When China Goes to the Moon...

346 Pages·2015·4.51 MB·English

by  Marco Aliberti (auth.)

Studies in Space Policy
Marco Aliberti
When China
Goes to the
Moon...
Studies in Space Policy
Studies in Space Policy
Volume 11
Edited by the
European Space Policy Institute
Director: Peter Hulsroj
Editorial Advisory Board:
Herbert Allgeier
Frank Asbeck
Alvaro Azca´rraga
Frances Brown
Ene Ergma
Peter Jankowitsch
Gilles Maquet
Alfredo Roma
Per Tegne´r
More information about this series at
http://www.springer.com/series/8167
Marco Aliberti
When China Goes to the
Moon...
MarcoAliberti
EuropeanSpacePolicyInstitute
Vienna
Austria
ISSN1868-5307 ISSN1868-5315 (electronic)
StudiesinSpacePolicy
ISBN978-3-319-19472-1 ISBN978-3-319-19473-8 (eBook)
DOI10.1007/978-3-319-19473-8
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2015943788
SpringerChamHeidelbergNewYorkDordrechtLondon
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Foreword
Theworldisinflux.Twenty-fiveyearsofrelativehegemonic stabilityseemtobe
coming to an end. And with this comes challenges to the dominating ideology of
liberaldemocracyandtoitsproponents.ISISoffersareturntotheMiddleAgesas
anapproach,Singaporetrumpetsauniqueauthoritarianandbenevolentmodel,and
LatinAmericaisrevisitingvariousleft-winggovernanceconcepts.
China, never much impressed with liberal democracy, has completed the tran-
sition to the fifth leadership generation. The new leadership has to deal with the
consequences of the relentless growth model introduced by Deng Xiaoping while
balancing carefully party rule andthe cry for morefreedoms. As opposed toMao
era’sferventproselyting,itisdoubtfulthatChinawillembarkonanewjourneyof
ideologicalwarfarenow.Infact,thishasneverbeenChina’spath,apartfromMao’s
time. Chinese exceptionalism is culturally non-expansionist—Chinese exception-
alism lies in the alleged possession of the heavenly mandate, and that cannot be
shared. American exceptionalism is founded on its Constitution and the values
embodied therein, and there is an inherent ideological expansionism involved.
Books like Francis Fukuyama’s The End of History illustrate the mind-set. This
asymmetry in exceptionalism is not well recognised, particularly in the United
States, but might provide hope for a future without superpower confrontation.
A rising power without interest in evangelising might be able to establish a
constructive relationship with the established hegemon so deeply attached to its
“universal” values. However, this requires that the hegemon understands the
opportunity for non-confrontation, and in this respect there is some way to go in
theUnitedStates.
This brings us to the specific topic of Marco Aliberti’s book, namely, the
possibleroleofspaceasabridgebuilderbetweenactorsthatseeadividebutfind
few tools to bridge it. Space has frequently been a harbinger of things to come.
Spacehasoftenbeenusedasageopoliticaltool,notonlyintimesofconfrontation
butalsoasasymbolandinstrumentofcooperation.MarcoAliberti’sbookexplores
thepossibilitiesofusingChina’slikelyquesttogototheMoonasatooltocreate
trustandcooperationwithareluctantAmericanpartnerandEurope’spossibilities
v
vi Foreword
tobeafacilitatorandparticipant.Butthebookalsoseekstoassessthesituationif
cooperation in the reconquest of the Moon cannot be achieved. The book draws
attentiontotheculturalfalloutfortheexistingmajorspacepowersifChinagoesto
theMoononitsownandhighlightshowapossiblenewspaceraceislikelytolead
toembarrassmentfortheUnitedStatesanditsspaceallies.
When China Goes to the Moon seeks to reach far beyond the traditional space
community—to the geostrategists, overall policymakers, and interested general
public. In doing so, it makes a rather introvert field generally accessible by
providing comprehensive and easy-to-digest overviews of China’s space
programmesandspaceorganisations.Inasimilarfashion,itzoomsinonthecurrent
state of play of China’s efforts in human spaceflight and the rationale for China
possiblygoingtotheMoonandthetechnicalchallengesinthisrespect.However,
thespecialmeritofMarcoAliberti’sworkisthatitputsChina’sspaceendeavours
into the broader political and societal setting, something few other books, if any,
havedone.
Whenanalysinghistoryitiseasytoseehowitcontainsanumberofwatershed
points. Identifying such points without the benefit of hindsight is not so straight-
