29 January 2017
In October 2003, after orbiting the world 14 times and traveling 600,000 kilometers, Yang Liwei landed safely back on Earth and in the history books. Like millions of other people across China, pilot Wang Yaping was mesmerized by what she saw. But to her, those static images represented more than just achievement. She saw an opportunity. "He was the first male taikonaut. Who would be the first female?" The fame and glory of those who actually make the trip into space often dwarfs the sacrifices of those who remain with their feet on the ground. Taikonauts are sons, daughters, wives, husbands, mothers and fathers. Their families too, experience a form of weightlessness as they watch, wait, hope and pray for their loved ones to come home.
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30 January 2018
Space technology proves attractive to investment. Last December, CASIC Rocket Technology Company, China’s first commercial rocket launch company, raised 1.2 billion yuan ($181.5 million) for the development and launch of its Kuaizhou series carrier rockets. The establishment of more and more such space startups has directed increasing investment to the space industry, said Tan Kaijia, a professor with the National Defense University of the People’s Liberation Army.
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30 January 2018
China's first X-ray astronomical satellite, launched in June last year, is put into service for scientific research on 30 January after finishing in-orbit tests. The 2.5-tonne Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT), dubbed Insight, has carried out in-orbit tests, including scanning and pointing observation, and gamma-ray burst tests, proving the qualified function and ability of the HXMT.
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30 January 2018
Chinese scientist Guo Huadong on 30 January published an article on the website of the academic journal, Nature, calling on global scientists to build a digital Silk Road using big data. Guo, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), said in the article that sharing big data from satellite imagery and other earth observations in the regions covered by China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative was key to sustainability. Guo has been the chairman of the Digital Belt and Road Program which was initiated in 2016 by Chinese scientists in cooperation with experts from 19 countries and seven international organizations. The aim of the Digital Belt and Road Program is to improve environmental monitoring, promote data sharing and support policymaking, Guo said.
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