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Summary of the White Paper on China's Space Activities
The Information Office of the State Council published November 21 a white paper, titled "China's Space Activities," which gives a brief introduction to the aims and principles, present situation, future development and international cooperation concerning China's space activities.
The white paper says that after the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, China carried out space activities on its own, and succeeded in developing and launching its first man-made satellite in 1970.
China has made eye-catching achievements, and now ranks among the world's most advanced countries in some important fields of space technology. In the 21st century, China will continue to promote the development of its space program in the light of its national situation, and make due contributions to the peaceful use of outer space, and to the civilization and progress of mankind.
According to the white paper, the Chinese government has all along regarded the space industry as an integral part of the state's comprehensive development strategy, and upheld that the exploration and utilization of outer space should be for peaceful purposes and benefit the whole of mankind.
The aims of China's space activities are: to explore outer space, and learn more about the cosmos and the Earth; to utilize outer space for peaceful purposes, promote mankind's civilization and social progress, and benefit the whole of mankind; and to meet the growing demands of economic construction, national security, science and technology development and social progress, protect China's national interests and build up the comprehensive national strength.
China carries out its space activities in accordance with the following principles:
-- Adhering to the principle of long-term, stable and sustainable development and making the development of space activities cater to and serve the state's comprehensive development strategy;
-- Upholding the principle of independence, self-reliance and self-renovation and actively promoting international exchanges and cooperation;
-- Selecting a limited number of targets and making breakthroughs in key areas according to the national situation and strength;
-- Enhancing the social and economic returns of space activities and paying attention to the motivation of technological progress; and
-- Sticking to integrated planning, combination of long-term development and short-term development, combination of spacecraft and ground equipment, and coordinated development.
Regarding the development of the country's space industry, the white paper says that since its birth in 1956, China's space program has gone through several important stages of development: arduous pioneering, overall development in all related fields, reform and revitalization, and international cooperation.
According to the policy paper, China's space industry "has reached a considerable scale and level." A comprehensive system of research, design, production and testing has been formed. Space centers capable of launching satellites of various types and manned spacecraft as well as a TT&C (Telemetry Tracking and Command) network consisting of ground stations across the country and tracking and telemetry ships are in place.
Furthermore, a number of satellite application systems have been established and have yielded remarkable social and economic benefits. A space science research system of a fairly high level has been set up and many innovative achievements have been made. And a contingent of qualified space scientists and technicians has come to the fore.
In the process of carrying out space activities independently, China has opened a road of development unique to its national situation and scored a series of important achievements with relatively small input and within a relatively short span of time, the white paper says.
Currently, China ranks among the most advanced countries in the world in many important technological fields, such as satellite recovery, multi-satellite launch with a single rocket, rockets with cryogenic fuel, strap-on rockets, launch of geo-stationary satellites and TT&C. Significant achievements have also been gained in the development and application of remote-sensing satellites and telecommunications satellites, and in manned spacecraft testing and space micro-gravity experiments.
It recalls that China's first man-made satellite, the "Dongfanghong-I" was successfully developed and launched on April 24, 1970, making China the fifth country in the world with such capability. By October 2000, China had developed and launched 47 satellites of various types, with a flight success rate of over 90 percent.
China is the third country in the world to have mastered the technology of satellite recovery, with the success rate reaching the advanced international level, and the 5th country capable of developing and launching geo-stationary telecommunications satellites independently. The major technological index of China's meteorological and earth resource satellites has reached the international level of the early 1990s.
China has independently developed the "Long-March" rocket group, containing 12 types of launching vehicles capable of launching satellites to near-earth, geo-stationary and sun-synchronous orbits.
Since 1985, when the Chinese government announced putting the " Long-March" rockets into the international commercial launching market, China has launched 27 foreign-made satellites into space, thus acquiring a share of the international commercial launching market. Up to now, the "Long-March" rockets have accomplished 63 launches, and made 21 consecutive successful flights from October 1996 to October 2000.
China has set up three launching sites -- in Jiuquan, Xichang and Taiyuan, and meanwhile, the country has also established an integrated TT&C network comprising TT&C ground stations and ships, which has successfully accomplished TT&C missions for near-earth orbit and geo-stationary orbit satellites, and experimental spacecraft. This network has acquired the capability of sharing TT& C resources with international network, and its technology has reached the advanced world level.
The white paper says that China initiated its manned spaceflight program in 1992 and its first unmanned experimental spacecraft -- "Shenzhou"-- was successfully launched and recovered November 20-21, 1999.
