Tiangong Kaiwu (Solar System Resource Roadmap)

2023: Road Map Development

In early September 2023, it became known that a comprehensive plan for the use of the resources of the solar system was developed in China. This program, called Tiangong Kaiwu, is designed for the period up to 2100.

One of the authors of the project is Wang Wei, a scientist associated with the Chinese Aerospace Scientific and Technical Corporation (CASC) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). The program, in particular, talks about the use of space ice as fuel, the formation of special transport nodes and the creation of a system for the development of space resources.

A comprehensive plan for the use of the resources of the solar system has been developed

At the initial stage, it is proposed to build a base on the moon. It will be used to extract water ice, which is planned to be broken down into oxygen and hydrogen. These components will be used to produce fuel that will help in the development of various objects of the solar system, including Mars, near-Earth asteroids, satellites of Jupiter, etc. Later, transshipment nodes will be formed at the points of Lagrange: L1 of the Earth-Moon system, L1 and L2 of the Sun-Earth system, as well as L1 of the Sun-Jupiter system.

The authors of the Tiangong Kaiwu project talk about the need to deploy a large-scale space infrastructure, including supply stations, transport routes, points for the extraction and processing of useful resources, etc. In addition, the development of an effective system for delivering resources to Earth will be required.

It is said that the initiative will be implemented in several stages with key phases in 2035, 2050, 2075 and 2100. The project will help strengthen China's position in outer space. The program is preliminary and does not address issues such as funding, necessary equipment, technological feasibility, legal aspects, etc.^[1]

Notes