Space: Above and Beyond

World Today

 

Episode 1: Race to the cosmos continues in 2022

Earth’s space wars will continue this year.

Numerous missions are planned by competing countries.

And, private firms are going head-to-head to take civilians to above and beyond.

 

Episode 2: Reporter’s review of China’s 2021 space achievements

This year marks the 65th anniversary of the founding of China’s aerospace industry.

With the maiden flight of Long March-5B heavy carrier rocket in May 2020, China entered the third step of the country’s manned space program.

CGTN’s Liu Jiaxin witnessed many key space events this year. Looking back at 2021, she has a lot to share.

 

Episode 3: See how space tourism works

A sightseeing trip to space was pure science fiction just a few years ago, but now it is becoming more and more common.

About the only thing needed at this point for a seat on a rocket to space is money.

A lot of money. But one day these flights may become cheaper and more accessible.

CGTN’s Jim Spellman reposts.

 

Episode 4: Should billionaires be taxed for space tourism?

This year has been an exciting one for space exploration, especially with the development of the commercial space industry in the United States.

Billionaires like Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos are set to launch an era of civilian space travel after they’ve taken the journey through their own private aerospace companies.

But one U.S. lawmaker, Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, says that space exploration shouldn’t be a “tax-free holiday for the wealthy” and he’s calling for a ‘space tax’ to pay for greenhouse gas emissions caused by space launches.

Opponents argue the move could hinder an innovative industry that’s on the rise.

 

Episode 5: See what food challenges astronauts face in space

For the first time ever, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency hosted the Deep Space Food Challenge.

The competition brought universities and companies together to propose solutions on how to feed astronauts on a long mission. Last month, NASA announced that the winners and one of the international winners of the Phase 1 competition came from a group of students in a university in South America.

CGTN’s Michelle Begue reports Colombia.

 

Episode 6: Russia to continue Mars project after European Space Agency quits

A series of sanctions and counter-sanctions triggered by the Russia-Ukraine crisis have already hit the space industry.

Among the many international cooperation projects, the high-profile Russian-European Mars mission ExoMars was suspended last week.

CGTN’s Liu Jiaxin reports in Moscow.