Great Power Equipment: Exploring Future Space (Future Industries Overview ⑤)

　　Future space holds infinite possibilities. Exploring future space will mainly focus on fields such as aerospace, deep sea, and deep earth, developing high-end equipment including manned spaceflight, lunar and Mars exploration, satellite navigation, near-space unmanned systems, and advanced efficient aircraft; accelerating the development and innovative application of deep-sea submersibles, deep-sea operation equipment, deep-sea search and rescue detection equipment, and deep-sea intelligent unmanned platforms; and promoting equipment development in fields such as deep-earth resource exploration and extraction, urban underground space development and utilization, and polar exploration and operations.

　　In recent years, China has achieved many new results in exploring aerospace, deep sea, deep earth, and other fields. One after another, great power equipment has gone into space and into the sea, laying the foundation for the development of future space.

　　Rushing Toward Space

　　Recently, China's space industry has reported a stream of good news.

　　On May 3, the Chang'e-6 probe was launched by the Long March 5 Y8 carrier rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China, and then accurately entered the Earth-Moon transfer orbit. The launch mission was a complete success. The Chang'e-6 probe embarked on the world's first journey to sample and return from the far side of the Moon, with the preselected landing and sampling area being the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the lunar far side. The entire process from launch to sample return for the Chang'e-6 mission is about 53 days.

　　On April 25, the Long March 2F Y18 carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft ignited and lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu rode the manned spacecraft into space. This is the third manned flight mission since China's manned space program entered the application and development stage of the space station, the 32nd launch mission since the project was approved and implemented, and the 518th flight of the Long March series of carrier rockets.

　　Looking out at the vast universe, from the successful launch of the first man-made satellite in 1970 to the construction of its own "space home," China's space industry has overcome one technical difficulty after another over the decades and embarked on one glorious voyage after another. Today, China is scaling new heights in science and technology in fields such as manned spaceflight and lunar and Mars exploration, accelerating its transition from a major spacefaring nation to a strong spacefaring nation.

　　Take the Long March 2F carrier rocket, currently China's only rocket model capable of carrying out manned missions. Its safety assessment value reaches 0.99996, and it has so far maintained a 100% launch success rate. The Shenzhou-18 launch mission is the 13th manned launch mission carried out by the Long March 2F rocket. Compared with the previous mission, the rocket completed more than 30 technical improvements, further enhancing safety and reliability.

　　Because this rocket undertakes manned launch missions, it has extremely high requirements for safety and reliability. Therefore, it has fault detection systems and escape and life-saving systems that other rockets do not have, safeguarding astronauts' safety at all times. According to a relevant person in charge of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the team has been continuously optimizing the rocket launch process and has enabled multiple digital, intelligent, and front-and-rear coordinated data judgment technologies, making the entire launch process more reliable.

　　The spacecraft launch site also persists in innovation and carries out "digital and intelligent construction." By deploying sensor systems, it obtains real-time status information of ground facilities and equipment, achieving full-time information collection and full-element situational display during fueling and launch periods.

　　In terms of lunar exploration, according to Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, achieving the landing of Chinese astronauts on the Moon before 2030 is the goal of the lunar landing stage of the manned lunar exploration project.

　　"Compared with space station missions, in lunar landing missions, astronauts need to be trained to master operations of the Mengzhou spacecraft and Lanyue lander under normal and emergency flight conditions, exiting and entering the lunar module, walking with loads under 1/6 gravity, long-distance driving of lunar rovers, and lunar surface drilling, sampling, and scientific investigation skills," Lin Xiqiang said. At present, all systems are carrying out development and construction as planned. The main flight products, including the Long March 10 carrier rocket, the Mengzhou manned spacecraft, the Lanyue lunar surface lander, and the lunar landing suit, have completed the scheme development work, and production of initial prototype products and various tests are being comprehensively carried out.

　　The development of China's space technology has also radiated and driven technological progress in many related industries. According to statistics, more than 4,000 space application achievements have entered industries such as biology and healthcare. Commercial space service fields such as communications, navigation, and remote sensing are becoming increasingly widespread, and related industries are growing rapidly.

　　In particular, the long-term conduct of large-scale, human-involved space science experiments and technical tests on China's space station has promoted the comprehensive development of space science, space technology, and space applications. Up to now, China's space station has implemented more than 130 scientific research and application projects in orbit, returned five batches of more than 300 scientific experiment samples using the Shenzhou-12 to Shenzhou-16 manned flight missions, and has had more than 500 research institutes at home and abroad participate in research. Important results have been achieved in directions such as space life sciences, aerospace medicine, space materials science, and microgravity fluid physics, with more than 280 papers published in first-class international journals.

