[Explanation] In recent years, China's commercial aerospace has achieved many achievements. Commercial aerospace companies have not only made key breakthroughs in the research and development and manufacturing of rockets, but also made progress in the constellation and networking of small satellites.
In 2021, the number of China's space launches will reach a record high. Will the widely concerned commercial spaceflight also usher in an outbreak period?
Recently, Yang Yiqiang, director of the Aerospace Flight Technology Center of the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said in an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Agency that the development of commercial aerospace is an inevitable trend in the development of the industry.
But at present, there are still many technical bottlenecks.
[Concurrent] Yang Yiqiang, Director of Aerospace Flight Science and Technology Center, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
As far as SpaceX is concerned, we should say that our gap is still very large. Whether it is the capability, cost, reliability of our launch vehicle, or the satellites of the Starlink program, we still have a relatively large gap.
Commercial aerospace companies have the advantage of having a more flexible mechanism. I think that commercial aerospace still needs technological innovation, which can finally improve the reliability of spacecraft carriers, and then can greatly reduce our R&D and manufacturing costs.
[Explanation] Since 2021, commercial aerospace companies represented by SpaceX in the United States have sent non-professional astronauts into space for the first time, showing the world the potential of commercial aerospace in space tourism.
How far is China from space tourism?
Yang Yiqiang said that China basically has the relevant technical conditions.
[Concurrent] Yang Yiqiang, Director of Aerospace Flight Science and Technology Center, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
We Zhongke Aerospace announced our plan this year, using three 20-ton thrust "Xuanyuan" engines developed by us.
We will send 7 people to a height of about 88 kilometers with a load capacity of 1.5 tons, and then separate the spacecraft from the aircraft. The spacecraft can go up to more than 100 kilometers by its own inertia, exceeding the von Karman curve, and finally pass the umbrella. Drop back, so that each of our tourists can experience a weightless experience for 3 to 5 minutes.
If we do well in all aspects of our business model, in 2025, we will start China's own suborbital travel, which I think is possible.
[Explanation] In 2021, after the two emergency collision avoidance of "Starlink" satellites in China's space station, the controversy over the "excessive occupation of space" of the "Starlink" satellite project in the United States has once again attracted domestic and foreign attention.
According to reports, SpaceX founder Elon Musk has previously compared thousands of satellites in space orbit to thousands of vehicles on Earth in an interview.
Yang Yiqiang believes that such behavior will cause space congestion and is extremely irresponsible.
[Concurrent] Yang Yiqiang, Director of Aerospace Flight Science and Technology Center, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Even if the Tesla is on the road, or on the highway, it has rules.
I think space is the last and rare resource of mankind. There should be rules. Everyone should cherish and share space, not who dominates space. I think space power should be a responsible country.
We should sit down to study and discuss this issue, and avoid the staking process that I just said, whoever grabs it is whoever wins, and whoever staking it will own it. This will bring about a lot of problems.
[Explanation] Yang Yiqiang said that, as a major aerospace power, China should make good design and planning while giving full play to the advantages of small satellite networking in the future, and never hold the purpose of seizing resources.
Yang Yiqiang is full of confidence in the future development of China's aerospace industry.
Recently, the first four-stage solid launch vehicle "Lijian No. 1" jointly developed by the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Beijing Zhongke Aerospace Exploration Technology Co., Ltd. has entered the final assembly stage and is planned to be launched in early 2022.
Reporter Wang Shibo reports from Beijing
Responsible editor: [Li Yuxin]