Human curiosity and the spirit of exploration have driven us through the four industrial revolutions, and human civilization is being shaped by the innovative spirit of scientists and the adventurous spirit of entrepreneurs. Can space technology lead to the fifth industrial technology revolution? Are we ushering in a new space age? The Fifth Industrial Revolution: The Technological Revolution and Industrial Transformation Triggered by Space Technology (hereinafter referred to as the Fifth Industrial Revolution) provides an enlightening and forward-looking discussion of these issues. Everyone who looks up at the stars will follow this book with deep thought and excitement.
On March 18, at the Cape Canaveral launch site in the United States, the world's largest space launch site, two important rockets were erected at the same time, which were being tested. One of the rockets is a "space launch system" developed by NASA and will be used for the Artemis program for a manned lunar mission. There is also a SpaceX starship, a super heavy launch vehicle, which is planned to be used to land on the moon and even mars. In the next few years, humans will return to the moon, but unlike in the Apollo era, new forces have emerged. Private enterprises represented by SpaceX have adopted a new model and opened a new space era in the space industry. These "legends" have greatly stimulated the entrepreneurial spirit and opened up the investment-product-new investment cycle. Its flat management model, extreme modular product design, reusable, low-cost product ideas, ushered in a new space era.
Today, there are nearly 100 kinds of launch vehicles in the world, and there are nearly a thousand space companies that manufacture a variety of space vehicles. In China, there are already nearly 100 private space companies. It is they, together with traditional, government-led space companies, that have driven and led the new era of spaceflight. In 2021, China made 55 rocket launches, ranking first in the world in the number of launches, and the United States launched 51. Our three astronauts, Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu, were on the Tiangong space station we built ourselves to survive in space microgravity for 180 days. In 2022, China will launch two scientific experimental modules, Wentian and Montien, complete the comprehensive construction of the Tiangong space station, and carry out scientific experiments under the conditions of space microgravity. Scientists will use these scientific experiments to explore the unknown, on the one hand, let us better adapt to the space environment, on the other hand, will also use the scientific knowledge brought by these space experiments to improve our life on Earth. The fully completed Tiangong space station will become a bright star in the night sky, and in the night sky in most parts of China, we can use our naked eyes to see its shining light.
Through the Voyager 1 and 2 probes, the United States has launched human information into the deep space of the universe. The information is burned on a 30-centimeter-diameter copper disc containing 115 images and sound information that records in different ways what life on Earth looks like, as well as who we are and where we come from. China is also preparing for similar space voyages, planning to fly over Jupiter and Saturn to explore the outer solar system; we are also developing manned rocket technology to build an international lunar research station on the moon; and we are preparing to retrieve Samples of Martian soil from Mars. Not only that, but China has also started a planetary defense program to study how to deflect asteroids that could hit Earth and avoid a dinosaur-like fate.
The new aerospace has opened up new fields and new markets, obtained new sources of income outside the original market, no longer rely on government input alone, and established a new economic cycle, thus leading the revolution in aerospace technology. In addition to SpaceX, Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin are also engaged in commercial manned spaceflight programs. So far, Virgin Galactic has pre-sold more than 600 space tourism ferry tickets, with a single price of 200,000-250,000 US dollars. Virgin Galactic is a completely independent, market-oriented, purely private company that was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019, becoming the world's first listed commercial manned space company.
In September 2021, SpaceX Inspiration 4 sent four ordinary people into space. This is the first human expedition into the universe without the involvement of professional astronauts. This historic flight represents the next stage in the evolution of human space travel, marking the pathway for humanity to enter the universe, already independent of government-funded space agencies. The doors of the universe are open to ordinary people! When people go into space, come to the moon, and see the beauty of the earth "rising" on the surface of the moon. At that moment, people thought more about how to let human culture and civilization continue.
The Fifth Industrial Revolution tells us that space technology will lead us to explore outer space and begin planning for future life in space. But that doesn't mean the planet isn't worth protecting. On the contrary, the exploration of space will urge us to better protect the home of the earth. Scientists are working with entrepreneurs who embrace the spirit of adventure, and governments are pouring money into more and more space programs — and it's no coincidence, according to the authors, that we're experiencing an industrial revolution led by space technology. The space industry will enter our daily lives, and ordinary people will continue to enter space.
The author had an in-depth exchange with dozens of Western space department staff, why did humans choose to explore space? What have countries done in the space space field? What are the clues of the future of the space industry? What will happen to space infrastructure, earth-moon space development, space manufacturing, and space tourism in the future? How will humans land on Mars? For this series of questions, I believe that readers can get inspiration from the book. As Liu Cixin, author of "The Three-Body Problem", said, the future of mankind has infinite possibilities, and in this countless possible future, no matter how prosperous the earth has reached, the future without space navigation is bleak.
(The author is a Chinese Aerospace Science Popularization Ambassador and a researcher at the National Space Science Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences)
The Fifth Industrial Revolution: The Technological Revolution and Industrial Transformation Triggered by Space Technology
[Spain] by Inma Martinez
Translated by Gong Ruoqing
Tiandi Publishing House