Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Chinese scientists have proposed a comprehensive network infrastructure between Earth and the moon to facilitate space travel and communication.
The China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and the Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering aim to establish three lunar ground stations and 30 satellites for global monitoring, navigation, and real-time communication services.
This network will enable up to 20 space travelers to communicate simultaneously with Earth using audio, images, or video.
The infrastructure will offer accurate positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) for spacecraft traveling between Earth and the moon and during lunar surface operations.
The network will monitor and track moving targets in the cislunar space, the region between Earth and the moon, even if the targets are as small as one meter.
The team, led by Yang Mengfei, chief designer of China’s Chang’e-5 mission, emphasizes the strategic importance of cislunar space as a new frontier for human activities, driving global competition for resources.
The researchers stress the need for strategic planning to avoid repetitive construction and optimize resource allocation for future missions, as China becomes a major player in deep space and lunar exploration.
The planning includes missions to the outer solar system, constructing an international lunar research station, and crewed lunar landings.
As other countries like the US, Europe, and Japan have plans for cislunar infrastructure but have not yet implemented them, China sees a unique opportunity to secure a substantial share in the emerging cislunar space industry.