China is stepping up its space goals, announcing that it plans to send at least 140 spacecraft through more than 50 rocket launches within this year. The Chinese government also committed to finishing work on its Tiangong space station. This year's goals are slightly higher than the record 48 launches the nation conducted in 2021.
The state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) said in an annual report released Wednesday that it plans to conduct six launches this year dedicated to the ongoing work on the Tiangong space station. The company said it would launch two rockets in the second half of the year to deliver two 22-ton modules that will connect to the Tianhe core module, which is already in orbit.
China has already launched two satellites this year, including Shiyan-13, on Jan. 16. The China National Space Administration said the satellite would be used to conduct "space environment monitoring" and other zero-gravity experiments.
The Shenzhou-14 spacecraft is set to fly in May, carrying a three-person crew to relieve the present crew of the Tianhe core module on the Chinese space station. The replacement crew will also be there to prepare the Tiangong space station for the arrival of the two additional modules.
Chinese previously had its own space station orbiting the planet called Tiangong-1. The station was the predecessor to the current one being built in orbit. The Tiangong-1 was featured prominently in the 2013 movie "Gravity."
The current Tianhe core module crew of three is scheduled to return to Earth in March, marking the first time Chinese astronauts have spent six months in space. In January last year, China announced plans of sending an unmanned mission to land on the moon within the next five years. China's Yutu-2 moon rover sent back photographs of the lunar horizon in December.
Following roughly two years of pandemic-related delays, private launch company Landspace aims to launch the Zhuque-2, a newly built methane-fueled rocket, in the first quarter of 2022.
China, the third country to send a person into space, is advancing its space program at an unprecedented rate. Since 2016, the country has conducted 207 successful launches. Last year, China set a record by conducting 48 total launched through CASC and seven separate launches conducted by private companies.
The nation's rapid expansion of its rocket technology had caused some controversy when it allegedly began conducting tests on a nuclear-capable hypersonic orbital vehicle. The U.S. imposed sanctions on three Chinese companies in January allegedly involved in the proliferating missile technologies.
