Guangming Daily reporter Cui Xingyi
The "2021 China Aerospace" white paper was released a few days ago, in addition to systematically introducing the major engineering and scientific applications of the mainland in the field of aerospace since 2016, it also introduces the main tasks, policies and measures, international exchanges and cooperation in the development of the mainland's space industry in the next 5 years. "China's major aerospace projects are at a turning point." Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the China National Space Administration, introduced that the major engineering projects launched 15 years ago have basically reached the final stage and normal operation and application stage, and are now planning to implement new major projects and major tasks in the next 15 years.
Concept map of the International Lunar Research Station Courtesy of China National Space Administration
Shenzhou 13 astronauts first came out of the capsule. Xinhua News Agency
In the next five years, what highlights are worth looking forward to
The launch vehicle has formed a diversified launch capacity on land and sea, and has carried out a total of 207 launches in the past 5 years;
The construction of the Chinese space station was fully implemented, and 6 astronauts were stationed successively, opening the era of long-term residence of people;
Chang'e-4 landed for the first time on the back of the moon to investigate the probe, and Chang'e-5 brought back 1731 grams of lunar soil;
Tianwen-1 realized the leap of Chinese spaceflight from the Earth-Moon system to interplanetary exploration, leaving a Chinese imprint on Mars for the first time;
The Beidou global satellite navigation system was completed and opened, and the high-resolution Earth observation system formed a system capability...
In the past five years, the implementation of major projects has played a huge role in promoting and driving space science on the mainland.
For example, in terms of historical evolution, "through the study of the shallow structure of the moon, a new understanding of the evolutionary history of the moon, especially in terms of geology, has been obtained." Liu Jizhong, director of the Lunar Exploration and Aerospace Engineering Center of the China National Space Administration, introduced that through the analysis and research of the lunar samples of Chang'e-5, the timeline of lunar geological activity has been deduced from the original 3 billion years to 2 billion years, that is to say, the moon is about 1 billion years younger, "These cognitions of the moon, including the evolution of the lunar landform, play a very key role."
Liu Jizhong said that from the perspective of material energy, through preliminary research, a new type of deep lunar material has been discovered, and the fine structure of the cosmic ray energy spectrum that has been relatively accurate so far has been discovered; from the perspective of the space environment, through several years of scientific research, the radiation dose of lunar particles has a new understanding and obtains new values.
"We also found the lunar micromagnetic layer, established a new model and mechanism for the interaction between the solar wind and the moon, and achieved a new understanding of the entire active evolution of the earth's plasma layer through observations of the earth from space." Liu Jizhong said.
The foundation is solid and the future can be expected. So, during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, what are the highlights worth looking forward to in China's aerospace industry?
According to Wu Yanhua, during the "Fourteenth Five-Year Plan" period, the mainland will launch a number of new major aerospace projects, including the fourth phase of the lunar exploration project and the planetary exploration project, and also demonstrate the implementation of a number of major projects such as heavy carrier rockets.
"We must promote the integrated and coordinated development of space technology and space applications, especially to coordinate the construction of space infrastructure, including communications, navigation, and remote sensing satellites, to form a sound space infrastructure, promote satellite applications, and widely serve economic and social development, while serving the whole world." Wu Yanhua said that in the next step, we will make overall plans for space science exploration and launch a number of satellites for scientific demonstration. At the same time, we must make good use of the space station, lunar exploration and planetary exploration platforms, carry out in-depth scientific research, strive for original scientific discoveries, and contribute to mankind.
Key Points The results of the "Xihe" exploration can be expected
The Xihe satellite is the first scientific and technological experimental satellite for solar exploration on the mainland. After Chang'e-5 successfully realized the lunar sample return and Tianwen-1 successfully realized the "orbit, fall, and tour" exploration of Mars, "Xihe" allowed the mainland to achieve full coverage of the earth, planets and solar exploration in the solar system within a year, playing a "trio" of continental deep space exploration.
After more than three months of on-orbit tests and experiments, the "Xihe" satellite has completed more than 40 technical verifications of the satellite platform, more than 290 times of detection and imaging of the sun, the platform and related payloads of the satellite are stable and normal, and the functions and performance meet the general requirements of development.
