned he left an orbital module orbiting the planet. The module was a huge success. The chief designer of China's space program is Wang Yongzhi. Mr Yongzhi stated that the big difference between China's space program and those of Russia and the U.S. is the design of the orbital modules. Ground controllers also gained useful experience in tracking the module. It is said that the Chinese can now pinpoint positions of their spacecraft and also guide them accurately.

What is the next step in the Chinese space program? The Chinese state that they want to have a laboratory in space and eventually even a space station. They will be working on perfecting space docking using orbital modules. The Shenzhou VI is the spacecraft of choice right now and is capable of holding several people while circling the Earth.

Moon
Picture Source: NASA

The Chinese space program is continuing at a methodical pace. Controllers practice their art while test flights of rockets increase. Will Chinese technology pass that of Russia and the U.S.? Probably not in the near future, but China is not in a hurry. One has to remember that they are spending only a fraction of what we are on space. Of course we are wasting much of what we spend on the International Space Station, a useless piece of junk that only has two astronauts in it now. We are also wasting huge sums on the Space Shuttle System. A system that condemns its occupants to death in case of a serious mishap because NASA has not installed any escape mechanisms in it. It is also way to expensive to launch. If we continue on this course, China may well pass us in the space race. As for passing Russia, that country is just too broke to fully compete.

China is planning to head for the Moon and later to Mars. In the beginning the missions will be unmanned, but the goal is to eventually send manned missions to both places. President Bush has countered by saying he wants to send a manned mission back to the moon by 2020. Hardly earth shattering news for a country that has already accomplished a manned moon landing 35 years ago. This year the Chinese plan calls for the launching of 10 satellites and is preparing for a second manned flight. Much of it operations are secret and China may well surprise us one day by showing it is more advanced than we suspect. Within the next three years China states it will send a satellite orbiting the moon that will send back data for over a year. The satellite would examine the moon from orbit and determine its geology, soil and look for natural resources. China has also announced the beginning of the development of a space shuttle type vehicle. Some say the design looks like the U.S. X-20 Dynasoar.

X-20 Project Dynbasoar
Picture Source: NASA

The Chinese are using several launch sites. Some of these site include Jiuquan, Xinhua and Taiyuan. In a rare opportunity, Gen. Richard Myers, the U.S. Chief of Staff was shown the Chinese space operations during his visit to Beijing. The Chinese are spending about 1/5th of the amount on their space program that NASA spends on ours. In U.S. funds this is about two billion dollars per year. One has to remember that a dollar spent in China brings a lot more value than a dollar spent in the U.S. The Chinese economy is getting bigger and will growth will come more funds.