　　Lin Xiqiang introduced that this time, the Shenzhou-18 astronaut crew will use in-cabin scientific experiment racks and extravehicular payloads to carry out more than 90 tests (experiments) in fields such as microgravity fundamental physics, space materials science, space life sciences, aerospace medicine, and space technology. "For example, Shenzhou-18 will carry up experimental devices and related samples to implement China's first in-orbit aquatic ecological research project, using zebrafish and hornwort as research subjects to establish a stably operating space self-circulating aquatic ecosystem in orbit, achieving a breakthrough in China's cultivation of vertebrates in space. It will also implement the world's first in-orbit study of plant shoot apical stem cell function, reveal the adaptation mechanism of plant evolution to gravity, and provide theoretical support for the subsequent targeted design of space crops adapted to the space environment," Lin Xiqiang said.

　　Diving Into the Deep Sea

　　Ocean space is vast and expansive, with rich and diverse resources. In recent years, China has achieved a series of new advances in deep-sea exploration.

　　Submersibles continue to explore the 10,000-meter-deep sea.

　　Ye Cong, a researcher at the China Ship Scientific Research Center, introduced that China's independently designed and developed submersibles Jiaolong, Shenhai Yongshi, and Fendouzhe have cumulatively dived more than 1,100 times, and in the past three years they have completed more than half of the world's manned deep-diving missions. In particular, Fendouzhe, China's first 10,000-meter-class manned submersible, has completed 230 dives over the past four years, including 25 dives deeper than 10,000 meters, enabling 32 people to reach the 10,000-meter seabed for operations and continuously setting new records for the number of people diving to 10,000 meters.

　　A new breakthrough has been made in the field of ocean drilling.

　　At the end of last year, Mengxiang, China's first ocean drilling vessel independently designed and built, successfully completed sea trials. It has recently entered the commissioning and interior outfitting stage and is expected to be fully completed within this year.

　　It is reported that Mengxiang has a gross tonnage of about 33,000, an overall length of 179.8 meters, a molded breadth of 32.8 meters, and an endurance of 15,000 nautical miles. Its stability and structural strength are designed according to the safety requirements for Category 16 typhoon sea conditions, and it has unlimited voyage operating capability in global waters and drilling capability in waters up to 11,000 meters deep.

　　Ocean drilling is the most difficult, most challenging, and most critical core capability in the field of deep-sea exploration. "The purpose of drilling is to obtain cores from the Earth's interior and acquire the geological information contained therein, thereby unlocking the mysteries of the deep Earth," said Zhou Chang, main person in charge of the Mengxiang command headquarters of the China Geological Survey. Supported by technological innovation and equipment integration, Mengxiang will be committed to achieving the goal of drilling through the Earth's crust and entering the mantle.

　　Mengxiang is not only the world's deepest in terms of drilling design depth, but also has the world's largest and most fully functional onboard laboratory.

　　The onboard laboratory has a total area of more than 3,000 square meters and includes nine major functional laboratories: basic geology, paleomagnetism, inorganic geochemistry, organic geochemistry, microbiology, marine science, natural gas hydrates, geophysics, and drilling technology. It is equipped with more than 150 sets of various precision experimental instruments.

　　At present, the drilling support vessel supporting Mengxiang, the world's largest marine geological core repository, and China's first deepwater scientific research wharf have all been completed, which will provide strong shore-based support for the operation of Mengxiang.

　　Outstanding achievements have been made in deep-sea resource development.

　　In early May, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation announced that Shenhai Yihao, China's first self-operated ultra-deepwater large gas field, has maintained high and stable production, with cumulative natural gas production exceeding 8 billion cubic meters and condensate production exceeding 800,000 cubic meters.

