Today, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Space Administration, and the China Manned Space Engineering Office jointly releasedmy country's first national space science plan is the "National Space Science Medium and Long-term Development Plan (2024-2050)".The released plan also proposed a roadmap for the development of my country’s space science until 2050.
By 2050, my country’s space science development roadmap is divided into three stages:
Phase 1 to 2027
Operate the China Space Station, implement manned lunar exploration, the fourth phase of the lunar exploration project and the planetary exploration project, demonstrate and approve 5 to 8 space science satellite missions, and form a number of original achievements with important international influence.
Second phase 2028-2035
Continue to operate the China Space Station, demonstrate and implement scientific missions such as manned lunar exploration and lunar scientific research stations, demonstrate and implement about 15 space science satellite missions, and achieve original results that rank among the best in the world.
The third stage 2036-2050
More than 30 space science missions have been demonstrated and implemented, and important fields have reached world-leading levels.
In addition, the plan also proposes five major scientific themes and 17 priority development directions in which our country is expected to achieve breakthroughs.
The details are as follows:
Theme 1 "Extreme Universe".The main purpose is to explore the origin and evolution of the universe and reveal the physical laws under extreme cosmic conditions. Priority development directions under this theme include: dark matter and extreme universe, origin and evolution of the universe, and detection of cosmic baryonic matter.
Theme 2 "Ripples in Time and Space".It mainly detects medium and low-frequency gravitational waves and primitive gravitational waves to reveal the nature of gravity and space-time. The priority development direction is space gravitational wave detection.
Theme 3 "Sun-Earth Panorama".It mainly explores the earth, the sun and the heliosphere, and reveals the physical processes and laws of the complex system of the sun and the earth, and the connection between the sun and the solar system as a whole. Priority development directions include: earth circulation system, comprehensive observation of the earth and moon, space weather detection, solar stereoscopic detection, and outer heliosphere detection.
Topic 4 "Livable Planet".The main purpose is to explore the habitability of solar system objects and exoplanets, and to carry out the search for extraterrestrial life. Its priority development directions include: sustainable development, solar system archeology, planetary circle characterization, exploration of extraterrestrial life, and exoplanet detection.
Theme 5 "Space Object Investigation".The main purpose is to reveal the laws of material movement and life activities under space conditions, and to deepen the understanding of basic physics such as quantum mechanics and general relativity. Priority development directions under this theme include: microgravity science, quantum mechanics and general relativity, and space life science.