China's 'Ujugulgi' Takes Another Step... Successful Launch of Manned Spacecraft

Successful Mars Rover Landing Leads to Independent Space Station Construction in Just Over a Month
China's Space Technology Advancement as a Barometer of National Power Growth

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] China has taken another step closer to its "space rise."

Chinese state media, including the official Xinhua News Agency, reported on the 17th that the manned spacecraft Shenzhou 12 was successfully launched at 9:22 a.m. on the 17th from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province, northwest China. Earlier, China had launched the Tianzhou 2 cargo spacecraft carrying the Tianhe core module and crew supplies in April and May respectively, and they are currently docked successfully.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

After entering orbit, Shenzhou 12 will dock with Tianhe, the core module of the space station, and three crew members including Nie Haisheng will live inside the module for three months, conducting spacecraft repairs and maintenance, equipment replacement, scientific experiments, and extravehicular activities.

In addition to Shenzhou 12, China plans to successively launch the Tianzhou 3 cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft, aiming to complete the construction of its independent space station by the end of next year.

Following the successful launch of Shenzhou 12, excitement is sweeping across China. After successfully landing the Mars unmanned probe Tianwen 1 on the Martian plain Utopia last month, China has now succeeded in launching a manned spacecraft within about a month, earning internal recognition as a bona fide space development powerhouse.

Photo by Xinhua News Agency Capture

Chinese media such as Xinhua News Agency have published numerous space-related articles, including pre-interviews with the three Shenzhou 12 astronauts and details about their three-month activities in space. China Central Television (CCTV) broadcast the launch process live, including liftoff and rocket separation, and even showed real-time footage of the crew inside the spacecraft.

Xinhua News Agency, conscious of the space competition with the United States, issued a commentary criticizing the U.S. It emphasized, "China's space exploration purpose is to use space peacefully, with no intention of zero-sum competition or competing for global space leadership." It further explained, "In 2019, China, together with the United Nations (UN), announced an international cooperation project for the space station China was planning at the time."

On the other hand, it claimed, "The United States created legal barriers to cooperation between China and NASA," and "Their (U.S. Congress's) narrow-mindedness and selfishness have not been able to stop China's enthusiasm and progress in its space program."

Photo by Baidu capture

Xinhua News Agency self-assessed that the launch, occurring ahead of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, "is an event that shows that China's national strength growth and spirit of independence over the past decades have been the foundation of the development of China's space program."

With the International Space Station (ISS), jointly operated by existing space powers such as the United States and Russia, scheduled to operate only until 2024, China will become the only country to own and operate a space station starting in 2025.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.