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Future of space industry lies with Lunar, deeper space exploration, Chinese taikonaut says

"The technology of multiple-use launch vehicles is developing at a fast pace right now, and commercial space flights are experiencing rapid growth," Tang Hongbo said

BEIJING, June 27. /TASS/. Tang Hongbo, People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps taikonaut, connected the future of global space exploration to manned Lunar and deeper space exploration programs.

"I think that the future of the world space industry lies with manned Lunar missions with real landings and deeper space exploration," Tang said in an interview with TASS. "The technology of multiple-use launch vehicles is developing at a fast pace right now, and commercial space flights are experiencing rapid growth. I believe that space tourism will be a commonplace practice really soon," continued Tang, who took part in the Shenzhou 12 and Shenzhou 17 missions.

Meanwhile, space research has brought radical changes to life on Earth, he argued. "Let’s take satellite navigation, for example: not only does it provide precise positioning of manned spacecraft, but it has also found wide application in civilian spheres," the taikonaut said. And the use of meteorological satellites has made weather forecasting more precise. "Through real-time monitoring of atmospheric changes, scientists can now give more precise climate change forecasts, and predict calamities. All this contributes to agriculture and helps prevent natural disasters, too," Tang concluded.

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