Preface
As we all know, the development of China's aerospace industry in recent years has been making rapid progress, from the successful launch of Dongfanghong 1 in 1970, opening a new era of China's aerospace, China's aerospace industry has sprung up like mushrooms after a rain!
At present, Chang'e-6 is expected to land on the far side of the moon to explore and investigate the far side of the moon, but what you may not know is that the mainland needs 9 million yuan to produce the same aerospace part, while the United States only needs a few hundred pieces to produce......
Source: "Gazing at the Earth: Looking Back at China and the World from the Perspective of the Universe" - Year-end Show Roundtable Forum 2020-11-29
The importance of aerospace parts
We must know that aerospace parts are very important to the aviation industry, it is like a screw, brought together to form satellites, spacecraft, space stations.
Every screw is a vital existence, but if one part falls off the chain, a test flight may lose everything.
Therefore, aerospace parts are the basic components of spacecraft, performing various key functions, including propulsion, positioning, navigation, communication, energy supply, etc.
These features are critical to the success of a space mission, and the performance of space components has a direct impact on the success or failure of an entire space program.
Not only that, the operation of spacecraft is in very extreme environments, such as vacuum, high temperature, low temperature, etc.
Therefore, aerospace components must have a high standard of safety.
These parts must be precision designed and rigorously tested to ensure that they will not fail or be damaged when operating in space.
If China wants to realize the dream of becoming a space power, we must realize the independent production of aerospace parts.
It is no exaggeration to say that the performance of aerospace parts directly determines the development of China's aerospace.
With the use of advanced aerospace components, we will be able to carry out more advanced aerospace work and explore more unknown areas of the universe.
To meet the challenge, Continental's aerospace engineers must constantly seek new materials, manufacturing processes, and design concepts.
Therefore, aerospace parts are very important in space exploration and aerospace development, and only by doing a good job in aerospace parts can we get the space done.
Source: "The same aerospace parts, the domestic cost is 9 million, and the United States only needs a few hundred yuan?" ——Science and Technology China2021-02-22
The same aerospace parts, the domestic cost is 9 million, and the United States only needs a few hundred yuan?
At a roundtable meeting, Lin Baojun, vice president of the Institute of Microsatellite Innovation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and chief designer of the Beidou-3 satellite, pointed out a fact:
"The aerospace-grade CPU used by Musk is just a board, which can be done for only a few hundred yuan, but the related products on our Beidou satellite are as high as 9 million yuan..."
We always think that China's aerospace industry is already a world leader, after all, we have made achievements far ahead.
But Lin Baojun's words couldn't help but wake up the Chinese people: We seem to be still in the position of beginners.
We must admit that in order to vigorously develop the aerospace industry, China has spent a huge amount of financial, material and human resources.
When it comes to cost, we don't hesitate and never stagnate because of price.
We would rather spend a high cost to conduct independent research than to raise China's space capabilities to the forefront of the world.
The cost problem, which we ignored before, we now finally have to face it.
However, the difference in cost of aerospace parts between China and the United States will be so large.
It must not be groundless, there must be a complex reason behind it......
Why is there a difference in price between the two sides by hundreds of times?
First of all, we need to know that China and the United States have different technical levels and quality standards.
China's aerospace industry has made tremendous achievements in recent years.
The state has invested a lot of money in the research and development and production of high-quality aerospace devices.
If China wants to achieve more excellent aerospace achievements, it can be said that it has invested a lot in the aerospace industry.
Without hesitation in spending money, China is pursuing more sophisticated equipment.
Therefore, the precision requirements for aviation parts will be on a higher level, and the price will naturally rise.
Secondly, there is also a big difference in the cost of producing aerospace parts between the two sides.
The United States was one of the first countries in the world to begin space exploration.
After years of research and development, it has accumulated extraordinary experience, and the development of the production line has long been perfected.
When the production of aerospace parts has really become the standard work on the assembly line, the cost of producing parts will naturally begin to slide.
Therefore, the low cost of American-made parts actually marks the maturity and stability of the development of the American aviation industry and the embodiment of the extremely strong strength of its aerospace industry.
In the end, the biggest reason for such a large difference in the price of aerospace parts between the two sides is related to the different directions of the aviation industry between the United States and China.
China's space industry is, in essence, a state-funded undertaking that belongs to the state.
It is similar to the "state-owned enterprises" holding the country's iron rice bowl, and such an "iron rice bowl" has unique advantages.
Without the regulation and restraint of the market, China's aerospace industry can run forward without any worries.
We know that China's aerospace industry will always have the support of the state behind it.
However, as a capitalist country, the United States is biased towards commercialization in the development of the space industry.
The so-called commercialization is to put the aerospace industry on the market.
Musk has invested not only in Tesla, but also in a private space company: SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies).
When SpaceX was about to go bankrupt, it got a boost from NASA: NASA reached a deep cooperation with it, and SpaceX became the main supplier of supplies for the US International Space Station.
NASA has in-depth cooperation with private enterprises, which means that part of the profits harvested by private enterprises can offset part of the cost of US aerospace.
What's more, after the demand for aerospace is invested in the market, the market will lead the capital to the most cost-effective place.
That is to say, through the competition and regulation of the market, many private enterprises will compete for the opportunity to cooperate with NASA.
In order to increase their competitiveness, suppliers will naturally reduce their costs, which is exactly what the United States wants.
Therefore, a more mature and competitive aerospace parts market may lead to more competitive prices.
This is the difference between the United States and China in the direction of the development of the aerospace industry.
The United States simply sees this business as a money-making commodity.
However, China's aerospace industry is accompanied by human curiosity and exploration of the universe!
epilogue
In general, the difference in the price of aerospace parts may be caused by a combination of factors.
These factors are very complex, including the level of technology, production costs, supply chain, market competition, and R&D certification costs.
At a time when China is in full swing in its space industry, this difference also reminds us that this may become a new angle of competition between China and the United States in the near future.
Source: "Gazing at the Earth: Looking Back at China and the World from the Perspective of the Universe" - Year-end Show Roundtable Forum 2020-11-29
"The same aerospace parts, the domestic cost is 9 million, and the United States only needs a few hundred yuan? ——Science and Technology China2021-02-22