China’s Space Program Soars中国太空计划飞升腾实

王福权　陈海东

The country didn’t send an astronaut into space until 2003. But now it’s catching up. China is quickly becoming one of the most ambitious and pioneering nations when it comes to exploring space. The Chinese space program is one of the fastest-growing in the world today.

From its relatively humble beginnings 60 years ago， the Chinese program has come to be one of the biggest contenders in the modern-day space race. Between its inception1 in the late 1950s and the turn of the century， the program experienced a gradual buildup2 in terms of technology， infrastructure and capability. In time， this would set the stage for3 China becoming an official major power in space. By 2003， the first crewed mission to Earth orbit was successfully launched. That same year， the China National Space Agency （CNSA） inaugurated the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program4 which envisaged sending a series of robotic missions to the moon in preparation for an eventual crewed mission.

Early this year， China became the first country to land a probe on the far side of the moon. It is a technical achievement that neither the United States nor Russia has pursued. It is symbolic of the growth of the Chinese space program and the capabilities it has amassed， and the consequences extend to the US as that country’s government considers global competition in the future of space exploration.

The CNSA is arguably the fastest-rising space agency in the world. The Chinese space program has grown considerably in the past two decades and has been mounting5 increasingly advanced and ambitious missions accordingly. Since its inception in the late 1950s， and its re-formation in the early 1990s， China’s program has made some very impressive accomplishments and has established the country as the third-largest space power.

Late last year， China unveiled a heavy-lift launch vehicle to carry a next-generation crewed spacecraft and power human spaceflight missions beyond low Earth orbit6. It will be designed to send 25 metric tons to trans-lunar injection7 and 70 tons to low Earth orbit. While apparently in the early stages and with the upcoming Chinese Space Station commanding attention and resources， the designs signal a clear intent to develop capabilities for human spaceflight beyond LEO.

The development of launch-vehicle concepts is a clear indication that there is serious thought in China about human exploration of the moon. The new spacecraft and new crew-rated launcher with their reusability features to challenge Elon Musk’s SpaceX， Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin， and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic will be expected to replace the Shenzhou and Long March 2F for LEO missions as well as put the moon within reach.

Space bases

Colonizing the moon， and beyond， has long being a human aspiration. The world is still celebrating the historic landing of China’s Chang’e-4 on the far side of the moon early this year. China announced its plans to follow up with three more lunar missions， laying the groundwork for8 a lunar base. Technological advancements， and the discovery of a considerable source of water close to the lunar poles， have made this idea even more appealing. But how close is China to actually achieving this goal？

Building a lunar base is no different from building the first oil rig out in the ocean. If we focus on the technology currently available， China could start building a base on the moon right now. Of all the possible technologies for building a lunar base， 3D printing offers the most effective strategy. Three-dimensional printing on Earth has revolutionized manufacturing productivity and efficiency， reducing both waste and cost.

China’s vision is to develop the capability to 3D-print both inside and outside of the lunar base. This technology has the potential to make everything from daily items to repair parts for the base. But 3D printing in space is a real challenge. It will require new technologies that can operate in the micro-gravity9 environment of the moon. Printing machines that are able to shape parts in the vacuum of space must be developed.

Can China build a lunar base？ Absolutely. Can human beings survive on the moon and on other planets for the long term？ The answer to that is less clear. What is certain is that China will use the next 10 to 15 years to develop the requisite10 technical capabilities for conducting manned lunar missions and set the stage for space exploration.

Long March series

China launched its 300th Long March rocket mission， successfully placing the new communications satellite ChinaSat 6C into orbit. The Long March series is not China’s only rocket family， but it is responsible for more than 96% of the country’s launches.

China’s first Long March rocket， the Long March 1， was launched on April 24， 1970， carrying the country’s first satellite. It took China 37 years to launch its first 100 Long March missions. The next 100 followed in just over seven years， with the final 100 missions launching in the last four years.

China carried out 37 launches in 2018， all successful， including the Chang’e-4 mission to the lunar far side， the first Hongyan LEO communications satellite， and 18 Beidou satellites， as well as science， weather， communications and remote sensing satellites for a range of civilian and military applications. The greatly increased cadence11 saw China account for roughly a third of the 103 global launches in 2018， putting it ahead of the US and Russia for the first time， as the country continues to establish a range of space-based infrastructure and capabilities.

China opened the space market to private-sector investment in 2014 to help its technology sector shift focus from commodity smartphones and televisions to sophisticated semiconductors， artificial intelligence， and reusable rockets. More than 60 Chinese companies have entered the commercial space industry in the past three years.

Another development of interest is China’s work in quantum satellites. Priorities include unconditional security of network data across long distances， ultimately creating a global quantum network of classical data secured by quantum cryptographic keys. Other areas where China is concentrating significant research and development resources include nuclear fusion， and the deployment and hardening of an expanding hypersonic12 technology.

China is also developing constellations of surveillance， navigation and communication satellites， and making considerable progress in space lift， human spaceflight， and lunar exploration programs. China hopes to expand its launch-vehicle industry to support commercial launches and make rapid satellite launch services available to foreign customers. It will probably launch， assemble in-orbit， and operate a crewed Chinese space station before 2025.

China’s space program continues to mature rapidly. In terms of space exploration， China has demonstrated significant skills.

