{"id":100305,"date":"2024-11-19T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.futuribles.com\/conquete-spatiale-chine-et-inde-sont-sur-les-rangs\/"},"modified":"2024-12-16T13:27:05","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T12:27:05","slug":"conquete-spatiale-chine-et-inde-sont-sur-les-rangs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.futuribles.com\/en\/conquete-spatiale-chine-et-inde-sont-sur-les-rangs\/","title":{"rendered":"Space conquest: China and India in the running"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Two events this autumn bear witness to the return of space to the forefront of geopolitical competition. Asia has no intention of being outdone in this field, as demonstrated by China\u2019s grand unveiling of its lunar spacesuit at the end of September and India\u2019s announcement of its intention to build two space stations.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

China on its way to the Moon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since the beginning of 2024, it has been known that the development of the spacesuit and all the other Chinese Selene equipment for manned exploration of the Moon had been completed. It was therefore logical that they should gradually be unveiled. This has now happened, at least with the suit, which was unveiled at the end of September 2024 in a video by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The Chinese lunar spacesuit<\/h2>\n

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\u00a9 CMSA<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s as mobile as the outfits worn by the American astronauts on the Apollo programme, but the backpack with the survival equipment looks much more compact. After 50 years of technical progress, that would make sense.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n

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The creation of a spacesuit was required to explore the lunar surface, as it is unthinkable to land taikonauts on the Moon without them being able to get out of their spaceship to go on excursions. But it was also undoubtedly a message to the Americans, who are developing similar suits for the Artemis programme under the auspices of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and its allies.<\/p>\n

This suit is probably an advanced version of those that have been in regular use since the start of operations on the Tiangong-3 <\/em>space station.<\/em> To walk on the Moon, it has been made more mobile and some parts have had to be reinforced to withstand falls and, above all, the intense radiation on the Moon\u2019s surface. This extravehicular suit is also a measure of the progress that has been made since the first spacewalk by Chinese taikonauts during the Shenzhou-7 mission in 2008. Since then, some fifteen spacewalks have been performed from Tiangong-3<\/em>, and many more are planned before the Chinese set foot on the Moon in 2029. This experiment will undoubtedly be very useful for using a more sophisticated suit on the Moon. According to another announcement, also made in early 2024, several taikonauts have been training for lunar walks for several years.<\/p>\n

It is not yet known who will be the first taikonauts to land on the Moon. However, the video clip presenting the spacesuit showed two \u201cglories\u201d of Chinese astronautics, Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping, respectively the first Chinese man and woman outside a spacecraft from the Middle Kingdom. Some speculated that these two taikonauts might form the first couple on the surface of the Moon. We know that the Americans will land a man and a woman when they return to this natural satellite. So it wouldn\u2019t be surprising if a similar decision had been taken in Beijing \u2014 it\u2019s in the air right now.<\/p>\n

The spacesuits and other lunar equipment have entered the production phase, according to an announcement made by CASC (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation) in September 2024. This means that we won\u2019t have to wait much longer for the start of flight testing of these materials, some of which don\u2019t yet require the future CZ-10 lunar launcher to be put into service.<\/p>\n

The very official presentation of the lunar spacesuit is the first tangible act in the Sino-American competition for the Moon. After an absence of 50 years, mankind is set to return to the Moon. But with the uncertainties of the Artemis programme mounting, China\u2019s more measured lunar effort, based on the robust Apollo scenario, seems to be on the right track.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n

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\n Voir aussi<\/span>\n
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\n \n \"\"<\/a>\n <\/span>\n \n Reuse and recycling: solutions from the space sector<\/a>\n \n \n <\/use>\n<\/svg>\n <\/a>\n <\/span>\n
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2 May 2024<\/div>\n PAILLET Alexis<\/a>\n FOURNEL Valentin<\/a>\n
\n 8 min.\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \n <\/use>\n<\/svg>\n\n Interview\n <\/a>\n Environment<\/a>\n Science and Technology<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Two space stations for India<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For its part, the Indian government has reaffirmed its space ambitions in the field of manned space flight with the spectacular announcement, in September 2024, of its intention to build two space stations. One will be placed around the Earth and should be operational in 2035; five years later, another infrastructure will be placed in orbit around the Moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a time when India\u2019s manned space flight programme is well advanced, with the first automatic flight scheduled in a few months\u2019 time, it was only logical that the country should announce the next stage in the programme, i.e.<\/em> the creation of a space station. Moreover, at a time when the global astronautics industry is experiencing a momentum unprecedented since the conquest of the Moon in the 1960s, India\u2019s announcement is a reminder that it intends to play its part, and at a very high level, since its flights are now aimed at the Moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

