The United States is even more anxious! China is about to launch ahead of schedule and will build a "deep space" network system in an all-round way, and it has to be said that China's space development has entered "overspeed" mode.
Looking back, various U.S. space missions have been postponed, especially on the moon, and that's not to say — and it is even possible that China will eventually complete a manned landing on the moon before the United States.
Therefore, this is not a question of "competition", but a practical situation that tells you that China's aerospace industry is indeed making very rapid progress, which is absolutely good news. No, the "formation" of China's deep space network system has advanced again.
China's Queqiao-2 was launched in February
That's right, in the "National Science Review" released by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, it is clearly introduced about the mission of the mainland relay satellite - Queqiao-2, which is the "previous mission" of the mainland for the fourth phase of the lunar exploration project.
According to the original plan, Queqiao-2 is expected to be launched in March 2024, and when Queqiao-2 is launched, Tiandu-1 and Tiandu-2 technical verification satellites will also be launched, however, the new situation is ahead of schedule.
Academician Wang Chi said that the relay satellite, namely Queqiao-2, will be launched as an independent mission in February 2024, thus providing relay communication support for Chang'e-4 (CE-4) and Chang'e-6 (CE-6), which will be launched in the first half of 2024.
After the successful launch, it will also promote the overall space communication level of the mainland, and it will be greatly improved, and the primary task support is to provide communication for the Chang'e-6 lunar sample collection mission on the far side of the moon. Therefore, the mainland will first launch Queqiao-2 and then Chang'e-6.
If Queqiao-2 is brought forward, it means that China's Chang'e-6 mission may also be brought forward.
What is the main purpose of Chang'e-6? For Chang'e-6, there are two main tasks:
First, carry out the tracing and exploration of the landing site area and the geological scene survey, obtain the field interpretation data related to the lunar samples, and create a connection between the field exploration data and the implementation room interpretation data.
For example: the physical characteristics of the Moon, its evolutionary process, the value of impacting nearby areas, the change of lunar rocks to understand cosmic radiation, solar wind ions, etc.
Second, systematic and long-term laboratory research on lunar samples returned to the ground is also one of the major tasks of the Chang'e-6 mission, because Chang'e-6 will collect more samples from the far side of the moon and strive to achieve the goal of 2,000 grams, which is also the first time that human beings have collected samples on the far side of the moon, which is certainly of historic significance.
Therefore, I am very much looking forward to the Chang'e-6 mission, which is a mission that no other country has carried out, and will also promote the mainland's stronger understanding of the moon, which will be of great help in the next step in the construction of the lunar base and the manned landing on the moon in the future.
Of course, the biggest task ahead of it is the implementation of the Queqiao-2 mission, however, this task is not only meaningful to the construction of the continental lunar scientific research station, but also the key to the continent's farther deep space.
China's deep space network: Mars, Venus, etc
That's right, Queqiao-2 is part of the construction of the continent's deep space network, which was publicly stated at the 74th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) that the deep space network started as a "constellation of lunar satellites".
According to the requirements, it is necessary to launch spacecraft to form the network at the circumlunar space and the Earth-Moon Lagrange point, and at the same time carry out an expansion plan in the later stage to form a transit station in space interstellar space, and then connect the signal transmission between the ground and space spacecraft, in which Queqiao-2 is the primary transit hub.
Under the layout of Queqiao, the mainland has realized the satellite in the L2 point area of the balance point of the Earth-Moon three-body system, which maintains the stability of the orbit through regular orbit control, and can realize the relay communication coverage of the lander and rover, and then under the Queqiao-2, the space network transmission will be improved again.
There is also one of the most critical - Queqiao-3, Queqiao-3 is also the "core point" of the entire Queqiao network system, Queqiao-3 series of satellites will verify the key technologies of communication, navigation and remote sensing services, so as to complete the entire deep space network.
However, it needs to be mentioned here that under the establishment of deep space communication, there is also a support for the basic development of the moon, which is a joint construction system of the lunar system and the deep space system, and after the completion of the whole system, it will support the Mars and Venus networks to provide signals through high-speed laser links.
See, China's deep space network, Mars, Venus, etc. have networks, and since Queqiao-2, the mainland has entered the second stage.
Therefore, now I know why we are looking forward to the early launch of Queqiao 2, so that the layout of Queqiao 3 can also be accelerated.
The United States is even more anxious! China is moving too fast
That's right, the Queqiao can be said to be really connected with the United States, and China's construction of the Queqiao is actually a little "careful" in the United States, that is, the United States hopes to use China's Queqiao to implement the return to the moon program - that is, a manned landing on the moon.
Of course, the mainland also agreed, and many people may not understand, isn't the United States cooperating with China? It is true that this thing really exists, but in this respect, the mainland still gives the United States its use.
Including in 2023, Liu Jingxiang, a Malaysian associate researcher at the University of Science and Technology of China, revealed that China has agreed to the request of NASA and other national aerospace agencies to use the "Magpie Bridge" to help them complete future lunar exploration missions. So, if there's anything else in there, I don't know.
But as a "generous" China, this is not a strange thing. Then why didn't the United States build it itself?
To put it bluntly - if the United States does not build, there is only one word, and that is money. If the United States develops a relay satellite on its own, plus launches and operates, it will cost at least hundreds of millions of dollars, and NASA's budget for returning to the moon is tight and there is no money.
Of course, whether it will give China money or not, I don't know, and we will see if it will be said in the future.
But China's Queqiao-2 is too fast, and it is true that the United States will be more urgent, because it will have a "chain effect", so that China's plans on the moon will be accelerated.
Isn't it that NASA administrators often say that China may land on the moon before the United States, and if China continues to do so fast, will it come true?
Although in the new round of the United States' return to the moon program, the director of NASA also said that China still can't win, but there is time to say that he is afraid of China, which is all "nonsense".
Of course, the mainland's manned landing on the moon did not compete with the United States, but the United States often said so.
#头条讲真的#