Updated: 24 Nov 2020, 03:24 PM IST
China launched an unmanned spacecraft this week to bring back lunar rocks. This is the first time any country has tried to retrieve moon rocks in decades. The nation has invested billions into its space program, which is run by its military, as they hope to have a manned space station up and running in two years after which they can send humans to the Moon.
Reuters
To catch up with the US and Russia when it comes to space exploration, China has come a long way as its space program is now seen as a marker of its growing technological might. In 1957, after the USSR launched Sputnik in 1957, China aimed to do the same. In 1970, they succeeded. Even though a manned mission took decades, China sent its first astronaut in 2003. Since then, the nation has been sending men and women regularly into space.
Reuters
The nation is also planning to open a space station that will orbit Earth. In 2011, China shot the Tiangong-1 into orbit which was then used to prepare for the construction of the space station and also for medical experiments. This was followed by China’s “Jade Rabbit” lunar rover in 2013, which surveyed the Moon for 31 months.
AP
Four years ago, the Tiangong-2 was sent to space by China as a final building block before their space station is launched. Experiments on production of rice and other plants continues as President Xi Jinping has called the mission a “space dream”. China was intentionally left out of the effort to construct the International Space Station and the nation has been looking to catch up with other superpowers in terms of their space milestones.
AP
China also plans to building a base on the Moon, and aim to establish a mission to moon by 2029. After being dealt a setback in 2017 with their rocket, China sent a robot, the Chang’e-4 to the far side of the Moon last year, which was a historic achievement.
AFP
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