China’s space program has made remarkable progress in 2021, with four major feats listed among the Global Top Ten Engineering Achievements by the journal Engineering, one of China’s most prestigious scientific publications.
One of the most notable achievements of China’s space program in 2021 was the construction of its own space station, which is expected to be completed by 2022. The space station consists of a core module named Tianhe, and two lab modules named Wentian and Mengtian. China has launched three crewed missions, Shenzhou-12, Shenzhou-13, and Shenzhou-14, to the space station, sending a total of nine astronauts, or taikonauts, to conduct various experiments and tasks. Among them, Wang Yaping became the first female taikonaut to enter the space station and perform extravehicular activities (EVAs). The space station also features a robotic arm that helps with astronauts’ spacewalks and other unmanned assembly work. China’s space station is one of only two crewed space stations currently in operation, along with the International Space Station (ISS).
China’s Mars mission achieves orbiting, landing and roving
Another milestone of China’s space program in 2021 was the successful landing of its first Mars probe, Tianwen-1, on the red planet. The probe consists of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover named Zhurong. The probe entered the Mars orbit in February, after more than six months of flight, and landed on a vast plain called Utopia Planitia on May 15. The rover then rolled out of the lander and began to explore the Martian surface, sending back high-resolution images and scientific data. The Tianwen-1 mission completed orbiting, landing and roving in one go, making China the second country in the world to achieve this feat. The mission aims to study the geology, climate, and potential signs of life on Mars.
China’s lunar sample return mission completes the last step of the three-step lunar exploration program
China also accomplished the last step of its three-step lunar exploration program (“orbit, land, and return”) in 2021, by bringing back lunar samples collected by the Chang’e-5 mission. The mission was launched in November 2020, and landed on the near side of the moon in December 2020. It collected about 1.7 kilograms of lunar rocks and soil, and returned to Earth on December 17, 2020. The samples were then transferred to a specially designed laboratory for analysis and research. The Chang’e-5 mission was the first lunar sample return mission since the Soviet Union’s Luna 24 mission in 1976, and the first one to collect samples from a previously unexplored area of the moon.
China’s Harmony OS becomes the world’s third-largest mobile operating system
Besides its space achievements, China also made significant progress in the field of information technology, with the launch of its self-developed mobile operating system, Harmony OS. The system was developed by Huawei, one of China’s leading technology companies, as an alternative to Android and iOS. Harmony OS is designed to be compatible with various devices, such as smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and wearable gadgets. It also supports cross-device collaboration, seamless data transfer, and distributed applications. According to Huawei, Harmony OS had been installed on over 100 million devices by September 2021, making it the world’s third-largest mobile operating system after Android and iOS.
