China's Space Technology Leap

China's space mission to explore the far side of the Moon proves its progress in mastering science and technology.

AP/XINHUA/GUO CHENG

The Long March-5 rocket carrying the Chang'e-6 explorer spacecraft was launched from a launchpad at the Wenchang Space Spaceport in southern China's Hainan Province on Friday (3/5/2024). Last Friday, China launched a spacecraft to explore the far side of the moon and return with samples from that side.

China is one step ahead in mastering space science and technology. This was marked by the launch of a rover to explore the far side of the Moon, which until now was little known to humans and had never been done by other countries.

The rover, named Chang'e, was launched from the Wenchang Launch Center in Hainan Province, China, on Friday (3/5/2024) evening. The Chang'e-6 series unmanned spacecraft was carried by a Long March 5-YB rocket and, according to plan, was on the Moon for 53 days (Kompas.id, 3 May 2024).

According to Kompas records, China's first exploration of the Moon was carried out in 2013 with Chang'e-3. Then China's Chang'e-4 space probe successfully landed on the back side of the Moon on January 3 2019. In 2020, China sent Chang'e-5 to the Moon and returned with samples from there.

Also read: China Launches Exploration Vehicle to the Farthest Part of the Moon

China is also consolidating as a major player in the space industry by becoming the second country to successfully land its rover, Zhurong, on the surface of Mars on May 15, 2021. The rover transmitted a number of images of the Martian terrain back to Earth.

AFP/STR

Residents crowded the beach to witness the launch of the Long March 5 rocket carrying the Chang'e-6 explorer from the launch pad at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China's Hainan Province on May 3, 2024.

In line with China's rapid economic growth over the past three decades, the country's space development and technology mastery programs have advanced rapidly. Aside from landing on the Moon and Mars, China is also independently building a space station called Tiangong.

Big vision

China's success in exploring and sampling on the far side of the moon is not separate from the country's grand vision for its space program, which is fully supported by the government. In addition to a huge budget allocation, there is also strong political support for building a strong nation in the mastery of space science and technology.

Mastery of science and technology, including the space sector, is an important basis for a country to be globally competitive.

The Chinese Government-owned media consistently reports on China's space projects to support national renewal as the future's economic potential lies outside of Earth. China has prepared its space program in all areas and is now quickly catching up with its lag.

Mastery of science and technology, including the field of space, is an important foundation for a country to be globally competitive. In the global innovation index of 2023, China ranks 12th among the most innovative economies and is one of the countries with the largest number of science and technology clusters in the world.

CHINA NATIONAL SPACE ADMINISTRATION (CNSA) VIA CNS / AFP

The image of the Yutu-2 rover taken from the Chang'e-4 lander was released by the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) on January 11, 2019. In the future, China plans to build an international base on the Moon.

The ability to adopt and adapt to technological developments is influenced by the quality of education. This is reflected in the test results of the international student assessment program (program for international student assessment/PISA) designed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Also read: Competition between China and the United States on the Moon

According to the results of the PISA 2022 score, China ranked second with the highest scores after Singapore, although it decreased compared to 2018 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The PISA score measures the knowledge and skills of 15-year-old students in literacy, numeracy, and science, followed by 81 countries.

Learning from China, lagging behind in all fields, especially in science and technology, can be quickly addressed by boosting the development of education and the economy. This certainly requires a high level of government commitment to build a country that is strong in mastering science and technology.