The China Space Station is opening Space Tourism to the public, and they intend to make a big
impact.
Now, commercial space explorations are being promoted by China in an attempt to gain massive
public interest in space tourism by making its soon-to-be-completed space station accessible
to everyone.
Would you like to book a space flight to China’s future space station?
Well, here’s all the interesting facts on the opening of China’s new Space Tourism.
Rise of a Superpower: China Joins Space Tourism Race
China has stated that it plans to open up space tourism on its recently launched Tiangong
space station within the next decade.
There are no firm plans in place at this time, but officials have stated that those without
formal astronaut training will be able to experience orbital spaceflights within a decade.
According to the Daily Mail, Yang Liwei, the first Chinese astronaut, feels that guests
visiting Tiangong "is not a matter of technology, but of desire," and that space tourism objectives
"may be realized within a decade if there is such demand."
China is said to be developing a reusable spaceship capable of transporting up to seven
visitors to the Tiangong space station.
The Shenzhou spacecraft could be used to transport paying travelers to Tiangong in the future,
according to Zhou Jianping, lead designer of China's human spaceflight program.
Tiangong, which has the English term "Sky Palace," debuted in April 2021.
Three modules will be housed on the space station, including the Tianhe core module,
which is already in orbit, and two more laboratories
that are presently being built.
Its structure, like that of the International Space Station (ISS), is designed to allow
modules to be added as needed at any moment.
It's still unclear whether Tiangong's tourists will stay in the existing Tianhe dwelling
module or whether new modules will be installed to serve as consumer living quarters.
China's entry into space tourism is projected to be a lucrative sector for the country's
growing ranks of super-rich, which have grown at a considerably quicker rate than many other
countries.
Moon, Mars and Beyond China has stated that it will continue to
research and plan for a crewed moon landing, as well as create new spacecraft for future
trips.
According to the idea, China intends to collaborate
with other countries to create a lunar research
outpost.
Beijing, on the other hand, is looking beyond the moon's surface.
Scientists aim to finish their studies on how to collect and examine samples from Mars.
China announced its intention to send a crewed trip to Mars in 2033 and establish a base
there.
China also aims to establish the groundwork for Jupiter exploration.
According to the State Council of China, there are actually a whole host of space initiatives
already underway.
From improving satellite technology that can not only help enterprises on Earth become
more digital, enabling more economic benefits to the new enterprises, such as space tourism
and biomedicine.
China also stated that it will continue its "space physics" study, which involves the
search for more habitable planets.
Beijing also intends to undertake experiments and research on biology, life, medicine, and
materials using its space station, as well as its Mars and moon probes.
Space Governance China and the United States are involved in
a technological arms race in everything from artificial intelligence to semiconductors,
and their political conflicts have already spilled over into space.
One example is a debate between the two countries over the so-called Artemis Accords, a NASA-led
pact aimed at establishing norms for responsible and fair space exploration.
China declined to join, although Australia and the United Kingdom did.
China stated in its five-year plan that it would collaborate with other countries on
issues ranging from global governance to crewed space flights, without mentioning the Artemis
Accords.
According to Beijing’s white papers, "China
will actively participate in drafting international
regulations addressing outer space under the framework of the United Nations, and will
collaborate with other countries to address the issues in ensuring long-term sustainability
of outer space activities.”
Then, on global space governance, China stated it would "hold communication with Russia,
the United States, and other countries" specifically.
Chinese Astronauts Give Science Lessons from Space Station
Chinese astronauts sent a scientific lesson back from the country's under-construction
space station.
The lecture was physics-based, with the goal of demonstrating how the weightless environment
impacts buoyancy, object movement, and optics.
Students from five locations, including Beijing and Hong Kong's semi-autonomous zone, bombarded
the astronauts with questions about life in space and were given a virtual tour of the
station.
A live stream of the event was also available to the general public.
Wang Yaping, the station's only female instructor, led the class, with Ye Guangfu assisting and
Commander-in-chief Zhai Zhigang operating the camera.
