China registers smooth progress in space science research on space station in 2025

China registered smooth progress in carrying out space science research, application experiment and technology test projects aboard the country's space station in orbit, covering multiple fields such as life sciences, microgravity physics, and new space technologies and applications, according to the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization (CSU), the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The latest official data released by the CSU indicate that in 2025, the number of new scientific research and application projects for the country's space application system increased by 31, with about 867.5 kilograms of scientific materials such as uplink experimental modules, units and samples taken to the space station, with 83.92 kilograms of space science experiment samples brought back to the Earth, and with over 150 terabytes of scientific data obtained.

These developments enabled scientific-technological research teams in various fields to realize a series of original, cutting-edge and innovative progress and achievements, said the CSU. In the field of space life sciences, China successfully conducted its first space science experiment on mice on the Space Station, laying an important foundation for future systematic research on the impact of the space environment on mammals.

The four mice involved in the experiment had been sent into space aboard the Shenzhou-21 crewed spaceship on Oct 31, 2025, and were housed in a specialized habitat on the space station before returning to the Earth on Nov 14.

An in-situ electrochemical and optical research project on lithium-ion batteries for space applications was also carried out on the Space Station.

The research is expected to further advance the fundamental theories of electrochemistry and provide a basis for optimizing current on-orbit battery systems and designing next-generation high-energy-density, high-safety space batteries. "In the future, China plans to launch two flagship astronomical facilities. One is the Chinese Survey Space Telescope (CSST), also known as the Xuntian Space Telescope. It's capable of making significant scientific discoveries in cosmology and from nearby galaxies and the Milky Way. The other is the HERD -- a high energy cosmic radiation detection facility, which is capable of detecting cosmic rays with extremely high sensitivity, to further understand dark matter, and the origin of cosmic ray acceleration and other related extreme cosmic phenomena. It is also capable of making new and more comprehensive insights into gamma-ray surveys," said Ba Jin, senior engineer of the CSU.

China registers smooth progress in space science research on space station in 2025

China registers smooth progress in space science research on space station in 2025

China's two major power grid operators -- the State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) and China Southern Power Grid (CSG) -- reported a surge in investment in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring efforts to strengthen infrastructure construction and support high-quality socioeconomic development in China.

The State Grid said it completed fixed-asset investment worth 129 billion yuan (about 18.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of this year, up 37 percent the corresponding period of the previous year. The spending has driven more than 250 billion yuan (36 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across the wider industrial chain.

Key projects such as the Panxi ultra-high-voltage (UHV) alternating current (AC) line and the Anhui-Hubei back-to-back direct current (DC) project have seen ground broken for their construction, while several west-to-east power transmission projects have been upgraded.

Investment in connecting renewable energy generation to the grid was reported to have exceeded 10 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) from January to March, a year-on-year rise of more than 50 percent.

The CSG also reported robust growth in investment in the three-month period, with fixed-asset investment reaching 38.45 billion yuan (5.58 billion U.S. dollars), up about 50 percent from a year earlier.

Among its achievements, the company completed and commissioned 80 key projects, including the 220 kV cross-sea power grid interconnection project, which was officially put into operation on March 20. The project ended years of grid isolation on the Weizhou Island in south China by linking it to the main power system of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The construction of 17 other major energy projects, including one linking the power grid of the Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China with that of Guangdong Province in south China, is advancing rapidly. These projects are expected to bolster regional industries, the maritime economy, digital collaboration and the transition to green energy.

"By accelerating major project construction, investment during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is expected to approach 1 trillion yuan (145 billion U.S. dollars), driving a further 2 trillion yuan (290 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across upstream and downstream industries," said Dong Yanle, deputy general manager of the Engineering Construction Department under the China Southern Power Grid.

China ramps up power grid investment in January-March to boost growth