- Chinese space authorities planning to send 40 different aircraft into orbit
- One of the ships will be 'space bus' which can launch 10 satellites at once
- Yuanzheng 1 - China's largest ever rocket - can restart its engine 20 times
- It became third country to launch manned space mission in October 2003
- In 2013, 'soft-landed' first object on the moon since Soviet mission in 1976
China's
space authorities have announced plans to launch over 40 different
spacecrafts into orbit in 20 separate launches this year.
One
of the vessels to be launched is the ground-breaking Yuanzheng 1 -
also known as the 'space bus' - which can launch 10 different satellites
at once.
2013 was a massive year for China whose scientists launched 16 spacecraft to firmly establish their cosmic credentials.
In
October 2003, it became only the third country in history to
independently launch a manned mission into space on the Shenzhou 5.
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Ground-breaking: One of the 40
aircraft China plans to put into orbit is the Yuanzheng 1 'space bus'
which can carry 10 satellites into space and restart its engines over 20
times
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Historic: In December 2013, China's
Chang'e-3 lunar probe became the first object to soft-land on the moon
since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976
A
spokesman for the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
said the vessels going up this year will mostly be 'communication
satellites' orbiting at around 36,000ft.
Director
of its Space Department Zhao Xiaojin added: 'There will also be some
remote sensing satellites sent up to observe the earth as well as
navigation satellites.'
Chinese
space authorities also said a number of 'cutting edge' technologies
will be tested for the first time, including the highly anticipated
'space bus'.
The
Yuanzheng 1 is China's largest ever rocket with a diameter of 5.2
meters. It needs to be assembled at the launch site because trains
carrying it would not be able to pass through tunnels.
Its
engine can restart over 20 times when flying in orbit and it is thought
to be 75 per cent more efficient than spacecraft of the same size.
It
also has the capability to move old, scrapped satellites out of useful
orbit and into so-called 'cemetery orbits' to prevent them from
hindering other space-faring vehicles.
In
December 2013, the Chang'e 3 lander - named after the Chinese moon
goddess - became the first object to soft-land on the moon since the
Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976.
China's
National Space Administration operated the mission which incorporated a
robotic lander and the country's first ever lunar rover.
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Exploration: In June 2012, the Shenzhou-9 carried China's first female astronaut Liu Yang into space
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Cosmic: A
spokesman for the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
said the vessels going up this year will mostly be 'communication
satellites'
The
county announced its aspiration to carry out deep space exploration in
September 2010 and planned to send a man to the moon by 2025.
Mr
Xiaojin says work is also continuing to extend China's lunar program,
adding: 'We have made breakthroughs in most of the key technology needed
for the Chang'e-5 mission [which is expected to land on the Moon by
2017].
'This
year we will conduct more ground tests, particularly ones involving
theconditions which will imitate the environment on the moon.'
Meanwhile, the Chinese government has already begun opening up its its lunar exploration program to private investment.
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