China delivers scientific payloads from reusable satellite Shijian-19 to users

China delivers scientific payloads from reusable satellite Shijian-19 to users
by Simon Mansfield
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Oct 25, 2024

The scientific payloads for space breeding and other technological experiments carried aboard China's first reusable and returnable satellite, Shijian-19, were delivered to both Chinese and international users on Thursday.

During a ceremony held in Beijing by the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the CNSA and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation formalized the transfer of the payloads, signing delivery certificates with domestic and international users from countries including Thailand and Pakistan.

Bian Zhigang, deputy head of CNSA, highlighted that the Shijian-19 mission took full advantage of the new generation retrievable space experiment platform, facilitating space breeding experiments for approximately 1,000 species of germplasm resources. These experiments are critical for germplasm innovation in China. Additionally, the mission provided valuable in-orbit validation for domestically produced components and materials.

Meng Lingjie, director of the Earth Observation System and Data Center at the CNSA, emphasized that the Shijian-19 mission represents a major step forward, especially with its recovery module. The satellite platform can be reused more than ten times, drastically cutting manufacturing costs while improving operational efficiency. Meng also noted the satellite's wide-ranging applications in scientific experiments, such as space breeding, space pharmaceuticals, and material manufacturing.

The satellite returned with 500 kg of experimental payloads, greatly enhancing payload recovery capabilities. Moreover, it offers a high-quality microgravity environment for scientific experiments. While in orbit, the satellite conducted seven new technology experiments, including microgravity hydrogen production, low-frequency magnetic communications, and wireless power transmission.

In addition to these technological experiments, the satellite hosted nine space science payloads, which advanced research in areas like carbon nanomaterials, solid catalyst materials, and dental science.

Liu Luxiang, executive director general of the Institute of Crop Sciences under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, noted that the satellite carried seeds from about 1,800 plant materials and over 1,000 microbial species. These included major agricultural products from multiple countries, such as rice seeds from Thailand and wheat, rice, corn, and bean seeds from Pakistan. Liu highlighted the importance of these international collaborations, stressing that developing new genetic resources and climate-resilient grain varieties is crucial to address global food security challenges.

Over the past three decades, China has developed more than 300 crop varieties through space breeding technologies, covering an annual cultivation area of about 2 million hectares, with significant social and economic impacts.

The Shijian-19 satellite was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on September 27 and returned to Earth on October 11.