China attaches importance to developing all kinds of application satellites and satellite application technology, and has made great progress in satellite remote-sensing, satellite telecom and satellite navigation. Remote-sensing and telecommunications satellites account for about 71 percent of the total number of satellites developed and launched by China. These satellites have been widely utilized in all aspects of economy, science and technology, culture, and national defense, and yielded remarkable social and economic returns.
The white paper goes on to say that with the establishment and improvement of China's socialist market economic mechanism, the state guides the development of space activities through macro-control, makes overall plans for the development of space technology, space application and space science, promotes the R&D and system integration of important space technologies and the application of space science and technology in the fields of economy, science and technology, culture, and national defense. The state has also carried out reforms in the space science and technology industry to achieve sustainable development of the space industry.
The state has strengthened legislation work and policy management, enacted laws and regulations and promulgated industrial policies for the space industry to ensure orderly and standardized development of space activities. Research institutions, industrial enterprises, commercial enterprises and institutions of higher learning are encouraged to make full use of their advantages and participate in space activities under the guidance of the state's space policies, according to the policy paper.
It makes it clear that the China National Space Administration (CNSA) is China's governmental organization responsible for the management of satellites for civilian use and inter-governmental space cooperation with other countries.
The white paper maps out a blueprint for the future development of China's space industry. The 21st century will witness vigorous development of space activities across the world, it says, disclosing that China is drafting a space development strategy and plans oriented to the 21st century according to the actual demands and long-term target of national development to spur the growth of the space industry.
The white paper lists the short-term development targets for the next decade as follows:
-- To build up an earth observation system for long-term stable operation;
-- To set up an independently operated satellite broadcasting and telecommunications system;
-- To establish an independent satellite navigation and positioning system;
-- To upgrade the overall level and capacity of China's launch vehicles;
-- To realize manned spaceflight and establish an initially complete R&D and testing system for manned space projects;
-- To establish a coordinated and complete national satellite remote-sensing application system;
-- To develop space science, explore outer space, and carry out pre-study for outer space exploration centering on the exploration of the moon.
The long-term development targets for the next 20 years or more are as follows:
-- To achieve industrialization and marketization of space technology and space applications;
-- To establish a multi-function and multi-orbit space infrastructure composed of various satellite systems and set up a satellite ground application system;
-- To establish China's own manned spaceflight system; and
-- To obtain a more important place in the world in the field of space science with more achievements and carry out explorations and studies of outer space.
Regarding China's international cooperation in the space industry, the white paper says that China persistently supports activities involving the peaceful use of outer space, and maintains that international space cooperation shall be promoted and strengthened on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, mutual complementarity and common development.
The Chinese government holds that international space cooperation should follow the fundamental principles listed in the "Deceleration on International Cooperation on Exploring and Utilizing Outer Space for the Benefits and Interests of All Countries, Especially in Consideration of Developing Countries' Demands," which was approved by the 51st General Assembly of the United Nations in 1996.
According to the policy paper, China adheres to the following principles while carrying out international space cooperation:
- The aim of international space cooperation is to peacefully develop and use space resources for the benefit of all mankind.
- International space cooperation should be carried out on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, mutual complementarity and common development, and the generally accepted principles of international law.
- The priority aim of international space cooperation is to simultaneously increase the capability of space development of all countries, particularly the developing countries, and enable all countries to enjoy the benefits of space technology.
- Necessary measures should be adopted to protect the space environment and space resources in the course of international space cooperation.
- The function of the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (OOSA) should be consolidated and the outer space application programs of the United Nations should be backed up.
According to the white paper, China's participation in international space cooperation started in the mid-1970s. During the last two decades or more, China has joined bilateral, regional, multilateral and international space cooperation in different forms, such as commercial launching service, which have yielded extensive achievements. Since 1985, China has established long-term cooperative relations with a dozen countries.
China attaches great importance to space cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, the white paper says.
Regarding multilateral cooperation, China dispatched, in June 1980, an observer delegation to the 23rd Meeting of UN COPUOS for the first time, and on November 3, 1980, China became a member country of the committee. Since then, China has participated in all the meetings of UN COPUOS and the annual meetings held by its Science, Technology and Law Sub-committee. In 1983 and 1988, China acceded to the "Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies," "Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space," "Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects," and "Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space," and has strictly performed its responsibilities and obligations. China also supports and has participated in the UN space applications program.
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