China Aiming To Establish A Power Station In Space By 2025

(Fortune) February 18 2019 5:12 AM Chinas space ambitions are shifting into a higher orbit. Following its successful and world-beating trip to the far side of the moon China is preparing to build a solar power station in space as the worlds No. 2 economy strives to burnish its superpower credentials. With an $8 billion annual budget for its space program second only to the U.S. China is seeking to compete with its rival for economic military and technological dominance. Scientists have already started construction of an experimental base in the western Chinese city Chongqing. Initially they plan to develop a smaller power station in the stratosphere between 2021 and 2025 a 1 megawatt-level solar facility in space by 2030 and eventually larger generators according to the state-backed Science and Technology Daily. Heres what Chinas been doing in space: