China's first lunar spacesuit features light weight, high flexibility

China's first-ever lunar spacesuit features light weight and high flexibility to protect astronauts from the Moon's conditions and facilitate the country's scientific exploration, experts said at a public debut event on Saturday.

The suit, which made its first appearance at the third Spacesuit Technology Forum held in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, is designed with a focus on astronaut mobility and functionality when facing challenges of extravehicular activities on the Moon's surface.

Specifically, the suit has a comprehensively protective fabric that shields against the harsh thermal environment and lunar dust, a panoramic glare-proof visor for improved vision, two cameras on the sides of the helmet for versatile video recording, and multi-functional control console on the chest that streamlines operations for greater efficiency.

Compared with the currently used extravehicular spacesuit version, the new one is mainly designed to be lightweight, catering to the demands of activities in a low-gravity environment, with configurations that allow for squatting and bending with ease.

According to Wang Chunhui, deputy chief designer of astronauts training systems at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center, the suit's fit must remain unaffected by changes in posture to accommodate the various positions required on the Moon.

"The suit allows for more actions. So in various postures, the fitness shouldn't be affected after a posture change. Therefore it requires a better fit on human body," said Wang, adding that the suit is more like regular clothes compared with other extravehicular spacesuits.

"Different from performing low-Earth orbit missions, astronauts will be exposed to a naturally harsh lunar environment when carrying out lunar-surface extravehicular activities. Complex environmental factors such as high vacuum and low gravity, dust and Moon soil, complex surface topography, high and low temperatures, strong radiation will have a big impact on the work and protection of astronauts. Considering that they are working under one-sixth gravity, in order to reduce the metabolic load of the human body, it is a must to greatly reduce the suit's weight. As astronauts will walk on the lunar surface and carry out scientific research activities, the spacesuits must have better ergonomic support capabilities, and be smaller and more integrated. And the comprehensive protection capability of lunar-landing boots must also be greatly improved," he said.

China's first lunar spacesuit features light weight, high flexibility

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠China's natural gas production is projected to reach 300 billion cubic meters by 2030, according to a development report released in Beijing.

The report, covering the development of China's oil and gas industry during the country's 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), said proven geological reserves rose by 7 billion tons of oil and 7 trillion cubic meters of gas, up 43 percent and 40 percent respectively from the previous five-year period. Oil and gas production hit record highs.

"The oil output is likely to reach between 215 and 216 million tons this year. Natural gas has seen major growth during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), with annual domestic output rising by nearly 13 billion cubic meters. In the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), we expect annual increases of more than 10 billion cubic meters, reaching 300 billion cubic meters around 2030," said Wu Mouyuan, deputy director of the Economics and Technology Research Institute of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

The report forecast that China's energy structure will feature less coal, stable oil and gas, and rising non-fossil fuels over the next decade.

By 2060, fossil fuels are expected to account for 23 percent of the energy mix, hydropower and nuclear 19 percent, wind 25 percent, and solar 30 percent, the report said.

"In the next five years, through the integrated development of fossil energy and renewables, we will achieve a heathy, stable, and resilient energy system. Clean energy will continue to grow rapidly. More than 90 percent of renewable energy will be consumed via electricity, so the electrification at end-use sectors is a key direction of transformation in the future," said Wu.

With the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and new high-energy industries, China's power demand will exceed 20 trillion kilowatt hours by 2060, double the 2025 level. Electrification at end-use sectors is expected to reach 62 percent, rising by nearly one percentage point annually, the report projected.

China to see gas output hitting 300 bcm by 2030: report