The main Chinese space contractor is targeting more than forty orbital launches for this year 2021. Among these notable missions will be the launch of a first module of the future Chinese space station, but also manned flights.
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announces the color. In a recent report outlining major upcoming missions for 2021, China's leading space contractor details plans to perform more than forty launches orbitals this year, just like Elon Musk with SpaceX.
As a reminder, China operated 39 launches last year (of which 34 are to the credit of the CCAC). Among the most notable missions of 2020 is the launch of a prototype next-generation crew spacecraft that will aim to ferry astronauts and cargo into space. We should also mention the Tianwen-1 mission, en route to Mars, which presents itself as the country's first independent interplanetary mission. Without forgetting the Chang'e 5 mission and its return of historical lunar samples.
Also according to this report, missions related to the future Chinese space station will be integrated into these more than forty planned launches.
Recall that if the ISS is today the only operational station in orbit, a Chinese station called "Tiangong" (Heavenly Palace) is soon to succeed him. On board, taikonauts will conduct various scientific experiments. They will also prepare for future long-duration flights. A priori, the central module (17 meters long) of the structure should be able to be launched in a few weeks. The firing will be done with a Long March 5B rocket, from the Wenchang launch base.
Once this module is placed in orbit (between 340 and 450 km in altitude ), China will then launch its Shenzhou 12 mission which will aim to transport two to three taikonauts to the structure. This flight will mark China's seventh crewed spaceflight and the seventh crewed flight of the Shenzhou program.
These launches should also include that of the Fengyun weather satellite, a next-generation recoverable satellite, and those of the Gaofen Earth observation satellites.
The report also indicates that the CCAC will focus on accelerating the application of major national science and technology projects. However, the nature and timing of the vast majority of these missions will remain secret and will only be communicated at the time of the launches, as China has been accustoming us to for several years.
Finally, note that this CASC stated objective of more than forty launches does not include new Chinese space players. Expace, a trading arm of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), another state-owned defense conglomerate, is also expected to shine this year. This is also the case for LandSpace, a Chinese company that is developing a family of microlaunchers (Zhuque-2).
