Crewed space missions call for colossal engineering projects.
For example, researchers in China are investigating the possibility of mounting a spacecraft in orbit. The project is part of the nation’s ambitions to expand space exploration, which encompasses long-term manned missions.
The proposal by the National Foundation for Natural Sciences of China calls for an analysis of the mechanics of building an “ultra-large ship spanning kilometers,” according to an initial report by the South China Morning Post.
In other words, China has just told the world that it is interested in building a spacecraft that is miles long. Yes, miles.
China is investigating a kilometer spacecraft for long-term missions
The report noted that this particular effort is part of a major aerospace strategic project, which would ensure “the future use of space resources, the exploration of the mysteries of the universe and long-term orbit.” According to a summary of the project shared by the foundation, the work is being managed by an agency under the control of the Ministry of Science and Technology.
As if this huge project wasn’t impressive enough, this is just one of 10 other proposed research sketches published earlier this month by the Department of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, which plans to fund five total projects with a maximum budget equivalent to 2.3 million dollars (15 million yuan).
The scheme suggests that the modular spacecraft would require multiple launches and also required a space-based assembly, as it would weigh too much and be too massive to be launched in a single flight. Consequently, the researchers involved in the project face an exhausting challenge. They need to minimize the weight of the spacecraft to reduce the total number of launches needed to get their pieces into space and streamline construction costs so that they fit the country’s budget. They must also optimize the control capabilities of the structures to prevent them from drifting, vibrating or rotating out of control during assembly, depending on the contour.
China’s space ambitions are growing
China really began to double its space program and show the world what it can achieve in May, when it became the second country to successfully land a rover on Mars, two years after doing the same with a probe. different space at the end of the moon. The country also began assembling its Tiangong space station in April this year, with several more modules planned for launch into low Earth orbit via its Long March 5 heavy rocket. At the time of writing, the 22-tonne central component of the station is expected to become the main housing unit for space astronauts aboard the station, which should be complete. some coming year, when it reaches a mass of about 100 metric tons.
When completed, Tiangong Station will be about a quarter the size of the International Space Station. But the ISS was built by a coalition of 16 countries, about 109 m long and 75 m wide. It’s almost as big as a football field. But looking to the future, China will no doubt play an increasingly important role in space missions, with a super-heavy rocket engine designed for the new-generation Long 9-carrier long-range rocket scheduled for its first flight in 2030. The United States and its partner countries and companies may continue to dominate space missions today, but in the coming years we may be prepared for major change as China continues to increase its ambitions.