Published : 2025-01-21
2025 marks the conclusion of China's 14th Five-Year Plan, and technological development is set to gain momentum.
New achievements in this year, especially those in the fields of space exploration, satellite technology, and scientific research, are highly anticipated. What are the highlights worth noting?
2025 Tech Events｜Manned space programme: 3 key missions
In 2003, Yang Liwei (楊利偉) flew aboard Shenzhou-5 (神舟五號), becoming the first Chinese visitor in space. Since then, China has become the 3rd nation in the world to independently master manned spaceflight technology.
The country has since conducted frequent manned space missions and completed in-orbit construction of a space station between 2020 and 2022, which later transitioned to a long-term inhabited model.
The manned space programme will continue its momentum in 2025 with three scheduled launch missions, including Shenzhou-20, Shenzhou-21, and Tianzhou-9 (天舟九號).
The main tasks of the astronauts will include extravehicular activities, and the conducting of space science experiments and technology tests.
With the advantages of the space station, scientific and technological achievements are expected to be accelerated.
2025 Tech Events｜Space cargo: Qingzhou and Haolong
China's current cargo spacecraft primarily includes the Tianzhou series. In order to reduce the cost of cargo transport to the space station and to enhance flexibility, China is developing the Qingzhou (輕舟) cargo spacecraft and the Haolong (昊龍) cargo spaceplane.
According to the plan, the Qingzhou cargo spacecraft will carry out its first flight mission in September 2025.
It adopts an integrated single cabin configuration with a cargo space of 27 m3, capable of carrying up to 2 tonnes of cargo, including astronauts' living supplies, scientific experiment equipment, and scientific payloads.
It will employ multiple payload solutions and smart designs to improve the efficiency of cargo delivery.
Meanwhile, the Haolong cargo spaceplane will feature outstanding reusability.
Read more: What is the "Qingzhou" cargo spacecraft like? What are its technological breakthroughs?
2025 Tech Events｜Planetary exploration: Tianwen-2 to explore asteroids
In 2020, China achieved Mars exploration through Tianwen-1 (天問一號), and five years later, the Tianwen series returns with Tianwen-2.
It will carry out the sample return mission of the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3 and the orbiting mission of Comet 311P, the main-belt comet (MBC) in the asteroid belt.
In other words, this mission will realise the close-range exploration and sample return of a near-Earth asteroid, and main-belt comet exploration simultaneously, bringing China's small celestial body exploration technology to the international advanced level.
According to the plan, China will also launch Tianwen-3 and Tianwen-4 around 2030, respectively to carry out Mars sample return mission and Jupiter exploration mission.
Read more: Tianwen-1 photography left "Chinese Imprint" on Mars
2025 Tech Events｜BeiDou: Technology breakthroughs
The BeiDou system is a global satellite navigation system built and operated independently by China.
The construction of BeiDou spanned over 20 years, involving the launch of 55 networking satellites. It started providing full services since July 2020, offering users services of high-precision positioning, navigation, timing, and short message.
According to the "Development Plan for the BeiDou Satellite Navigation System by 2035," China will upgrade the BeiDou system and build a next-generation system with more advanced technology, more powerful functions and better services.
According to the plan, the technological breakthroughs will be achieved in 2025;three pilot test satellites will be launched around 2027; the launch of network satellites will start in 2029; and the construction of the next-generation Beidou system will be completed in 2035.
2025 Tech Events｜Physics research: Jiangmen neutrino experiment
Located 700 metres underground, the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) detection equipment is expected to complete its full infusion task in August 2025 and begin official operations.
Neutrinos are one of the fundamental particles that make up the material world and are the oldest and most abundant particles in the universe.
They have extremely light mass, move at speeds close to the speed of light, and almost never interact with any matter, making them highly mysterious.
China's JUNO was initiated in 2013 and officially commenced construction in 2015. It is used for several pioneering studies including the measurement of neutrino mass order, supernova neutrinos, and earth neutrinos.
Its core detection device is a giant liquid scintillator detector located 700 metres underground, which is placed in the centre of a 44-metre-deep pool within the underground experimental hall.
Its main structure consists of a stainless-steel mesh shell with a diameter of 41.1 metres. This structure is capable of supporting a 35.4-metre-diametre acrylic sphere, 20,000 tonnes of liquid scintillator, and tens of thousands of detector components.
Read more: Jiangmen Neutrino Laboratory: A national large-scale scientific facility 700m underground
