What did I learn at the space conference Space Ops 2012?

Part I. (2012-09-28)

The first really big space conference in Sweden in many years was held in June 2012. I listened to so many speeches, met so many people that it was impossible for me to write about everything at the time. But I will tell you more during this fall. Here is the first text, about China´s National Space Science Center and the new chinese satellites.

National Space Science Center Officially Launched in Beijing

National Space Science Center (NSSC) was officially launched at the Center for Space Science and Applied Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences in the morning of July 7, 2011.

The newly established center is fully build up on the current Center for Space Science and Applied Research (CSSAR), but has new duties. The most important duty is to carry out a so called strategic pioneer project – space science. The Space Science Project includes development of five space science satellites, select and support several new mission studies before the engineering phase, support a number of long term enabling technology studies for future missions and finally leading future strategic study for space science in China. Those studies have never been supported by other national programs, therefore it is a truly national program and the budget of it is directly from the central government.

Setting up an agency to do the overall planning for space science is the option every country would resort to, which can be seen in the history of development of space science in developed countries. Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in NASA, Space Research Institute (IKI) in Russian Academy of Sciences, European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Europe Space Agency and Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) in Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency are perfect examples.

Center for Space Science and Applied Research, CAS, has conducted a serial of projects on space science since 2000, such as “Double Star Project”, "Yinghuo-1 Project”, the first Chinese Mars exploration program, “Meridian Project” etc., which paved the way for conducting strategic pioneer project. As a management center, National Space Science Center will lead the CAS Strategic Pioneer Project on space science.

National Space Science Center endeavors to further deepen international cooperation. Prof. BAI Chunli, the President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who delivered a speech on the inaugural ceremony, pointed out that the National Space Science Center should seize the great opportunity to further enhance international cooperation to make the center a show case for international cooperation.

The following international organizations send congratulation letters to NSSC: 

Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) 
European Space Agency (ESA) 
Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), France 
International Space Science Institute (ISSI) 
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), USA 
Space Science Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley, USA 
Institute of Earth magnetism, ionosphere and radiowaves propagation (IZMIRAN), Russia 
Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics (ISTP), Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia 
Institute of Cosmophysical Research and Aeronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia 
 
Five chinese space science satellites planned for 2011-2016.

Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope:
- Observe diffuse background and cosmic variance.
- Discover highly obscured supermassive BHs.

Quantum Communication Test Satellite
-Accomplish for the first time satellite-to-ground absolutely secure communication with the core of quantum key
-carry out the first time satellite-to-ground quantum entanglement distribution and Bell inequality in the world
-investigate possibility of achieving satellite-to-ground quantum teleportation experiment
-establish wide-area quantum communication network

Dark Matter Particle Detection Satellite
-Look for the dark matter particles through the high resolution observation of the high energy electrons and gamma ray.
-Studying the origin of the cosmic ray, as well as its spread and acceleration mechanism by measuring the energy spectrum of high energy electrons and heavy ions.

Microgravity Experiment Retrievable Satellite
-Expected to make breakthroughs in the basic laws of the motion for matter, biology gene expression, efficient drug development and efficient combustion of coal.

KUAFU
To observe the complete chain of disturbance from the solar athmosphere to the geo-space: Solar flares, interplanetary clouds, shock waves, geo-effectiveness (such as sub-storms and magnetic storms, aurora activities.

Four more satellites are chosen for Phase A study and launch after 2018.