　　Shenhai Yihao is 150 kilometers from Sanya City, Hainan Province. Its proven geological reserves of natural gas exceed 100 billion cubic meters, with a maximum operating water depth of more than 1,500 meters and a maximum well depth of more than 4,000 meters. According to a relevant person in charge of CNOOC Hainan Branch, the Shenhai Yihao large gas field has maintained stable gas supply since it was officially put into production in June 2021, continuously supplying gas to both the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Hainan Free Trade Port. At present, the second phase of the Shenhai Yihao project is under accelerated construction. As the core production facility, the Shenhai Yihao energy station, the world's first 100,000-ton-class deepwater semi-submersible production and storage platform, will be upgraded and modified according to the construction needs of the second phase. After the new project is put into operation, the overall peak annual production of the Shenhai Yihao gas field is expected to increase from 3 billion cubic meters to 4.5 billion cubic meters.

　　Drilling Into the Deep Earth

　　In addition to aerospace and deep sea, new achievements in deep-earth exploration are also constantly emerging.

　　Geothermal energy is a stable, reliable, green, and low-carbon renewable energy source. Among them, deep geothermal heat comes from hot dry rock in high-temperature rock masses more than 3,000 meters below the ground and has broad prospects for development and application.

　　In early April, Fushen Re-1, China's first ultra-5,000-meter deep geothermal scientific exploration well, successfully drilled to 5,200 meters, setting a new record for the deepest geothermal scientific exploration well in China and obtaining geothermal resources in multiple strata, marking a new breakthrough in deep geothermal exploration in South China.

　　Fushen Re-1, located in Haikou City, Hainan Province, adopted multiple independent innovation technologies such as "dual-drive drilling + high-pressure jetting" and drilled a geothermal resource reservoir with a temperature of 150 degrees Celsius near 3,900 meters, and a geothermal reservoir with a temperature of 188.71 degrees Celsius at a depth of 5,123 meters. Industry experts pointed out that in the future, relying on Fushen Re-1, China's first deep geothermal industry-university-research integrated field test and research platform and development and utilization demonstration platform in South China can be built.

　　The achievements in exploration and development of deep-earth oil and gas resources are equally impressive.

　　In early March, at the Tarim Oilfield in Xinjiang, the drilling depth of PetroChina's Shendi Take-1 well exceeded the 10,000-meter mark, setting a new record for Asia's deepest vertical well.

　　The Tarim Basin is China's largest petroliferous basin. Oil and natural gas resources buried deeper than 6,000 meters in the basin account for 83.2% and 63.9% of the country's total, respectively, making it China's largest deep-earth oil and gas enrichment area. At present, ultra-deep layers have become the main front for increasing reserves and production of China's oil and gas resources, and advancing into the deep Earth is a major strategic task for ensuring energy security.

　　In recent years, China has repeatedly set new records in deep-earth development. In 2023, more than 70 wells in the Tarim Oilfield were completed with depths exceeding 8,000 meters. About 90% of newly added reserves were obtained from ultra-deep strata, and 19.57 million tons of ultra-deep oil and gas were extracted.

　　After more than 270 days of effort, the drill bit continuously penetrated more than ten strata and reached a depth of 10,000 meters. At present, Shendi Take-1 is still drilling at full speed toward the target depth of 11,000 meters.

　　In the process of reaching the target layer, Shendi Take-1 faced multiple challenges such as ultra-depth, ultra-high temperature, and ultra-high pressure. "This well took nearly five months to drill from the surface to a depth of 8,000 meters, while from 8,000 meters to 10,000 meters it took more than four months," said Wang Chunsheng, chief expert of PetroChina Tarim Oilfield. After the drill bit of Shendi Take-1 reached 10,000 meters, the formation temperature exceeded 200 degrees Celsius and the formation pressure exceeded 130 megapascals. With every meter deeper into the ground, drilling difficulty increases exponentially.

　　To this end, Shendi Take-1 applied more than 200 pieces of top domestic equipment and technologies. Tarim Oilfield, Western Drilling, Baoshi Machinery, and multiple other units jointly tackled key problems, overcoming the key technical challenge of the ultra-high derrick large-load lifting system, independently developing the world's first 12,000-meter ultra-deep well automated drilling rig, innovatively developing process technologies such as 220-degree-Celsius ultra-high-temperature drilling fluid and high-temperature-resistant screw motors, achieving breakthroughs in 10,000-meter coring and cable and other data acquisition equipment, and forming a batch of key core technologies such as safe and efficient drilling and completion of 10,000-meter deep wells.

　　In addition to searching for oil and gas resources, Shendi Take-1, as a scientific exploration well, also shoulders important tasks such as exploring Earth's evolution and climate change. Subsequently, a series of scientific exploration work, including 10,000-meter physical logging and 10,000-meter coring, will also be carried out successively.