The Beijing Aerospace Control Center is a hive of activity. Here, some of China’s brightest minds use their expertise to control space operations. This is with data from distant planets. In addition, the Earth’s orbit is handled by Hu Guolin and his team, who are part of the staff.
The center, which has been in operation since 1996, is essential for all manned spaceflight and deep space missions. Over the past two years, mission controllers from the center have been regularly visible on several channels. They include television sets, monitoring spacecraft operations, uploading commands, calculating trajectories, and communicating with astronauts. Dressed in aquamarine uniforms emblazoned with the “China Space” logo on the back, the controllers stay alert, energized, and focused throughout their shifts.
However, being a controller is a difficult profession that requires a lot of effort. Windowless control rooms receive a steady stream of data about tracks and positions from satellites and telemetry stations around the country, as well as tracking ships in the oceans around the clock. Controllers must remain on top of this information. In response to warnings of problems or malfunctions in orbit, they act quickly to determine what steps to take. In addition, they make detailed plans for the next phase of each mission.
Space station software is used Tiangong Controllers work 12-hour shifts starting at 8am or 8pm. They must maintain a laser-like focus on information that is updated every few minutes or even seconds. Monitors regularly exceed 12 hours of work at the center each day. This is because they have to go to briefings before and after their shifts and participate in seminars on specific tasks. On a recent public tour of the center, Hu, the chief controller in charge of long-term spacecraft operations, explained the demands and challenges of the position.
After 12 missions, the Tiangong space station was finally launched near the end of the previous year. The station consists of Tianhe core module, Wentian and Mengtian laboratory modules, Shenzhou XV crew spacecraft and cargo ship. Tianzhou 5 It is one of the largest space assets ever placed in Earth orbit. The current crew consists of three participants of the fifteenth Shenzhou mission. Four groups of astronauts have lived and worked inside the facility so far. The Shenzhou 16th crew will take over in May, after which the astronauts are expected to remain on the station until then.
Therefore, it can be said that the Beijing Aerospace Control Center is essential to China’s manned space program. China’s space goals can be achieved thanks to the diligence and commitment of observers like Hu Guolin and his team. They persevere in the face of hardship, remain committed to their work, and set an example for upcoming space professionals.
