China plans to build 'Three Gorges Dam in space'

(CLO) After announcing plans to build the world's largest dam, China continues to attract attention with another ambitious project: harnessing solar energy from space.

The project was proposed by renowned Chinese rocket scientist Long Lehao. The goal is to deploy a 1-km-wide solar array in geostationary orbit, 36,000 km above Earth, where it can collect solar energy continuously without being affected by the day-night cycle or weather.

Long compared the project’s energy production potential to that of the Three Gorges Dam, which currently produces about 100 billion kWh per year. Built on the Yangtze River, the Three Gorges Dam is so massive that it slows down the Earth’s rotation by 0.6 microseconds, according to NASA.

The Long March-5 rocket at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China. Photo: Xinhua

"We are working on this project. It is as important as moving the Three Gorges Dam into geostationary orbit, 36,000 km above Earth. This is a very desirable project," said Mr. Long. "The energy obtained in one year will be equivalent to the total amount of oil that can be extracted from the Earth."

The project requires the development and deployment of super-heavy rockets, which will require China to make major strides in space technology. The Long March-9 (CZ-9), a reusable heavy-lift rocket developed by Long's team, is seen as the main vehicle for the project.

"While the CZ-5 is about 50 meters tall, the CZ-9 will be up to 110 meters tall. An important application of this rocket is to build solar power stations in space," Mr. Long added.

Notably, the CZ-9 can carry up to 150 tons into low Earth orbit, surpassing heavy-lift rockets like the Saturn V and NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), which has a capacity of 130 tons.

While the concept may sound like science fiction, it's not the first time the idea has been floated. Space-based solar power plants that collect energy from the Sun in orbit and beam it back to Earth have been internationally dubbed the "Manhattan Project" of the energy industry.

Ngoc Anh (according to SCMP, NDTV)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/trung-quoc-len-ke-hoach-xay-dung-dap-tam-hiep-trong-khong-gian-post329828.html