Shenzhou-20 return: "Number of challenges that astronauts face and one of them is space debris"

CGTN Europe interviewed Dhara Patel, a space expert at the UK’s National Space Centre

Transcript

00:00Dara Patel is a space expert at the UK's National Space Centre.

00:05Yeah, sometimes I think when we look at space launches and astronaut missions to different space stations,

00:12it almost makes it look like it's routine procedure, you know, like nothing's going to go wrong.

00:16But actually there are a number of challenges that astronauts face,

00:19and one of them in particular, which is a growing issue, is this idea of space debris

00:24and how that can actually impact the operations of not just launch,

00:29but also the time on board these space stations that the astronauts spend.

00:32China recently broke the United States record for the longest spacewalk

00:38and I think is preparing to host its first foreign astronaut next year.

00:43How does this fit into that broader story of China's space ambitions?

00:48Just like some of the, you know, major space players and organisations around the world,

00:55China are also venturing out with lots of different parts of their sort of space programme.

00:59So we've seen in previous years, and there's still some in the programme,

01:03the Chang'e programme where they're sending spacecraft to the Moon,

01:06not only to orbit and land, but also to bring back samples from the Moon.

01:11There's also interplanetary missions, so looking at actually going to Mars

01:15and bringing back samples from Mars, and of course their aims in terms of human space flight

01:20aren't kind of narrowing either.

01:22So they've got their Tiangong Space Station, and like you said,

01:25running like clockwork now for a few years,

01:27looking to actually host the first international guest,

01:30so an astronaut from Pakistan next year,

01:32and then probably looking more broader as well at the sort of private and commercial industry.

01:37So, yeah, no hopes of slowing down, and in fact China is one of the nations

01:40that are very much expanding in their sort of space remit.