The Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Space Administration, and the China Manned Space Engineering Office jointly issued China’s medium to long term space development plan.

Overall goal:

China will plan and demonstrate the implementation of national space science missions in stages, coordinate and strengthen mission-driven basic research, build a high-level talent team for space science, continuously achieve landmark original results with significant international influence, realize high-quality development of space science, rank among the world’s top countries, and become a space science power.

The Five Major Scientific Themes:

• Theme 1: “Extreme Universe”. It mainly explores the origin and evolution of the universe and reveal the physical laws under extreme cosmic conditions. Priority development directions under this theme include: dark matter and extreme universe, origin and evolution of the universe, and detection of cosmic baryonic matter.
• Theme 2: “Ripples in Spacetime”. It mainly aims to detect medium and low frequency gravitational waves and primordial gravitational waves, and reveal the nature of gravity and spacetime. The priority development direction under this theme is space gravitational wave detection.
• Theme 3: “Sun-Earth Panorama”. It mainly explores the Earth, the Sun and the heliosphere, and reveals the physical processes and laws of the complex system of the Sun and the Earth, and the overall connection between the Sun and the solar system. Priority development directions under this theme include: Earth circulation system, integrated observation of the Earth and the Moon, space weather detection, stereoscopic detection of the Sun, and detection of the outer heliosphere.
• Theme 4: “Habitable Planets”. It mainly explores the habitability of solar system bodies and exoplanets, and conducts the search for extraterrestrial life. Priority development directions under this theme include: sustainable development, solar system archaeology, planetary stratification, search for extraterrestrial life, and exoplanet detection.
• Theme 5: “Studying Things in Space”. It is mainly to reveal the laws of material movement and life activities under space conditions and deepen the understanding of basic physics such as quantum mechanics and general relativity. The priority development directions under this theme include: microgravity science, quantum mechanics and general relativity, space life science, etc.

The Three Stages:

• In the first phase, by 2027, the Chinese space station will be put into operation, and manned lunar exploration, the fourth phase of the lunar exploration project and the planetary exploration project will be implemented. Five to eight space science satellite missions will be demonstrated and approved, and a number of original results with important international influence will be produced.
• The second phase, from 2028 to 2035, China will continue to operate the Chinese space station, demonstrate the implementation of scientific missions such as manned lunar exploration and the international lunar research station, demonstrate the implementation of about 15 space science satellite missions, and achieve original results that are among the best in the world.
• The third stage, from 2036 to 2050, China will demonstrate the implementation of more than 30 space science missions, and achieve world-leading levels in important areas.