La Jornada: Permanent base on the Moon and leading the aerospace race, China’s goals

Zhuhai. Although not as a protagonist, China also entered the space race in the second half of last year. And now, as a developing power, it does not hesitate to show those advances. A replica of your space station Tiangong (heavenly palace) is one of the main attractions of the Zhuhai Aerospace Land, in the city that also hosts the largest aeronautical fair in this country every two years.

According to independent estimates, the Asian giant invests around 14 billion dollars a year in the aeronautical race. The goal for 2035 is to build a permanent base on the Moon, a project carried out by the China National Space Administration, and by 2050 it hopes to become a leader in the sector.

Five years ago, on April 29, 2021, China launched the module Tianhethe first of those that would make up the space station Tiangong and that it became an option in the face of the blockade imposed by the United States so that the Asian nation did not participate in the International Space Station.

With the conclusion of the launch of all the modules that make up Tiangongin 2022, in three decades China completed its Project 921 manned space program, which consisted of three phases. The first focused on sending astronauts into space and returning them safely. This milestone was achieved in 2003, when the Shenzhou 5 transported Chinese taikonaut Yang Liwei off Earth and back.

The second phase was to develop space flight and the third was based on the construction and operation of a permanent manned space station, the Tiangonga response to the United States veto that prevented China from participating in the International Space Station, to which, according to NASA, more than 290 people representing 26 countries have arrived.

The scale model of the space station Tiangong It is just one of the examples of Chinese muscle deployed in the aerospace race. The museum, which offers space transit simulations with augmented reality viewers and giant models of the stars, also has rooms dedicated to Chinese aviation and national defense. All in a space of 42 thousand square meters.

Chinese aerospace capabilities are not limited to an impressive museography. China is the third country to put a human into orbit, after the United States and Russia. In addition, it has taken 11 astronauts to space on 14 flights and in recent years has also carried out successful unmanned expeditions to Mars and the far side of the Moon.

The Chinese space program formally began in 1956, but it was in 1970 when the first satellite was successfully launched, Dong Fang Hong -1 (East is red), making China the fifth country to independently launch such a launch. Although it was not a protagonist then, the aerospace industry is considered strategic, which implies its integration with all levels of government.

Beyond summarizing aerospace capabilities in the space museum, Zhuhai is also the birthplace of the AG600, the world’s largest amphibious aircraft, capable of scooping up 12 tons of water in 20 seconds. It was conceived to put out fires and disperse fertilizers and is intended to be a pillar of the national emergency rescue system and the prevention and control of natural disasters.

In a tour of the AVIC GA Huanan Aircraft Industry Co., Ltd, a company that is part of the China Aviation Industry Corporation and where the AG600 is manufactured, it is highlighted that 150 days are required to assemble an aircraft of this type; The production line can handle three units at the same time, so five aircraft can be manufactured per year.

China is already in talks to market it, especially to Southeast Asian countries.