India\u2019s announcement is almost historic, as its astronauts will not only be circling the Earth, but will also be taking part in the second conquest of the Moon. This is unprecedented and quite unexpected, even though the Indian Space Research Organisation\u2019s (ISRO) roadmaps for 2018 and 2023 were very ambitious.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n India\u2019s roadmap for space exploration in 2023\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Source: <\/em>ISRO Lunar Roadmap<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n

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Since 2018, India\u2019s Gaganyaan manned spacecraft programme has made significant progress, with numerous ground tests and the testing of the escape tower. In addition, two of the four astronauts selected by India are currently training in the United States for the Axiom-4 mission, which is due to take off for the International Space Station (ISS) in April 2025. In principle, the incumbent and the backup on this American manned flight would logically be the first occupants of the Indian spacecraft, which could be launched in 2026.<\/p>\n

The next stage of the programme will be the assembly of a 50-tonne space station around the Earth, for which several concepts have recently been presented. It would be made up of five modules placed in orbit by the GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) launcher. Like other space stations, each module would have a specific function (habitat, laboratory, etc.).<\/p>\n

In the past, this project was known as \u201cHome\u201d. But the official name of the programme is \u201cBharatiya Antariksha Station\u201d (BAS), which stands for \u201cIndian Space Station\u201d. Assembly of the BAS would begin in 2028 and be completed in 2035. The Indian space infrastructure will be permanently occupied by two to four astronauts. It will be operated in an orbit identical to that of the ISS, at an altitude of 400-450 kilometres with an inclination of 51.6 degrees.<\/p>\n

The lunar station will undoubtedly follow, but we have no information on its technical characteristics or capabilities. It is remarkable that the announcement of this Indian base around the Moon was made at virtually the same time as that of the future Chinese lunar station. To be continued…<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n

\n
\n Voir aussi<\/span>\n
\n
\n \n \"\"<\/a>\n <\/span>\n \n Will the Food of the Future Come from Space?<\/a>\n \n \n \n <\/use>\n<\/svg>\n <\/a>\n <\/span>\n
\n
29 August 2023<\/div>\n NAVARRO Gr\u00e9gory<\/a>\n
\n 8 min.\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \n <\/use>\n<\/svg>\n\n Interview\n <\/a>\n Environment<\/a>\n Science and Technology<\/a>\n Society<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

——-
N.B.: <\/em>this note compiles two articles, slightly revised, which appeared in the Lettre confidentielle Asie21-Futuribles, <\/em>No. 187, October 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013
N.B.: this article has been translated from French by DeepL, and revised by the author and Futuribles.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two events this autumn bear witness to the return of space to the forefront of geopolitical competition. Asia has no intention of being outdone in this field, as demonstrated by China\u2019s grand unveiling of its lunar spacesuit at the end of September and India\u2019s announcement of its intention to build two space stations. China on … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":99456,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"both","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":301,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[140],"tags":[203,210],"keyword":[953,1048,1306,1066,1265,1044],"class_list":["post-100305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newswatch","tag-geopolitique-en","tag-science-et-technique-en","keyword-chine-en","keyword-geopolitique-en","keyword-technologie-de-pointe-en","keyword-inde-en","keyword-sciences-de-l-espace-en","keyword-techniques-spatiales-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.futuribles.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.futuribles.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.futuribles.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futuribles.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futuribles.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100305"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.futuribles.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100305\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100315,"href":"https:\/\/www.futuribles.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100305\/revisions\/100315"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futuribles.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.futuribles.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futuribles.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futuribles.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100305"},{"taxonomy":"keyword","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futuribles.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/keyword?post=100305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}