China National Space Administration

Hello! We are the China National Space Administration, which is often shortened to CNSA. Our work is all about exploring the vast universe beyond our world. We are China’s national space agency, which means we are responsible for planning and leading the country’s journey into space. This important work began when we were officially established on April 22nd, 1993. Our mission involves many exciting and challenging tasks. Our teams of scientists and engineers design powerful rockets that can push beyond Earth's gravity. We also build complex satellites that orbit our planet, helping with communication, weather forecasting, and scientific observation. A big part of our job is sending robotic probes and astronauts on missions to learn more about Earth, our Moon, and the other planets in our solar system. In China, astronauts are sometimes called taikonauts, a special name for the explorers who travel into space on our missions.

Since our beginning, we have worked hard to reach for the stars, and our space program has seen many amazing achievements. One of our most important early goals was to send people into space. This dream came true in 2003 when Yang Liwei became the first Chinese astronaut to travel into orbit, circling the Earth in a spacecraft. This was a major step that opened the door for many more human spaceflights. To support this work, we built our very own space station, which we named Tiangong. The Tiangong space station is like a home and a laboratory in space. It allows our taikonauts to live and work high above the Earth for months at a time, conducting important experiments that can only be done in a space environment.

Beyond sending people into orbit, we have also focused on exploring our closest celestial neighbor, the Moon. Our Chang'e program is a series of robotic missions named after the Chinese goddess of the Moon. These missions have sent orbiters to map the lunar surface and landers to study it up close. One of our most remarkable accomplishments happened in 2019. In that year, a Chang'e mission made us the very first space agency in the world to successfully land a rover on the far side of the Moon. This part of the Moon is sometimes called mysterious because it always faces away from Earth, making it very difficult to communicate with and explore. Our rover sent back valuable information from this uncharted territory, helping scientists everywhere understand the Moon better.

Our explorations have also reached farther into the solar system, all the way to the planet Mars. Our Tianwen-1 mission was a very ambitious project that included an orbiter, a lander, and a rover. The orbiter circles Mars, studying its atmosphere and surface from above, while the lander carried the rover safely to the ground. We named our first Mars rover Zhurong, after the Chinese god of fire. Once on the surface, the Zhurong rover began its work of exploring the red planet, examining rocks and soil to learn more about its history and geology. These missions help us piece together the story of Mars and search for clues about whether it might have once been able to support life.

Our work in space continues every single day as we look toward an exciting future. We are always operating the Tiangong space station, where our taikonauts carry out ongoing research. At the same time, our teams on the ground are busy planning new and exciting missions to push the boundaries of exploration even further. Looking ahead, we have big dreams. We hope to one day build a research station on the Moon, which would allow for long-term scientific studies on the lunar surface. We also plan to send more advanced probes to explore other parts of the solar system. We know that space exploration is a global effort, so we also cooperate with space agencies from other countries. By sharing what we learn and working together, we can all explore the wonders of the universe for the benefit of everyone on Earth.