及至2003年，中國才将宇航员送入太空，时下正在迎头赶上。在太空探测领域，中国突飞猛进，正在成为最具雄心和开拓精神的国家之一。中国太空计划的发展速度居全球领先之列。

中国的太空计划始于60年前，起点相对较低，如今却是现代太空竞赛中最具竞争力的计划之一。从1950年代末肇始到世纪之交，该计划在技术、基础设施和综合能力等方面渐进累积。随着时间推移，这将为中国正式成为太空强国奠定基础。2003年，中国成功将第一艘载人飞船送入地球轨道。同年，中国国家航天局开启了“中国探月工程”，其构想是向月球发送一系列着陆机器人，为最终实现载人登月做好准备。

今年早些时候，中国成为第一个在月球背面着陆探测器的国家。这一技术成就是美国和俄罗斯所未取得的，也是中国太空计划厚积薄发的标志。其影响力延伸到美国，随之该国政府将未来太空探测计划纳入全球竞争之列。

可以说，中国国家航天局是全球发展最快的航天机构。过去20年里，中国的太空计划取得了长足发展，并据此持续实施了日益先进和颇具雄心的探测任务。中国的航天计划肇始于1950年代末，重组于1990年代初，迄今已取得了一些令人印象至深的成就，确立了世界第三大太空强国的地位。

去年晚些时候，中国公布了一款重型运载火箭，用于搭载下一代载人宇宙飞船，并为近地轨道以外的载人航天飞行任务提供动力。月球转移轨道设计运载能力25吨，近地轨道设计运载能力70吨。这些设计显然尚处于初期阶段，即期的中国空间站也需要给予关注、投入资源，尽管如此，中国发展近地轨道以外载人航天能力的决心清晰可见。

运载火箭概念的发展清楚地表明，中国十分重视人类探测月球之举。新研发的宇宙飞船和载人发射装置具有可复用性，将对埃隆·马斯克的“太空探索”、杰夫·贝佐斯的“蓝色之源”以及理查德·布兰森的“维珍银河”等公司构成挑战，可望替代神舟系列和长征2F运载火箭执行近地轨道飞行任务，也使月球不再遥不可及。

空间站

长期以来，在月球乃至更远的星球聚居是人类的向往。今年早些时候，中国“嫦娥四号”探测器在月球背面着陆。时下，全球仍对这一历史性壮举称赞不已。中国宣布了后续三次探月任务计划，为建立月球基地打好基础。科技的进步以及靠近月球两极丰富水源的发现，使这一构想更具吸引力。但中国离真正实现这一目标还有多远呢？

建造月球基地无异于在海上建造首座石油钻塔。如果集中运用现有技术，中国当下就可着手建造。建造月球基地可能用到的所有技术当中，3D打印是最为高效的手段。全球的3D打印彻底改变了制造业的生产能力和效率，从而减少了浪费和成本。

中国的愿景是发展3D打印月球基地内外部的能力。这一技术的潜在优势在于能够制造基地所需的一切，從日常用品到维修部件，不一而足。但实现太空3D打印确非易事，这需要能在月球微重力环境下运行的新技术，而且必须研发出能在太空真空条件下制造零件的打印机。

中国能建成月球基地吗？答案是肯定的。人类能在月球和其他星球上长期生存吗？答案尚不明晰。可以肯定的是，中国在未来10到15年将发展载人登月任务必需的综合技术能力，为探测太空做好准备。

长征运载火箭系列

中国发射了第三百枚长征火箭，成功将新型通信卫星“中星6C”送入轨道。长征系列并非中国唯一的火箭家族，但却承担了96%以上的发射任务。

1970年4月24日，中国第一枚长征火箭“长征一号”搭载首颗卫星发射升空。此后 37年，中国完成了首个100次发射任务。接下来的100次发射仅用了7年多时间。近4年完成了其余100次发射任务。

2018年，中国进行了37次发射，并且全获成功，其中有“嫦娥四号”登月任务、首颗红岩近地轨道通信卫星和18颗北斗卫星，以及一系列民用和军用科学、气象、通信和遥感卫星。中国的节奏大幅加快，随着一系列太空基础设施和综合能力的持续建设，2018年全球103次发射中，中国大概占据1/3，首次超过美国和俄罗斯。

2014年，中国向民营投资开放太空市场，以帮助民企技术部门将重心从智能手机和电视等商品转移到精密半导体、人工智能以及可复用的火箭上来。过去3年已有60多家中国公司进军商业航天领域。

另一个令人感兴趣的是中国在量子卫星方面所开展的工作，首要任务包括远距离网络数据的无条件安全性，其最终目的是创建一个由量子密钥保护的经典数据全球量子网络。中国正在汇聚巨大研发资源的其他领域包括核聚变以及部署和强化发展中的极超音速技术。

中国还在研发一系列监测、导航和通信卫星，且在太空梯、载人航天、探月工程等方面取得了重大进展。中国希望扩大运载火箭产业以支持商业发射，并向外国客户提供快捷的卫星发射服务。2025年之前，中国可能会发射载人空间站，实现在轨组装并投入运行。

中国的太空计划持续、快速地走向成熟，在太空探测方面已展现出不凡的技术水准。

（译者单位：广东外语外贸大学高级翻译学院）

1 inception起始;开端。此处指1956年中国成立航空工业委员会。  2 buildup逐步增长或累积的过程。  3 set the stage for为……做好准备，为……打好基础。  4中国探月工程，又称“嫦娥工程”，分为“无人月球探测”“载人登月”和“建立月球基地”三个阶段。

5 mount组织安排。  6 low Earth orbit = LEO低地轨道，指航天器距离地面高度较低的轨道，一般高度在2000公里以下。  7 trans-lunar injection月球转移轨道射入，即太空船与火箭分离之后被射向月球的过程。

8 lay the groundwork for为……打好基础。

9 micro-gravity微重力，指在重力的作用下，系统的表观重量远小于其实际重量。  10 requisite必需的，不可或缺的。

11 cadence节奏。

12 hypersonic极超音速，指物体的速度超过5倍音速，约合每小时6000公里以上。