8 | Monday, May 20, 2019 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY CHINA Integration Mechanical goose of AI with Private sector education in China aims advocated
By ZHANG ZHIHAO [email protected] for Earth orbit Nations should create policies to promote the integration of artificial intelligence and education, along Battle for lucrative market heats up with equitable and accessible life as companies create reusable boosters long learning opportunities for all, according to the Beijing Consensus. The agreement on principles was By ZHAO LEI rockets. Currently, those are main published on Saturday after the [email protected] ly made by Stateowned space threeday International Conference giants. Carrier rockets are in short on Artificial Intelligence and Educa Several Chinese commercial supply because of surging demand tion. space companies are competing to for launch services from the coun The conference was organized by become the first nonState player try’s flourishing satellite industry. the Ministry of Education, UNES A gaggle of swan geese join a powered hang glider at the 2019 World FlyIn Expo in Wuhan, Hubei to successfully launch a carrier Executives at these firms are CO, the China National Committee province, on Saturday. The pilot feeds the birds at home and flies with them during performances. rocket into orbit. aware that becoming the first pri for UNESCO and the Beijing munic More than 560 aircraft participated in the expo, which featured air shows, exhibitions and forums. The next attempt will be made vate company to launch a carrier ipal government. CHENG MIN / XINHUA by Beijingbased startup iSpace, rocket into orbit will bring not only Around 500 representatives from which plans to conduct its first honor but also lucrative contracts. more than 100 countries and 10 orbital mission next month, a Previous attempts at orbital international organizations passed source in the company who asked launches by LandSpace and One the Beijing Consensus as a guiding not to be named said on Sunday. Space failed in flight. document for the future develop The iSpace SQX1 rocket is Wang Yanan, editorinchief of ment of global education, especially Shanghai telescope honored for scheduled to blast off at the Jiu Aerospace Knowledge magazine, in the age of AI. The consensus also quan Satellite Launch Center in said that it’s only a matter of time proposes research on frontier issues the Gobi Desert in early June. If the before private players accomplish related to AI technologies, as well as black hole assistance, other work mission succeeds, the rocket will orbital launches, because they are exploration of effective strategies carry three small satellites and growing stronger in their research and practices to facilitate education four experimental equipment into and development capabilities. al innovation. space, he said. It is the largest and Their existence has diversified the Jernej Pikalo, Slovenia’s minister By ZHOU WENTING in Shanghai most powerful rocket ever built by market in China and has proved of education, science and sport, said [email protected] a private Chinese space company, good for the country’s space indus at the closing ceremony that the he said. try, he added. conference has allowed officials to A radio telescope in Shanghai The SQX1 has a diameter of 1.4 “The participation of private evaluate the impact and potential of that has made significant contri meters, a length of 21 meters and a firms will substantially reduce the AI technologies for learning. butions to astronomy for nearly a liftoff weight of 31 metric tons. launch cost and help boost the The consensus shows that coun decade and participated in long Fueled by solid propellant, it is commercialization of the entire tries have the will and capability to term observations used to con able to transport satellites with a space industry,” said Wu Zhijian, integrate AI and education, and firm data in the first image of a combined weight of 300 kilograms directorgeneral of the China boost its role in developing the edu black hole in deep space, won the into a lowEarth orbit, or 100 kg of Space Foundation. cation sector, he said. It also lays out top prize on Wednesday at the satellites into a sunsynchronous He said private players with cre the principle of inclusive and equal 2018 Shanghai Science and Tech orbit. ativity and technology are crucial use of AI technologies for the benefit nology Awards. Meanwhile, iSpace has begun to to achieving the nation’s goal of of the general public. At 65 meters in diameter, the design the SQX2, a liquidpropel becoming a strong space power. Stefania Giannini, assistant radio telescope Tianma — or lant type of rocket that will be reus As of the end of last year, a total directorgeneral for education at heavenly horse — located in the able, the source added. of 123 private enterprises on the UNESCO, said the conference repre suburban Songjiang district, is Private companies are eager to Chinese mainland had registered sented a milestone for cooperation, the largest omnibearing movable The Tianma radio telescope in Shanghai, which won the top seize business opportunities in the in the space industry, and 14 of and allowed