At present, the "Xihe" satellite has achieved a series of technical and scientific experimental results. According to Zhao Jian, director of the Earth Observation and Data Center of the China National Space Administration, the ultra-high pointing accuracy and ultra-high stability technology of the new high-precision satellite platform were verified in orbit, and the pointing accuracy and stability accuracy of this satellite were improved by two orders of magnitude compared with the traditional inertia satellite platform. Second, in terms of solar science detection, this is the first time in the world that the spectral image of the H-α line of the sun and the H-α band of the full-day surface has been obtained in orbit.
What are the Sun H-α Spectral Lines? "This is the spectral line produced by the electron energy level transition after the interaction of photons with hydrogen atoms, which is the most intense response line when the sun erupts, which can directly reflect the characteristics of the explosion." Zhao Jian introduced that in the past human observations of the sun, H-α lines can only be detected on the earth, but because of atmospheric disturbances, this data is discontinuous and unstable.
"Now through satellites in orbit to detect, you can remove these unstable factors, high-resolution observation and imaging of the sun, you can more accurately obtain the changes in atmospheric temperature, speed and other physical quantities when the sun erupts, and then establish a complete physical model of the energy accumulation, release and transmission of the solar eruption from the photosphere to the corona, providing key data for the study of the dynamic process and physical mechanism of the solar eruption, and is expected to obtain scientific output with international influence." Zhao Jian said.
Regarding the mainland's future solar exploration plan, Zhao Jian said that at present, scientists are carrying out relevant demonstration studies, which will further understand the structure of the sun, determine the characteristics of solar activity, grasp its mechanism and activity law, better predict space weather, and benefit mankind.
Chang'e-8 will be launched before 2030
At present, the state has approved the fourth phase of the lunar exploration project, including the Chang'e 6, Chang'e 7 and Chang'e 8 missions, which will be implemented in the next 10 years.
"The Chang'e-4 we have launched has landed on the far side of the moon, and the mission has been successfully carried out." Liu Jizhong said that there are three more tasks in the follow-up. Chang'e 6 will return to the high-value areas of the moon for sampling and returning, followed by new lunar soil and new samples to return to Earth. Chang'e 7 is mainly a scientific exploration of the lunar polar region, especially the distribution of water on the moon. Chang'e-8 will carry out scientific exploration in the polar region and verify the key technologies for the follow-up of scientific research stations.
"Throughout the fourth phase of lunar exploration, we basically have to achieve the basic goal of building a scientific research station, and at the same time lay the foundation for the subsequent construction of an international lunar research station with international cooperation." We are also in close communication and coordination with our international counterparts on these missions, and will work together to carry out relevant detections. Liu Jizhong introduced, for example, the Chang'e-7 mission has signed an agreement with Russia's "luna-26" to jointly conduct exploration. "According to the current overall development progress, around 2025, we will complete the relevant work of Chang'e 6 and Chang'e 7, and carry out the development of Chang'e 8 at the same time; before 2030, we will complete the launch of Chang'e 8." By 2030, the fourth phase of the lunar exploration can achieve the expected results. ”
Key points are to be built into an international lunar scientific research station
"In general, like the earth's antarctic station and the north pole station, the future tends to build ground scientific research facilities at the south pole of the moon, build scientific research experimental facilities on the lunar orbit and lunar surface, and carry out multidisciplinary and multi-objective scientific research work." Wu Yanhua introduced.
So, what is the International Lunar Research Station? How will the work be carried out in the future?
The mainland will work with Russia to build an international lunar research station. "Our Chang'e-6, Chang'e-7 and the corresponding missions planned by Russia will take about 5 years to complete the survey work before the construction of the station. We will spend another 10 years or so to complete the construction of the facility. Building a lunar research station is like building a small town, it must have an energy system, a communication and navigation system, a long-distance transportation system, a space-to-earth round-trip system, and a ground support system. If the long-term goal of having a permanent presence is taken into account, there is also a life support system. Wu Yanhua said that after 2035, it is planned to go to the moon in batches according to the scientific expedition missions of various countries and organizations.
