2022年4月24日是第七个中国航天日，2022年也是中国航天事业创建66周年。
52年前的今天，中国第一颗人造地球卫星“东方红一号”发射成功，中国探索宇宙奥秘的序幕由此拉开。仰望星空，北斗环绕，嫦娥奔月，神舟飞天！我们从未停止探索浩瀚宇宙的脚步！April 24th marks the 52nd anniversary of the successful launch of Dongfanghong-1, China's first man-made satellite. China is striding toward an era of accelerated space exploration.
4月24日，国家航天局副局长吴艳华表示，探月工程四期今年正式启动工程研制，中国航天将坚持面向世界航天发展前沿、面向国家航天重大战略需求，陆续发射嫦娥六号、嫦娥七号、嫦娥八号探测器，开展任务关键技术攻关和国际月球科研站建设。其中嫦娥六号计划到月球背面采样，并正在论证构建环月球通信导航卫星星座。1月28日，国务院新闻办公室发布《2021中国的航天》白皮书。发布会透露，“十四五”期间，我国要启动一批新的航天重大工程，其中就包括探月工程四期。据悉，中国探月工程四期经过多年论证，已于2021年底正式通过立项审批。具体将分三步实施，计划在2030年之前发射嫦娥六号、嫦娥七号和嫦娥八号，目前研制工作进展比较顺利。China set up a five-year plan at the beginning of this year to build a "new development model" and achieve "high-quality development" in its space project. The space industry will play an increasingly important role in China's growth as the country "starts a new journey towards becoming a space power," according to a white paper published by the State Council Information Office.
China kicked off phase 4 of its lunar exploration last year, which will include three launches.
此前，中国工程院院士、中国探月工程总设计师吴伟仁在接受科技日报采访时也曾介绍，嫦娥六号计划在月球极区进行采样返回，争取从月球极区采集一公斤到两公斤样品回地球；嫦娥七号计划在月球南极着陆，对月球资源进行勘察，并寻找着陆点；嫦娥八号将与嫦娥七号协同工作，主要任务是勘察如何对月球南极的资源进行开发利用。吴伟仁还解释了为什么“嫦娥”要在月球南极找水这一问题。他表示，探月工程四期的主要目标是对月球南极开展科学探测，建立起月球科研站的基本型。吴伟仁告诉记者，之所以选择在南极建站，是因为月球南极可能存在极昼和极夜现象，极昼期间可能出现连续180多天的光照，在这里设立科研站，可能更加有利于长时间开展工作。吴伟仁还表示，计划先建一个基本型科研站，相当于管理中枢和指挥中心，之后逐步进行完善。除了执行这几次任务，在2030年后还要继续实施几次任务，争取在2035年之前把国际月球空间站建成，可以长期运行。
The missions in phase 4 will mainly focus on the south pole of the moon. Chang'e-6 will retrieve lunar samples from there; Chang'e-7 will conduct a detailed resources survey of the area and Chang'e-8 will test key technologies for the potential construction of a research facility on the moon."Our primary goal in phase 4 is to set up a basic model of the ILRS after several landings in the moon's south pole," Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program said in an interview with newspaper Science and Technology Daily.According to Wu, all three launches in this phase will be completed before 2030. "We are expecting that more missions will follow after 2030, so construction on the ILRS will be completed by 2035 for long-term operation," he said.The south pole of the moon is an ideal location to set up the lab as it could get over 180 consecutive days of sunlight, providing convenient conditions for stationed astronauts to conduct research.
2021年5月15日7时18分，天问一号着陆巡视器“祝融号”成功着陆于火星乌托邦平原南部预选着陆区，我国首次火星探测任务着陆火星成功。“祝融号”成功着陆火星后，进行了探测、数据和图像采集。这使中国成为继美国和苏联之后第三个成功实现无人探测器登陆火星的国家。此外，中国航天科技集团一院院长王小军在俄罗斯召开的2021年全球航天探索大会上，分享了中国载人火星探测“三步走”设想。王小军表示，载人火星探测任务的计划出发时间为2033年、2035年、2037年、2041年、2043年等。China launched its first inter-planetary mission in July 2020 to Mars. Tianwen-1 achieved all its targets: the rover Zhurong successfully touched down on the red planet and carried out exploration, collecting data and images. This made China the third country after the U.S. and the Soviet Union to successfully land an unmanned probe on Mars.Last June, China disclosed its roadmap for future Mars missions at an international space convention in Russia, including details on the preparation phase, manned missions, and an Earth-Mars cargo fleet.A potential timetable of manned Mars missions – including 2033, 2035, 2037, 2041 and 2043 – was unveiled at the convention. China will also probe asteroids and undertake an exploration mission to the Jupiter system around 2030, according to Xinhua.“羲和号”卫星是我国首颗太阳探测的科学技术实验卫星，去年10月14日在太原卫星发射中心成功发射，标志着我国正式迈入空间探日的时代。“羲和号”卫星作为我国首颗太阳探测的科学技术实验卫星，经过三个多月的在轨测试和实验，完成了卫星平台技术验证40多次，对太阳进行了探测成像290多次。此前，吴伟仁在接受采访时表示，中国深空探测将于2049年实现“双百”目标：在中华人民共和国成立100周年之际，我国航天器将首次飞抵距地100个天文单位，也就是抵达150亿公里左右的太阳系边际开展科学探测和在轨试验。Additionally, scientists have sent an observation satellite named Xihe towards the sun to collect data about the ultimate source of energy for all lives in the solar system. It has taken more than 290 photos after three months in orbit around the sun."We plan to achieve the goal of 'double 100' in 2049," Wu told Global Times in March. " That is, to complete 100 astronomical units, or 15 billion kilometers of travel in deep space, for the centenary of the founding of the People's Republic of China."