Although China already has its own orbiting space station, scientists want to achieve a milestone: “an ultra-large spacecraft spanning miles.” The National Natural Sciences Foundation of China, which is leading the research, has devised a colossal project that will include autonomous robotic systems that build structures in orbit. The ultimate goal is to have a mega-structure more than 1.5 kilometers wide in orbit, as well as solar power plants, resorts, gas stations, and even asteroid mining facilities.
This effort would guarantee “the future use of space resources, the exploration of the mysteries of the universe and the permanence in orbit in the long term”, clarifies the National Foundation of Natural Sciences of China, financed by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the country.
Reduce the weight of the components of the ship
These new structures will require lightweight materials to allow larger objects to enter orbit with existing rockets , as the weight of the spacecraft components would have to be reduced, as such a large facility would require multiple launches of various sections to later assemble into orbit and the cost would skyrocket.
Planned for a five-year project, the first of which will be a high-orbit solar power station that will ‘send’ electricity back to a base station in China to power the grid in 2035. If funded, the feasibility study would last these five years and would have a budget of 15 million yuan (about 2 million euros). More money will be needed to finally create and launch the mega structure, of course. Other projects could include massive new orbital platforms covering several kilometers of space, thus dwarfing the current International Space Station, which is roughly the length of a football field: 100 meters long and 80 meters wide.
Recall that the ISS was launched in 1998, as a partnership between space agencies from the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. It has hosted more than 3,000 experiments since then, but China does not have access to it due to US regulations that prohibit NASA from using funds to collaborate with China.
Mounts in space
The Chinese mega station claims to be larger but less massive than the ISS, so construction techniques could also reduce the cost of taking a giant spacecraft into space. The conventional approach would be to build components on Earth and then assemble them, but 3D printing technology could turn compact raw materials into structural components of much larger dimensions in space.
In essence, the new project is not designed to put these structures into orbit, but rather to spend the next half decade minimizing the weight of spacecraft and materials for this purpose. Thus, finding new materials, lighter but more durable, could reduce the number of trips and make it more profitable.
To be sure, China’s ambition for space is growing. In the coming years, we may be poised for a major shift in the space scene as China continues to increase its desires.
