Title: China’s Rocket Launch Boosts Ambitious Space Program
The rocket launch to space? A big deal. You not only watch it, but you also feel it hard. From a little far, the impact is huge, you can feel it in your chest and you can’t hear the person next to you. It’s hard not to be impressed.
For the folks who gathered to watch the Shenzhou-20 crew launch in Jiuquan, on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northwestern China, they were not only impressed but happy too. The countdown started, then screams of joy filled the air as it vanished into the atmosphere. China is showing off what it can do.
This launch may seem routine – three taikonauts headed to China’s space station for a six-month rotation. But it’s all part of a space program with big dreams, moving fast.
The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre is quite a journey. We traveled three and a half hours by bus from the nearest town, miles of dusty desert, just a few settlements and military bases on the way. The base is a massive facility in the middle of the desert, with everything for space staff like school, restaurants, and even a gift shop.
Our handlers from the Chinese government kept a close eye on us, it was hard to break from the schedule to chat with folks. But you could tell how proud they were. At the “farewell” ceremony, the crew waved goodbye to the crowds, people waved flowers and flags, singing national songs. “China is number one,” one man shouted. “I’m so proud to have been born in China,” a woman said. Space is a nationalistic thing here.
Everyone knows the context: a standoff with America, a race for results. China wants to be the next to put a person on the moon and the first to bring samples from Mars. All nations have other motives for space programs, not just science.
China has made big strides, including its own space station, a rover on Mars, and samples from the moon. While they say there’s no competition, space programs have other motives like military capabilities and intelligence. A sign outside the base says “to keep secrets is glorious” and “if you sell secrets you could be executed.”
China sees the space race in a long-term lens and in a world that’s polarized. The US is still the most powerful in space, but China is catching up fast. The world is watching.