"The space agencies of China and Russia will also officially issue a declaration on the construction of an international lunar scientific research station to the whole world, and release the construction principles and participation purposes to the international community." Wu Yanhua revealed that in general, at all stages of the task or project, including the various task levels of construction, whether it is system level, sub-system level or equipment level, or scientific data sharing research level, including the level of heaven and earth support, "we do not set limits, build together."
The input-output ratio is 1:10, and the "economic account" of the space return is calculated
Is it worth spending so much money on spaceflight? This is a question that is often asked.
Not to mention feelings and responsibilities, only economic accounts, the return of space exploration is also extremely impressive. "The development of spaceflight really requires high investment. However, the benefits of spaceflight and its applications are even greater. According to preliminary statistics, the input-output ratio of more than 1:10 can be reached. According to Zhao Jian, director of the Earth Observation and Data Center of the China National Space Administration, at present, aerospace applications have been widely used in land resources surveys, environmental protection, agricultural development, forest and grass monitoring, disaster prevention and mitigation, meteorological forecasting, marine development, transportation, education and medical care, urban and rural construction and other economic and social fields, and the application of new technologies derived has also entered thousands of households, and the people can also experience the beautiful life created by aerospace science and technology.
For example, Zhao Jian said that communication and broadcasting satellites can open global mobile communications, live broadcast radio and television broadcasts and provide high-speed broadband Internet access for the people, which greatly facilitates people's digital life in the information age; satellite navigation and positioning has become an indispensable assistant in people's daily lives, which greatly facilitates people's transportation and travel, changes people's production and lifestyle; meteorological satellites can provide accurate weather forecasts for the world and specific regions, and provide warm and thoughtful meteorological guarantees for people's food, clothing, housing, and transportation.
For example, people's needs for official business and leisure learning on airplanes and high-speed railways are becoming more and more urgent, but the intermittent signals bring many inconveniences.
At the sixth "China Space Day" Aerospace Industry Achievement Exhibition, Yang Jian, director of the Advanced Communication Technology Research Office of the 25 Institutes of the Second Academy of Aerospace Science and Industry, introduced an innovative product called "Two-dimensional Phased Array User Station". After this product is installed on the high-speed rail, as an important part of the space-based broadband Internet system, it can establish a data transmission link between users and satellites, and problems such as WeChat cannot be sent out and the phone cannot be connected can be solved, and the internet access can be achieved at a high speed. "Don't look at this phased array user standing unremarkable, it looks only the size of a laptop, no mechanical parts. But it is a weapon to optimize communication signals, easy to carry, suitable for aviation, navigation, automobiles and other scenarios. ”
In terms of disaster prevention and mitigation, satellites are not affected by extreme weather interference!
According to reports, in order to cope with the serious flood disaster caused by the sudden heavy rainstorm in Zhengzhou last year, the major special engineering center of the Bureau of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense urgently activated the emergency response mechanism and called on the Gaofen No. 3 SAR satellite and gaofen No. 6 satellites to carry out emergency imaging. In two days, satellite imaging was arranged 4 times, 5 scenes of effective data in the disaster area were obtained, and the first time was provided to emergency response units such as the Ministry of Emergency Management and the Ministry of Water Resources, which effectively played the role of aerospace emergency information support.
"The high-definition cloud map of typhoon observation produced by Gaofen satellite can clearly observe the structure of the typhoon eye and the law of movement change, and there is no omission in the typhoon generated by the world throughout the year, which greatly reduces the cost of disaster prevention and mitigation, and also plays a very important role in preventing forest fires and responding to flood disasters." Zhao Jian introduced that some time ago, a volcanic eruption occurred in Tonga, and the China National Space Administration launched the Earth observation satellite system in an emergency, mobilized more than ten satellites for high-frequency observation, and provided relevant image data to international organizations in a timely manner to contribute to China's strength.
"To the vast and the subtle" is an important follow-up to the development of aerospace technology. While promoting the leapfrog development of space science and space technology, we must calculate and make use of this "economic account." "The further development and utilization of space technology will help us jointly protect this blue planet and benefit the people." Zhao Jian said affirmatively.
Source: Guangming Network - Guangming Daily