Private sector actively competing for involvement in China's space station, manned lunar missions
JIUQUAN, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- China's private space enterprises are hopeful that commercial rockets developed by them will be involved in the launch missions of the low-cost cargo transport vehicle for the country's space station, announced a senior official with the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) at a press conference on Wednesday.
In proposals provided by space enterprises for China's space station low-cost cargo transport system program, many enterprises chose the plans developed by private commercial space rocket companies, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA.
The transport capacity of these commercial rockets ranges from 4 tonnes to 6 tonnes, with very high comprehensive cost performance. They are expected to participate in the next phase of commercial procurement, he added.
Five state-owned enterprises and four private commercial companies submitted a total of 10 proposals for the cargo transport system program. After evaluation, four proposals entered the design stage.
Lin also mentioned that after the CMSA had solicited proposals for the manned lunar rover, many universities, automobile enterprises and scientific research institutions in China had jointly set up teams to carry out design work.
A total of 14 teams, formed by more than 40 enterprises, research institutes and universities, submitted proposals and 11 teams have passed the first-round review for further evaluation.
The CMSA is very happy to see that China's private commercial space companies are developing rapidly, and are actively participating in manned space missions, he added.
Related articles
Mideast in Pictures: Long road to recovery awaits quake
People pass by a collapsed building in Adiyaman, Türkiye, Feb. 18, 2023. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinh2024-05-01Flight steward leaves passengers in stitches with hilarious pre
A flight attendant left airline passengers in stitches with his hilarious pre-flight entertainment a2024-05-013 jailed for Hong Kong's priciest art heist, after selling billion
Three burglars who carried out a record-breaking US$637 million art heist inHongKongbut remained obl2024-05-01More than 214k vehicles seized by police forces last year
Police forces across Britain seized more than 214,000 vehicles from the road last year.Cars can be t2024-05-01European stocks drop as ECB hikes rates
Photo taken on Feb. 24, 2022 shows the Bull and Bear sculptures outside the Frankfurt Stock Exchange2024-05-01- With the Budget tipped to be the Chancellor’s last roll of the dice before a General Election, expec2024-05-01
atest comment