In 2013, Wang gave a similar lecture onboard one of China's earliest experimental stations.
The three arrived at the station in October for a six-month assignment, tasked with prepping
the main Tianhe module for the arrival of two additional modules, Mengtian and Wentian,
which are expected to arrive by the end of 2022.
When Wang and Zhai spent six hours outside the module installing equipment and conducting
experiments alongside the station's robotic service arm, they became the first Chinese
women to undertake a spacewalk.
China's Shenzhou-13 mission is the country's longest since it launched its first people
into space in 2003, becoming only the third country after Russia and the United States
to do so.
The three are the second crew on the permanent station, which will weigh roughly 66 tons
when finished, significantly less than the International Space Station, which launched
its first module in 1998 and currently weighs around 450 tons.
The crew is examining living conditions in the Tianhe module and conducting studies in
space medicine and other fields, in addition to installing equipment in preparation for
the station's expansion.
As part of that expansion, China's space program has been denied access to the International
Space Station, owing to US worries over its close military ties.
But China is also pursuing unmanned missions to the moon.
Its lunar exploration program made headlines when its Yutu 2 rover returned images of what
some called as a "mystery hut," but which was most likely just a rock of some sort.
The rover is the first to land on the moon's far side, which has been largely unexplored
since the 1970s, when China's Chang'e 5 spacecraft brought lunar rocks to Earth for the first
time since the 1970s.
Meanwhile, another Chinese rover is seeking for signs of life on Mars.
China is Encouraging Commercial Space Tours China is hoping to excite public interest
in space tourism by making its soon-to-be-completed
space station accessible to the masses.
When asked if the general public would be able to explore Tiangong, Yang Liwei stated,
"if there is enough demand, it can be realized within a decade."
Yang was speaking on behalf of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
(CPPCC), which conducts their meetings in Beijing for China's annual political sessions.
Zhou Jianping, the main designer of China's human spaceflight program, later said that
the country's Shenzhou crew spacecraft might be used for space tourism, lending credence
to the remarks.
Taken together, the remarks suggest that China is attempting to develop a space tourism business.
But first, China must finish and fully operationalize
the three-module T-shaped space station.
To complete Tiangong, China plans to conduct six missions.
With two new modules, two cargo supply missions, and two crewed missions, Shenzhou 14 and Shenzhou
15 will be launched.
The first crew handover, which will see six astronauts temporarily stationed on the space
station, will be carried out by the two three-person
missions.
The Shenzhou spacecraft, which will launch on a proven Long March 2F rocket from Jiuquan
in the Gobi Desert, will not be the only means for people to fly to space.
China is developing a reusable rocket for human spaceflight, according to Space.com,
that would be capable of launching a new, larger, and largely reusable crew spaceship
to the International Space Station.
More people could travel to space at the same time with the new technology.
In 2021, Huang Kewu, a human spaceflight official with China's main space contractor, the China
Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said that while the Shenzhou spacecraft can
only transport three astronauts, the new generation
of crewed space transportation vehicles will
be able to transport six to seven astronauts.
In addition, business opportunities are being explored.
Blue Origin is cited as inspiration by CAS Space, a commercial spinoff of the Chinese
Academy of Sciences (CAS), which wants to offer tourist trips to space as early as 2025.
Meanwhile, the Space Transportation Corporation is developing a "rocket with wings" for space
tourism and point-to-point travel, with the first suborbital flight scheduled for 2025.
Orbital flights are expected to begin in 2030.
Moreover, Wu Ji, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' National Space Science
Center, told the Beijing Review that he thought Chinese firms will be able to compete in the
worldwide space tourism industry.
"Commercial programs can help lower costs and improve the efficiency of space activities,
benefiting both established players and newcomers to the area," Wu added.
Although China's first space tourism flights aren't expected to take off for a few years,
the country is committed to providing several routes for people to get to space.
Are you excited to try these space tourism flights?
Let us know what you think in the comments!
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