Editorial | China set to become the most committed spacefaring nation
- Fresh from a record-setting mission, China has laid out a civilian space plan for the rest of the decade and beyond. It wants to develop its programme for peaceful purposes and allowing participation of private and foreign enterprises will help convince a sceptical West
The trio’s 182 days in orbit almost doubled the 92-day record set by the previous mission. In record time, construction of the Tiangong space station will be completed this year. The Earth-orbiting station will be staffed by rotating crews to conduct experiments and astronomical observations. Next-generation manned launch vehicles and spacecraft with reusable capsules are being built. A giant telescope to scan deep space will be attached to the space station.
Interestingly, Hao Chun, director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, said private capital may be considered in future missions, particularly in construction and maintenance of the space station.
So the space programme will also be commercial. And international cooperation will be an element as qualified nations may also access the station. Washington has allowed many countries, to use the ageing International Space Station but deliberately banned China. Beijing will not make such a short-sighted and petty mistake.
The involvement of private enterprise was already hinted at earlier in April when Elon Musk, the billionaire boss of SpaceX, was featured at an event in the Chinese embassy in Washington to promote space exploration.
Musk’s pre-recorded message aimed to promote manned missions to Mars and to set up a colony there. The invitation was a surprise. In December, China complained to the US that the Tiangong had to take evasive action to avoid potential collision with satellites from Musk’s company last July and October.
Musk is among an elite group of billionaire investors in commercial space enterprises, including space tourism. China clearly wants a slice of the potentially huge hi-tech market. As if to emphasise confidence in its programme, around the time of the three astronauts’ return, the China National Space Administration also set off two rockets from different spaceports within six hours of each other.