China outlines its next five years in space
A white paper published by China’s State Council Information Office today both summarized the state that nation’s present space program as well as outlining its goals for the next five years.
In addition to outlining their future manned and unmanned missions (such asa landing a probe on the far side of the Moon, as well as sending a lunar sample return mission there), the overall plan includes developing their entire space infrastructure, from communication satellites to ground-based radar to space telescopes to missions to Mars. It is well thought out, and quite comprehensive. Possibly the most important part however is the white paper’s discussion of how they intend to enhance future industrial development.
The mechanism for market access and withdrawal has been improved. A list of investment projects in the space industry has been introduced for better management in this regard. Non-governmental capital and other social sectors are encouraged to participate in space-related activities, including scientific research and production, space infrastructure, space information products and services, and use of satellites to increase the level of commercialization of the space industry.
The government has increased its cooperation with private investors, and the mechanism for government procurement of astronautic products and services has been improved.
The Chinese government, communist now in name only, intends to fuel their space program with private investment and private enterprise. The overall program will be managed and run by the central government, but that government is going to make it a policy to encourage the private sector to compete and innovate in this effort.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
A white paper published by China’s State Council Information Office today both summarized the state that nation’s present space program as well as outlining its goals for the next five years.
In addition to outlining their future manned and unmanned missions (such asa landing a probe on the far side of the Moon, as well as sending a lunar sample return mission there), the overall plan includes developing their entire space infrastructure, from communication satellites to ground-based radar to space telescopes to missions to Mars. It is well thought out, and quite comprehensive. Possibly the most important part however is the white paper’s discussion of how they intend to enhance future industrial development.
The mechanism for market access and withdrawal has been improved. A list of investment projects in the space industry has been introduced for better management in this regard. Non-governmental capital and other social sectors are encouraged to participate in space-related activities, including scientific research and production, space infrastructure, space information products and services, and use of satellites to increase the level of commercialization of the space industry.
The government has increased its cooperation with private investors, and the mechanism for government procurement of astronautic products and services has been improved.
The Chinese government, communist now in name only, intends to fuel their space program with private investment and private enterprise. The overall program will be managed and run by the central government, but that government is going to make it a policy to encourage the private sector to compete and innovate in this effort.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
I’ll be the first to guess site of the ChiCom Farside Lunar lander probe:
Latitude: 10° S – Longitude: 117.5° E, Southwest of Delporte and North of Izsak
. ref : ZOOM-AS15-P-9625.jpg – NASA, Apollo 15
Just saying, that would be my choice…..
BTW, the ChiCom govt exists, far from name only. At the drop of a hat, they could “nationalize private business(es) without firing a shot. Something the USG could do in name only. Once corporations over there become the absolute power, then that will be the end of the Commy
label.Not there yet, witness the Military buildup..always a boost for govt power building.
It is interesting that this encouragement of private activity is happening at the same time that Xi has locked down the Party and PLA organs of power for himself. He realizes that the “consultative leadership” started by Deng Xiao Peng has run its course, and ended in vast amounts of consultative corruption inside the State. He is making efforts through his one-man rule to reduce that corruption, but still sees 2 threats in such rule.
Xi seems to know that the State will not produce the dynamic wealth-producing society needed by Chinese, and by the Chinese State, whatever it is called. Thus, from an economic viewpoint he needs to encourage entrpreneurs, or see State power as starved as it was in 1976, compared to the US. The highly visible Space sector is a good place to make it clear that a Chinese citizen *can* strive and succeed beyond anything in their history.
In addition, he knows the problems of one-man rule include the need to make young men feel that the State is *not* what is keeping them from succeeding in life, as happened so often in Chinese history, inducing rebellion. The Space sector’s high visibility can do much to bleed away precisely the “dangerous” young men who would organize revolts, into the settlement of the Solar System. If Xi succeeds in this, he can both run a State hierarchy accountable enough to himself that he can reduce corruption, and at the same time give young men a place where they can become “Great” outside the hierarchy he controls, without disrupting his hierarchy.
There is actually precedent on a smaller scale for this in Chinese history. Highly competent generals, who were otherwise a threat to the throne, were sent to the western frontiers with orders to protect the trade routes and extend the boundaries of Chinese civilization, to feed the troops yet farther West of each colony. Thus, we had Chinese settlements in Sinkiang by 750 AD. The interesting question is whether Xi can succeed in planting Chinese successes, without those succeeding so well out there deciding to come back to run things here.
Have to agree with Orion123 on the Chinese-Communist;
The Communist Party of China controls everything, including the People’s Liberation Army.
They consider themselves in the “primary stage of socialism,” where they employ what Marx characterized as centralized “capitalistic modes of production.”
–But in typical communist fashion– those are all just words that mean less than nothing.
Very little free-market economics is in play, no matter what they call it. It’s only in the West where we overlay our notions of capitalism onto them.
that should have been “Orion314”
Tom Billings– interesting stuff!
China is still using hypergolic launchers and copies of Soyuz and Salyut for human space flight. I suppose we will see new launchers and spaceships soon. Sounds like they need a Saturn V class launcher.