China Planning Its Own Space Station By 2020. Or Maybe Not.

This is what you'd call mixed messages. The China Daily reported early today that, according to one of the top Chinese space program scientists, the nation is well on its way to building its own space station, to be launched by late next decade. From the scoop:

Long Lehao, a renowned academic and a leading designer of Long March 3A, the launch vehicle for the country's first lunar probe Chang'e I, described China's planned space station as "a small-scale 20-ton space workshop".

It is the first time a timetable has been made public for the building of the first space station, the third and final step of the country's current manned space program, Long told China Daily.

But just hours later, from Xinhua, the government-affiliated news agency, came a denial. Sort of:

"According to the national outline for mid- and long-term scientific and technological development, and the outline for space technology development during the 11th-five-year period (2006-2010) issued by the
State Council on May 10 this year, China will focus on manned space flight and lunar exploration in the near future," Li Guoping, the CNSA (Chinese space agency)
spokesman, told a press conference.

"No plans issued by the government so far has said we are going to develop a space station," Li said.

What's very clear is that China has put development of space front and center in government policy, whatever the current plans are.

Long's words shouldn't be taken lightly, since he's played a key role in developing the country's advanced rocket technologies. Recently, a breakthrough in fueling heavy rockets in part with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen had put the space station program in closer reach, he explained to the China Daily.

A top government official said just a few weeks ago that the country would like to become part of the International Space Station project. Today's news could be the kind of mixed signals aimed at putting pressure on Western countries reluctant to let China into the club.

Or it may be that China is looking at the landscape and deciding it would be better served with its own facility. Either way, it's yet another sign that bringing the country's space program into close engagement with the U.S., Japan and Europe (which is already providing help to the Chinese on its recent Chang'e lunar satellite launch) is necessary.

Constructive competition can be useful. Lurching into an unwanted, potentially militarized space race is not.

Launch of space station set for 2020[China Daily]

China denies timetable for space station [Xinhua]

(Image: Artist's visualization of Chang'e lunar satellite in orbit. Credit: CNSA)