consensus to be reached telescope in Asia and is ranked prize on Wednesday in the 2018 Shanghai Science and nation’s burgeoning commercial those were focused on rocket among UNESCO members on future third in the world in comprehen Technology Awards. GAO ERQIANG / CHINA DAILY space launch market. development and production, strategic directions and tackling key sive performance. It began pro Leading private rocketmakers according to a market report pub challenges regarding AI. viding celestial observations in in China — iSpace, LandSpace and lished last week by FutureAero Giannini said UNESCO agrees 2012. has a mass 6.5 billion times that of OneSpace — have been sparing no space, a privately owned space with President Xi Jinping’s proposal While Tianma was not directly 65 the sun. effort to develop their own carrier consultancy in Beijing. to use AI as a tool to accelerate the involved in the observations that meters It was one example of the role development of lifelong, equitable, led to the black hole image, its that Tianma has played in inter Diameter of the Tianma radio appropriate, open and flexible edu ability to see other phenomena in telescope, the largest omnibear national coordinated observa cation for all. the universe on certain wave ing movable telescope in Asia tions. Its super sensitivity has UNESCO will continue to pro lengths, contributed to the precise made its observations useful as a Advanced rocket engine mote dialogue, partnership and calibration of the final data for the reference by which other partici resource exchanges regarding AI image, scientists in Shanghai said. been making observations at pants in the network can adjust and educationrelated policies, and Tianma is part of the East Asia wavelengths of 7 and 13 millime their data, according to the ready for space mission fulfill the quality education targets Very Long Baseline Interferome ters for a long time, Shen said. Shanghai Astronomical Observa of the United Nations’ 2030 Sustain try Network, or EAVN. “EHT could capture the image tory. By ZHAO LEI able Development Goals, she said. Shen Zhiqiang, head of the Chi without assistance of the network “Tianma elevated the image [email protected] Tian Xuejun, viceminister of edu nese Academy of Sciences’ Shang but the supporting observations quality of the EAVN, by about 50 cation, said new conditions and hai Astronomical Observatory provided supplemental informa percent, making a great contri A company in China has become issues will continue to emerge as and a member of the Event Hori tion and showed consistency with bution to the research on the third in the world, after two oth humanity enters the age of intelli zon Telescope (EHT) internation the EHT observations to better extreme objects in the universe, ers in the United States, to have gence, and the international com al team that assembled the black verify their accuracy,” Shen said. such as black holes,” Shen said. developed a new type of rocket munity must be responsible and hole image — more than 200 “The job of the network was “It currently plays a leading role engine at the cutting edge of space cooperative in its approach. astronomers worldwide linked included in one of the six papers in the network. All the other tele propulsion, its maker said. China is willing to further deepen via a globespanning array of about the research published by scopes have diameters of 20 LandSpace, a private startup in cooperation with UNESCO and its eight groundbased radio tele The Astrophysical Journal Letters meters at most. Tianma can Beijing, announced on Friday that members, create new platforms for scopes — said that the equipment in the United States,” he added. receive more signals than all of its TQ12 methane rocket engine global exchange on AI and educa capturing the signals that were The image, which showed a them combined,” Shen said. successfully underwent a 20second tion and build more inclusive, fair eventually translated into the ringlike structure with a dark cen Tianma has also played an trial run at the company’s test facili and higherquality education sys image detected wavelengths of 1.3 tral region — the black hole’s indispensable role in determining ty in Huzhou, Zhejiang province. It tems, he said. These will in turn help millimeters, and there was no cor shadow — depicted the black hole orbits for China’s moon and deep is the world’s third highperform achieve the UN’s sustainable devel responding equipment in China. at the heart of Messier 87, a mas space explorations. It will also ance methane engine after SpaceX’s opment goals, and building a com But Tianma, part of EAVN, sive, distant galaxy in the nearby determine orbits for the country’s Raptor and Blue Origin’s BE4. munity with a shared future for together with telescopes in the Virgo galaxy cluster. It is 55 mil first Mars exploration in 2020, The engines use liquid methane mankind. Republic of Korea and Japan, had lion lightyears from Earth and Shen said. as a fuel and liquid oxygen as an oxi dizer. They are reusable and are cen tral to the development of reusable launch vehicles. SpaceX and Blue Helicopters may take urban transport to new heights Origin, both space giants in the