China is updating its roadmap for space exploration, from Mars to gas giants

In addition to lunar missions, China It aims to explore different parts of the solar system thanks to a rich road map that will reach the gas giants, but not only. These future missions have already been discussed in the past, and the latest updates in this regard were announced during the 74th International Astronautical Congress. As written in the past, this places the Eastern nation among the superpowers of space exploration, ahead of all competitors (except the United States).

As written in previous news regarding lunar missions, we will begin by launching the communications satellite QUIQIAO-2 In early 2024. The next mission will be the Chang’e-6 mission to bring back regolith samples from the far side of the Moon around the middle of next year. We will then move on to asteroids with Tianwen-2.

This mission plans to submit a report for examinationAsteroid 469219 Kamualoa (also known as 2016HO3) and taking samples to return to Earth. It will therefore be a similar mission to OSIRIS-REx, Hayabusa 2 and Hayabusa 1, which also allows for a mission flew by Comet 311P/PanSTARRS. This mission is scheduled to launch in 2025.

there China It will then return to dedicate itself to the Moon with Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8, between 2026 and 2028 (or perhaps by 2030). In 2028 there could be a launch Tianwen-3the task of bringing samples from Mars Which will compete directly with NASA and the European Space Agency’s Mars sample returns. Up to this point, no sample has been brought back from another planet, so agencies that succeed will be able to look forward to a new record.

By 2030, there will be a manned landing on the moon, and after a few years the construction of the lunar base on the surface of the satellite should begin. In the 1930s there will instead be a launch Tianwen-4. With this mission China You will aim to explore Jupiter. This will be the nation’s first mission to go beyond Mars. With future Tianwen missions, we will instead look to other gas giants and the outer solar system.

From the 2030s onwards, there will also be a NASA DART-like mission to change the asteroid’s orbit. Furthermore, we will focus on observing solar activity, studying the heliosphere, and discovering and analyzing exoplanets. A new communications satellite called QUIQIAO-3 This will provide better coverage for missions to Mars and Venus. But it didn’t end here.

Possible manned mission to Mars (source)

With technological progress, the challenge will be to improve humanity Mars. there China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology CALT demonstrated a possible plan to land a crew on the Red Planet in the 2040s and 2050s. as shown, China It can achieve this by launching several heavy carriers but also through development Spaceships with Thermonuclear propulsion And Nuclear electric. There will be no shortage of on-orbit assembly and refueling operations to simplify launches from Earth while keeping cargo launches separate from crewed ones. It is clearly a project that will not be implemented in the near future, plans may change and the technologies necessary for this flight will still need to be developed.