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Launch missions, return missions and spacewalks: so many records have been made in China's space program in the past year. And engineers at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center, essentially the nerve center for these spaceflights, have their eyes glued on screens so they always know everything about the operations. And for many of the reporters who gather there in times of mission, the best source of information over the past two years, has been Sun Jun, Chief Engineer of Beijing Aerospace Control Center Space Station Mission. Reporters would wait until he could extract himself from the computer screens and reconstruct the mission of the day, which most often turned out to be a 'complete success.' And as he reconstructed the entire China Space Station buildup, those success stories have turned out so much longer in the making. China's three-step plan 'For the flight control team, we started to aim for building the China Space Station from around 2010 – when we were still on the space lab mission. We started with a task force team working to anticipate the needs for a flight control system for a space station,' Sun told CGTN. 'But actually, even when I joined the control center after graduation – some 27 years ago – I already knew that the flight control system was eventually working for the operation of China's space station, as having China's own space station is part of the 'three-step development plan for China Manned Space Program,' Sun said. 'In fact, the Beijing Flight Control Center was set up for China Manned Space Program.' China's strategy, which was put forward in 1992, involves three key milestones. The first step is the development of a manned spacecraft. The second step involves mastering technologies such as extravehicular activities, spacecraft rendezvous and docking, and launching a space lab. The last step is building a space station. 
Sun Jun (L) and his team work at Beijing Aerospace Control Center. /CGTN
Sun Jun (L) and his team work at Beijing Aerospace Control Center. /CGTN Unprecedented challenges Building a space station is the most difficult and complex one by magnitudes. The design teams had to cope with unprecedented challenges, from the rocket system to the control system. 'For a three-module, two or even three-ship space station configuration, it needs so many rendezvous and docking, many transpositions to finally take shape. It's a whole different level of complexity,' Sun said. 'For us, the most basic designing philosophy is target-oriented, that target being the China Space Station. For example, when the three modules merge into one in space, our systems on the ground merge too. The flight control system on the ground is modularized, assembled and sustainable. This way, the space and the ground coordinate in a flexible and seamless way. That's the thinking behind it, and it has proven effective,' he said. And for manned space missions, safety is of utmost importance. Sun says any command to be issued to space, must have already been tested 1:1 on the ground, to ensure every part of the action, in any scenarios, would go as planned. 'The safety awareness we have can be found in this saying: having one success doesn't mean the system is matured, and having one success doesn't mean the next one will be a success too. For the space program, it will always be high-stake, high-input.' Six launches in one year It has been particularly high-maintenance in the past year, the year for China Space Station's 'construction phase' that saw a record six launches in one year. In May, the Tianzhou-4 cargo ship was launched to the space station. In June, the Shenzhou-14 crew members headed for their space home. In July, the Wentian lab module, the first space lab module of the space station, was shot up and joined the Tianhe core module in orbit. In October, the second space lab module Mengtian was launched, and soon the basic T-shape configuration of the space station was formed. In November, the Shenzhou-15 crew departed for the space station when the Shenzhou-14 crew anxiously waited in space, and the six of them had the first ever rotation in the China Space Station. 'The construction was done within a year, a feat rare even in world space history. I feel that construction could be done this way because all relevant technologies have been proved mature by then,' Sun said. 'Also, it comes from a really large-scale collaboration. It's tens of thousands of scientists and engineers. It's accomplished because so many are of one mind and for one goal,' He added. 
The basic T-shape configuration of China's space station. /Xinhua
The basic T-shape configuration of China's space station. /Xinhua About 7,000 scenarios and solutions About 7,000 scenarios and solutions have been developed for the China Space Station program. 'Manned space program and deep-space exploration program can enhance each other,' he said. 'And we're very task-centered – so for the China Space Station mission, all research and construction units would gather to contribute to flight strategies and decisions for major actions. I feel this coordination and cooperation across systems is a great method, also a tradition in our field.' Changing situation in space But the field is changing in a way more menacing by the day, as increasing space debris threaten manned spacecraft. In 2021, in a letter to the United Nations, China revealed its space station had two close calls with SpaceX's satellites in the year, and the station had to implement preventive collision avoidance control. They won't be the last such maneuvers. 'The space environment is getting more dangerous, that's the reality and something we must face up to,' Sun said. 'So we will work to ramp up our abilities to detect and be more responsive, including evading those risks more efficiently. On the other hand, such space traffic control needs the whole international community to work together. The world must work together.' China acts responsibly Sun cited how China has done its part: the orbital parameters of China's space station have been made public. When cargo ships complete their tasks, they re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and fall into designated areas in the South Pacific in a controlled manner. The location of rocket debris is also made public globally. 'China has always acted responsibly in this regard. We think of space as a global community of shared future,' he stressed. For China's space station, it's already a shared platform, as Shenzhou crews have introduced it as 'the home in space for all human kind.' And as a space lab, it is home for cutting-edge experiments, projects across disciplines through international cooperation. The flight control team on the ground have anticipated just that. 'We will work to maintain the space station and ensure its smooth operation. We will continue to make sure astronauts get to the space station safe and sound, and welcome them back to Earth safe and sound. We will work to facilitate scientific results to come out, and work to make sure the China Space Station realizes every part of its potential,' Sun noted. And as the China Space Station enters a new year and a new stage, professionals on the ground will still have their eyes glued to it 24/7, for a long time to come. |
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