At present, the scale of the world's space industry continues to expand, and commercial space has become an important engine to drive the growth of the global space economy. Only the ahead of the layout, it is possible to seize the opportunity. How does our country make a layout in the field of commercial space? How should space enterprises seize the strategic commanding heights of the new space age?
April 24th is the third China space day. The theme of this year's space day is "building a new era of space space", which has given the industry a new focus on the development of China's commercial space. As Li Guoping, the director of the National Space Agency's system engineering division, said that commercial space is the inevitable product of the development of space technology to a certain stage, it is a major opportunity and challenge facing China's space space in the new era.
Focus on technological innovation
The aerospace industry is a high-tech industry. Technology is the core competitiveness of enterprises. Technological innovation is very important for the development of commercial space. In recent years, China's aerospace enterprises have developed rapidly, and some new concepts and technologies have emerged one after another.
Take carrier as an example, space technology group is developing a technology of reusable rocket power. "The existing space launch vehicles are obviously insufficient in space and the ability to reach further destinations, costs and operational efficiency. To this end, China's launch vehicle is reducing the cost of entering space through a variety of effective means. Lu Yu, director of the science and Technology Committee of Aerospace Science and technology group, said. In fact, China's rocket development personnel have been exploring the suitable national conditions in the field of reusable spacecraft. The maturity of this technology can reduce rocket launch costs and enhance the market competitiveness of rockets.
In the field of commercial aerospace, the market is the sole criterion for testing products. In January 9, 2017, the "fast boat one" small solid launch vehicle developed by the aerospace science and Engineering Group successfully delivered 3 satellites into orbit. This pure commercial space launch, from signing the launch service contract to the completion of the launch lasted for only 8 months, has won a good reputation. According to the plan, the fast launch eleven rocket with stronger capacity will carry out the first flight by "one arrow, six stars". The production cycle of fast boat eleven is shortened from 3 months to 1 months, and the overall cost is reduced by more than 50%. Fu Zhimin, the general craftsman of the China aerospace industry group, believes that "fast" is the trend of the future development of commercial space, and only efficient and flexible space activities can adapt to the market demand. Entering the new space age, enterprises engaged in commercial aerospace must work hard around the word "quick" and "speed up" and constantly increase technological innovation.
Expanding the application field
In China's marine, wild, mountain and other areas, ground communication system is usually unable to achieve coverage, so satellite communication has become the only communication guarantee. However, at present, there is no LEO satellite communication system in China. Foreign mature satellite data communication system can not be put into operation in the Chinese market. China Aerospace Technology Group will launch the "swan goose constellation" and will become the first system to meet the needs of basic satellite data communication.
The "swan goose constellation" means that this plan will release a group of "wild geese", that is, to build a "geese" composed of more than 300 low orbit small satellites. The global data business processing center, which is corresponding to it, will be able to realize the real-time two-way communication capability of all weather, full time, and complex terrain, and provide the users with global seamless data communication and integrated information services. According to Yin Liming, President of the Great Wall Co of the space science and technology group, the smart phone will enter the satellite application field after the constellation is built, and the user will switch from the ground network to the satellite network. The user terminal is unchanged and the experience is unchanged. At the same time, the space network coverage, the global communication service guarantee and the sky base can be provided. Navigation time service, aviation navigation monitoring and support for intelligent terminal Internet and Internet services, to achieve "communication links everything, so that the world will never lose contact".
Correspondingly, the aerospace engineering is developing the rainbow cloud project. The Hongyun project plans to launch 156 satellite networks to build a spaceborne broadband global mobile Internet. The project is first proposed in China to establish a low orbit broadband Internet access system based on small satellites. The combination of "small satellite" "low orbit" and "broadband" is exactly fit for the development of space commercialization. In addition to the Hongyun project, the flying cloud project, fast cloud engineering, cloud engineering and Teng cloud project will build five "commercial space clouds" of Chinese Astronautics, which are expected to invest over a thousand billion yuan and produce over hundreds of billions of yuan.
Yin Liming has a judgement that the Internet of things and the mass satellite communications market will become a new profit growth point in the satellite application market, and will pry a hundred billion yuan satellite application industry. The construction and operation of the constellation will drive the development of satellite manufacturing, commercial launch service, satellite application service, ground and terminal manufacturing space industry chain, and realize the large cycle of space. Liu Shiquan, deputy general manager of the aerospace industry group, said that in addition to the development of related industries such as satellite, launch vehicle manufacturing, launch, communications, navigation equipment and other related industries, the commercial space industry will further integrate with the mobile Internet, the Internet of things, the intelligent city construction and other fields to form a new economic growth point.
Optimize the policy environment
According to the information obtained by the State Space Administration, there are more than 30 commercial companies and commercial enterprises engaged in the development and operation of satellites and rockets including related equipment and facilities in China. "On the whole, commercial space has flourished. However, there are also some problems and shortcomings. " Li Guoping believes that, on the one hand, the choice of projects for commercial companies is similar to the specific functions of projects and projects. Different companies choose the same kind of projects and repeat construction. On the other hand, the new commercial companies are not clear about the relevant regulations of the country; some companies start to operate even if they have not fully obtained the state permission, and there is a hidden danger of security.
The rapid development of commercial space is inseparable from government support. "For the development of commercial space, the national level can be described in four words, that is, encouragement and order." Li Guoping said, on the one hand, the State supports and encourages the development of commercial space. At the government level, necessary measures have been taken to promote commercial space work. For example, the government will cooperate with social capital to carry out the national space infrastructure operation.
On the other hand, commercial space has great potential and the country hopes to develop orderly. First, encourage social enterprises and social capital to invest as much as possible in the satellite application industry. According to the description of the satellite industry chain according to relevant policies and regulations, the output value of the satellite application industry is the highest, and it can reach more than 80% of the output value of the satellite industrial chain. Therefore, the State encourages commercial enterprises and social capital to be fully invested in satellite applications such as satellite communications, satellite remote sensing and satellite navigation.
"Next, when we formulate the space development plan, we will consider the development of commercial space as a whole." Li Guoping said that for the future to be able to work in a commercial way, the government will let go and purchase services from commercial companies. Business work closely related to national security, such as launch vehicles, engines, etc., will also be encouraged at a certain level in accordance with the relevant provisions.
According to Li Guoping, the trend of national scientific institutions and large enterprises and institutions will be changed in the past, and the next step is to be open to qualified commercial units. In addition, technological innovation base and equipment and facilities resources will also achieve two-way opening and sharing. "Some large equipment and facilities invested by the state will be open to commercial companies and private enterprises in certain conditions in the future." Li Guoping said.
Source of the article: Economic Daily