China wants to build kilometer spacecraft

In an effort to galvanize NASA’s return to center stage, then-US Vice President Mike Pence sought to recreate the Cold War space race of the 1960s, when the United States defeated the Soviet Union on the lunar surface, the Washington Post reported.

But this time, the rival role was not played by the Soviet Union, but by China, which Pence warned was trying to “seize the strategic lunar heights.”

Bill Nelson, President Biden’s new NASA administrator, continued this hawkish rhetoric, portraying China as “a very aggressive competitor” that has big ambitions in space and challenges US leadership.

“Look at the Chinese,” he recently warned.

Look at them, indeed.

They have now announced one of the most ambitious space projects in human history – a plan to build a one kilometer spacecraft at least 10 times the length of the International Space Station (ISS) – a news that will likely spill over to NASA and the Pentagon. , reported the Global Times.

Experts say a number of major technical and managerial hurdles stand in the way, but the in-orbit assembly of an extra-large spacecraft could have broad applications, such as building a power plant. space that will generate electricity for the planet.

China is studying the project as part of its 14th five-year plan (2021-25), which is expected to become a major strategic vehicle for its future use of space resources, deep-space explorations and long-term human stays in it. outside space.

As soon as the news got out, it lit up the Chinese internet, especially among space science fiction fans. Some delighted netizens have jokingly compared it to “spaceships” in movies and television series, such as Deep Space Nine.

However, space experts say there will be many challenges ahead, aside from the huge demand for manpower and resources, given the massive size and complexity of the spacecraft.

“Take the ISS as an example. Due to the thrust limitations of the launch vehicles, it also adopted the approach to assemble the parts in orbit, which were delivered in separate space flights over several years, ”Pang Zhihao, a Beijing-based space expert and researcher from the Chinese Academy of Space Technology, the Global Times reported.

“It took 12 years for the ISS – from 1998 to 2010 – to finally complete construction. And by the time of completion, the first module launched over a decade earlier had almost reached its lifespan.

“It can be assumed that the kilometer-level spacecraft will take even longer to build and will have much higher demands on the life of its basic components and the ability to replace components flexibly,” he said. -he adds.

Researchers will be responsible for minimizing the weight of the modules and the number of launches in order to reduce construction costs, Pang said.

They must also ensure the controllability of the entire structure, in order to limit attitude drifts, deformations and vibrations during assembly in orbit.

The complexity is not only based on technical issues, but also on the overall planning and management of the project, he added, and it must also take into account the threats of space debris.

But while the difficulties in building such a spacecraft are great, experts say it has enormous scientific and military potential.

For example, it could be used to build a space power plant, enabling large-scale power generation in all weather conditions by transferring solar energy into electricity and teleporting it to Earth.

China has also made inroads in the development of its new ultra-heavy carrier rocket, launching the country’s first 9.5-meter-diameter rocket tank bottom and liquid booster engine earlier this month. .

The launcher could point to the Long March 9 carrier rocket, which will be used for future manned lunar missions, deep space exploration and space infrastructure, said Wang Ya’nan, editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine. , to the Global Times.

China launched the core of its space station in April and sent three astronauts in June.

But while the space station is unlikely to be completed until the end of 2022, there is already a long line of experiments from around the world waiting to be launched, Nature.com reported.

Scientists say the Chinese Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has tentatively approved more than 1,000 experiments, several of which have already been launched.

Prior to April, the International Space Station (ISS) was the only space laboratory in orbit, and many researchers say Tiangong (or “heavenly palace”) is a welcome addition for astronomical and terrestrial observation, and for studying how microgravity and cosmic radiation affect the phenomena. such as bacterial growth and mixing of fluids.

However, others argue that manned space stations are expensive and serve a political rather than a scientific purpose.

“Increased scientific access to space has a scientific advantage on a global scale, no matter who builds and operates platforms,” says Julie Robinson, chief scientist for human exploration and operations at headquarters. NASA in Washington DC.

“We need more space stations, because one space station is certainly not enough,” adds Agnieszka Pollo, an astrophysicist at the National Nuclear Research Center in Warsaw who is part of a team sending an experiment to study them. Y-ray bursts.

In the meantime, don’t look for international cooperation anytime soon.

NASA has been barred by law since 2011 from partnering with China – no Chinese astronaut has ever been aboard the ISS, which has hosted astronauts from nearly 20 countries, the Washington Post reported.

There is no way that will change anytime soon in a Washington where China is seen as a fierce competitor in a wide range of tech activities, from quantum computers to the deployment of 5G.

This is especially true for space, because the technologies used in space are also used for national defense, said Scott Kennedy, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“These deep concerns about China as a military competitor prevent cooperation in dual-use technologies, and there are no technologies used in space that are not dual-use,” he said. declared.

American and Chinese cooperation in space, he said, would require the kind of detente the United States and the Soviet Union achieved during the Cold War.

“But we are very far from that.”

Sources: The Global Times, The Washington Post, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Nature.com, Chinese Academy of Space Technology