US, have allocated considerable resour ces to the research and development An artist’s rendering of the SHENZHEN — Pressing a but use helicopters in urban public neered China’s reform and open environmentally friendly transport of such engines. ZQ 2 carrier rocket designed by ton to call a helicopter to a roof transport. ingup, is among the world’s system. LandSpace conducted four trial private company LandSpace. top was once the stuff of science “Airbus is collaborating closely leading innovation hot spots and “We understand the potential of runs of the TQ12 last week and all PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY fiction, but it could soon be a real with China on helicopters. We home to prominent innovative Shenzhen and the area,” Puerta were successful, the company said ity in China’s southern metropolis would like to start introducing this enterprises. It is also a key compo said, noting that the city has 20 mil in a statement. rier rocket — the 19meter, solidfuel of Shenzhen. UAM service with existing helicop nent of China’s GuangdongHong lion people with an average age of With a maximum thrust of 80 ZQ 1 — in late October at the Jiu An urban air mobility project is ters and in parallel develop elec KongMacao Greater Bay Area. 33 — “which means people are very metric tons, the engine can be used quan Satellite Launch Center in expected to make the Chinese inno tronic vertical takeoff and landing Yang Hong of the municipal gov innovative and very forwardlook on all types of carrier rockets and northwestern China to place a mini vation hub, renowned for its and nextgeneration vehicles,” ernment said helicopters will pro ing”, he said. features good profitability, accord satellite into orbit. The mission fail socalled Shenzhen speed, even Puerta said, adding that a digital pel Shenzhen to the global Shenzhen has an allelectric ing to the statement, quoting Ge ed because of technical faster. platform will be tailored to Shen forefront of intelligent transport urban bus fleet. More than 20,000 Minghe, the company’s head of malfunctions during the flight. The joint project between Airbus zhen, connected to the existing systems. newenergy vehicles, mostly elec research and development. Zhang said the company is now and the Shenzhen municipal com transport system and adapted to “Aiming for the world’s highest tric taxis, are shuttling around the Zhang Changwu, founder and focusing on the development of the merce bureau will add a new Chinese customers. standards, Shenzhen is striving to city. CEO of LandSpace, said that mass ZQ 2, calling it “the largest and most dimension to its urban transport The seamless endtoend trans enhance its stable, equitable, trans “We believe people in Shenzhen production of the TQ12 engine and powerful carrier rocket to be system. port solution will be able to com parent and predictable business will be willing to accept and the ZQ 2 carrier rocket, which will designed and built by a Chinese pri “We understand the potential of bine any type of ground transport environment,” Yang said. embrace these types of solutions, be the first to use the new engine, vate rocket company”. Shenzhen — the innovative spirit, and mobility with air transport. It welcomes global enterprises, which will be an example for China will begin later this year at the com The 48.8meter ZQ 2 will have a the opportunity to create an addi “I hope we can prove together at including Airbus, to develop in as well as for the world,” said Derek pany’s plant in Huzhou. The plant is diameter of 3.35 meters, the same as tional solution for the city and a the end of this year that this is not Shenzhen and in the Greater Bay Cheng, head of AsiaPacific urban the first privately owned carrier most of China’s Long March rocket service,” said Eduardo Dominguez science fiction but an existing reali Area. air mobility for Airbus. rocket factory in China and the larg series, and a liftoff weight of 216 Puerta, senior vicepresident and ty and an option for people in Last year, more than 15.51 million The technological ecosystem est of its kind in Asia. metric tons. It will be capable of head of the urban air mobility sec Shenzhen,” Puerta said. “It is going vehicles and 250 million people and range of potential partners in The Huzhou facility will be able to placing a 1.8ton payload into a sun tion of Airbus. to be much more public, as the passed through Shenzhen ports. the area “make this a great choice produce about 15 ZQ 2 rockets and synchronous orbit 500 kilometers Tailored UAM services are price will be more acceptable. Its A robust economy and close eco for the development of UAM”, he 200 TQ12 engines starting in 2022, above the Earth or a 4ton space expected to be introduced in value as a new urban transport nomic links to other cities in the said. Zhang said, adding that the first craft into a lowEarth orbit with an Shenzhen by the end of this year, form is far beyond business.” area are pushing it to create an flight of the ZQ 2 is set for 2020. altitude of 200 kilometers, accord making it the first Chinese city to Shenzhen, the city that pio even faster, more intelligent and XINHUA LandSpace launched its first car ing to LandSpace.