China plans a huge spacecraft

  • Reading Time:3Minutes

Not much is known about the project, which is still in the early stages, but it is certain that the spacecraft will be so big that it will have to be assembled in space.

According to the South China Morning Post, the National Natural Science Foundation, part of China’s Ministry of Science and Technology, is already actively seeking researchers to help bring the project to life. Since such a spacecraft would be too large to be launched from Earth, the outline plan published by the foundation is to build it from modules that would be launched into orbit in a series of launches, with the spacecraft itself assembled in space. The launches would most likely be carried out by the Long March 9 rocket currently under development, which is expected to be ready by 2030 and capable of delivering up to 140 tonnes of cargo at a time into low Earth orbit. Under the five-year plan, the researchers would be tasked with developing the theoretical basis for building the spacecraft, including how to minimise the mass of the modules and how to assemble such a large structure in space without damaging it.

The paper adds that no decision has yet been taken on the construction of the spacecraft, which is just one of ten ideas put forward by the foundation’s maths and physics department earlier this month. The foundation will select five of the proposals, each of which will receive a grant of 15 million yuan.

In recent years, China has given a major boost to its space programme, which has recently achieved a number of major successes. At the end of April, they launched the central module of their space station, which has since hosted astronauts, in May they became the second country after the US to put a working Mars rover on the surface of Mars, and their probes have become a regular visitor to the Moon in recent years. The Chinese space agency will not slow down in the future, including plans for a lunar base to be built jointly with Russia.

Although the Chinese space shuttle plan is far beyond anything that has been done so far, there are already plans for similar large-scale projects, with Voyager Station currently the closest to being realised. The Orbital Assembly Corporation, which includes former NASA engineers in its ranks, intends to build a space station capable of carrying up to 400 people at a time, complete with artificial gravity, before 2030. The Voyager Station would also be built in space, and the company recently announced that it has successfully tested a robot prototype for a device that would enable construction in space.

While the Chinese giga-spacecraft is still a long way off, we could see a much bigger spacecraft taking off in the near future. SpaceX is reportedly well on track with the construction of the final version of Starship, which already has its Super Heavy launcher. Designed to travel to the Moon and Mars, the Starship will carry up to 100 people at a time and, if all goes to plan, could be ready for its first unmanned orbital test in a matter of weeks.

More articles you may be interested in...

Drones News & Articles

AI-powered drones transform public health in Africa

Malaria, a life-threatening disease caused by Plasmodium parasites and transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes, remains a formidable challenge to global health, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Electric airplane News & Articles

eVTOL vs. Electric airplanes: Which will dominate short-haul flights?

The aviation industry stands at a crossroads, with electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and electric airplanes vying to...>>>...READ MORE

Drones News & Articles

How China is revolutionizing drone manufacturing

News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel

The VarEVolt battery’s 18-second charge breakthrough

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

China’s role in fast-tracking eVTOL development

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

Horizon Aircraft and Andrea Mocellin collaborate on the Cavorite X

On June 25, 2025, Horizon Aircraft, a Toronto-based advanced aerospace engineering company listed on NASDAQ...>>>...READ MORE

more

News & Articles Points of interest

The ascent of iRonCub3, the world’s first jet-powered humanoid

News & Articles Points of interest

Vertiports vs. airports: Costs and urban planning challenges

Drones News & Articles

China’s mosquito-sized drone and the global race for micro-UAVs Introduction to micro-UAV technology

The National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) in Hunan, China, has unveiled a groundbreaking micro-unmanned...>>>...READ MORE

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

GAC’s Govy AirCab eVTOL unveiled

News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel

Achieving 90% fuel reduction in aviation

The aviation industry stands at a critical juncture, with global air travel demand projected to...>>>...READ MORE

more

Drones News & Articles

China’s plasma propulsion breakthrough

The China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center (CARDC), located in Mianyang, Sichuan Province, has pioneered a transformative advancement in drone technology through the development of plasma excitation technology.