29 January 2026 year China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (Hull, the main state space contractor of the country) outlined plans for space tourism, digital infrastructure, resource development and space traffic management. CASC statements reflect the overall strategic ambitions of the corporation, rather than specific confirmed budgets or implementation timelines, however, they fit well with China's broader public policy of supporting commercial space and developing key areas, such as digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence (NE).
CASC's future plans include conducting a feasibility study for the proposed major Tiangong Kaiu initiative (Tiangong Kaiwu), which refers to the previously proposed multi-year road map for the use of the resources of the entire solar system. The corporation also plans to make a breakthrough in technology, necessary for exploration of the resources of small celestial bodies, autonomous mining technologies, low-cost transportation and processing in orbit. Although the statements are quite general and in some cases far from being realized, they reflect China's already known long-term interests in asteroid research, lunar infrastructure and regulation of space resources.
At the same time, CASC plans to build a large gigawatt computing system in space, which will have an integrated "cloud-edge-terminal" structure right in orbit. Concepts include processing space data directly in space and joint space-ground computing. This is consistent with Chinese interests in reducing reliance on downlink bandwidth, autonomous operations of satellites and space computing based on AI and data processing, which demonstrate experimental satellites and advancing capabilities, including optical intersatellite communications.
For reference: downlink (downlink) - the maximum speed of data transfer from the network (internet, base station) to the user's device (computer, smartphone).
CASC also outlines the planned development of suborbital and orbital space travel vehicles, including unmanned and manned verification flights and the creation of an operating system for space tourism. Another area of focus is space traffic management, as well as research plans for key space debris monitoring technologies, early warning systems and waste removal technologies. These initiatives are considered as a basis for taking the initiative in formulating international rules for managing space traffic and ensuring the safe operation of space infrastructure. Late last year, China took the first steps to coordinate with the US to avoid clashes. The debris damage to the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft highlighted the importance of the debris problem.
The listed areas of interest are presented as a “space+” concept, which considers space systems not as a separate sector, and as infrastructure, which integrates with other economic and strategic spheres and national priorities.
Source: https://spacenews.com