forward, yet it is relatively safe to say that the global community is currently in
frontofone.Manyforcesneedtobealignedtomakeapositiveoutcomepossible.It
ismyhopethatWhenChinaGoestotheMoonwilldemonstratetoawideaudience
thatspacecanbeapotenttoolforsuchanalignment.Theglobalcommunityisnot
involvedinazero-sumgame.Humankindhasauniquepossibilitytocontinuethe
pathofprosperityandrelativepeaceonEarth.Isitnotabeautifulthoughtthatby
going back to the Moon together a contribution could be made to a splendid
commonfutureonEarth?
PeterHulsroj
Director,EuropeanSpacePolicyInstitute
Vienna,Austria
Acknowledgements
Mysincerestgratitudegoestothemanypeoplewhohavesupportedandcontributed
tothecompletionofthisbook,eachintheirownway.Mygreatestdebtisowedto
Peter Hulsroj, Director of ESPI, who gave me the opportunity to work on this
projectandguidedmethroughoutthewritingprocesswithadviceandsupportthat
simply proved invaluable. Without our thought-provoking and challenging dia-
logue,manyoftheideascontainedinthisbookwouldnothavecometolight.
I would also like to mention the useful inputs provided by all the befriended
colleagues of ESPI throughout the research and drafting period. Likewise, I am
grateful to many former peers and professors at the University of Naples
“L’Orientale” and in particular to Giuseppe Scarpa, who provided invaluable
researchmaterialandmanyinterestingsuggestions.
My thanks are also extended to former ESA Director General Roy Gibson, for
hisreviewofthemanuscriptandforhisvaluableadvice,andtoFrancesBrownand
JaqueGrinberg,whosefinetouchandcriticalinputfurtherenhancedthequalityof
thiswork.
Itremains,ofcourse,thattheresponsibilityforerrors,inaccuracies,andinfelic-
itiesrestswithme,despiteallthehelpandinspirationgivenbysomany.
In conclusion, I want to thank and dedicate this book to my family and in
particulartomysonAscanio,mymosttreasuredsourceofstrengthandinspiration.
vii
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Contents
1 Introduction. . .. . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 1
2 China’sSpaceProgramme:AnOverview . . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 7
2.1 OrganisationofSpaceActivitiesinChina.. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 8
2.1.1 ALeadingSmallGrouponSpace? . . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 8
2.1.2 TheStateCouncilandSASTIND. .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 10
2.1.3 TheChinaNationalSpaceAdministration. .. . . .. . . .. 11
2.1.4 TheChinaSatelliteLaunchandTrackingControl
General . . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 13
2.1.5 TheGeneralArmamentsDepartmentofthePLA.. . . .. 13
2.1.6 TheAerospaceIndustry . . . .. . . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 15
2.1.7 TheChineseAcademyofSciences . . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 19
2.1.8 OtherSpace-RelatedOrganisations . . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 22
2.1.9 AnOverview. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 23
2.2 SpaceActivitiesBudget. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 24
2.2.1 BudgetBreakdown. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 26
2.2.2 China’sSpaceBudgetinComparativePerspective. . . .. 27
2.2.3 China’sSpaceBudget:AForecast.. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 29
2.3 SpacePolicyandTargets.. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 31
2.3.1 China’sKeySpacePolicyTargets.. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 32
2.3.2 SpaceTransportation. . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 33
2.3.3 SatelliteDevelopment. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 35
2.3.4 SpaceExplorationandHumanSpaceflight. .. . . .. . . .. 38
2.3.5 ApplicationsDevelopment . .. . . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 39
2.3.6 InfrastructureDevelopment. .. . . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 40
2.3.7 PolicyMeasuresandInternationalCooperation . .. . . .. 40
3 WhytheMoon?. . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 45
3.1 Backgrounder:ThePathof“CulturalGrandiosity” .. . . .. . . .. 46
3.2 TheDomesticPoliticalGoals:NationalPrideandPropaganda
Themes. . .. . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. 48
3.3 TheInternationalDimension:StatusandGeopolitics. . . .. . . .. 54
ix