China, a rapidly developing country in the space race, has announced plans to build a ground station in Antarctica to support its network of ocean monitoring satellites. The ground station will be established at the Zhongshan research base, one of two permanent Chinese research stations in Antarctica.
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Sweden’s state-owned space company had been providing ground stations for Chinese spacecraft, but declined to renew contracts due to changes in geopolitics. Now, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Group Co will build the new stations to support Chinese satellite relay data and transmission.
The Chinese government has awarded a contract of $6.53 million to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Group, and illustrations of the artist’s rendering show four ground stations located at Zhongshan near Prydz Bay in East Antarctica.
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China is moving quickly in its space program, conducting over 50 successful launches in 2022 and ramping up its pace in 2023. The country plans to launch 60 space missions and over 200 spacecraft in the new year, with a significant boost in space science and technology activities.
While a Chinese-built ground station in Argentina has sparked concerns about its purpose, China assures that the station’s goal is peaceful space observation and spacecraft missions. Despite this, the docking of a Chinese military survey ship in Sri Lanka last year drew opposition from India over potential spying.
China’s rapid advancement in space technology and plans for further exploration has the world watching with anticipation.