World's first quantum communications satellite

China successfully launched the world's first quantum satellite from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gobi Desert. [Photo/Xinhua]

China has just launched the world's first quantum communications satellite, which is both an extreme test of the phenomena of quantum entanglement, and a technology tested for what could be the start of a global, hacker-free communications network. Officially known as the Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS), the mission has been nicknamed Mozi after the ancient Chinese philosopher said to be the first in history to conduct optical experiments.

China's first X-ray large space telescope

A Long March-4B rocket carrying X-ray space telescope to observe black holes, pulsars and gamma-ray bursts blasts off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gobi Desert, June 15, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT) satellite, named Huiyan ("Insight"), carries three sets of detectors to collect high-energy X-rays. The main scientific objectives of HXMT are to scan the Galactic Plane to find new transient sources and to monitor the known variable sources, and to observe X-ray binaries so as to study the dynamics and emission mechanism in strong gravitational or magnetic fields. As China’s first X-ray large space telescope, it is expected to promote the country's high-energy astrophysics research to world's top level.

Space missions

The graphics shows the procedures of Tianzhou-1 automated docking with Tiangong-2 on April 22, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

From Long March 5 to Long March 7, China's carrier rockets have been successfully upgraded. Shenzhou 11, part of the manned spaceflight element of the Shenzhou program, was launched in October 2016 as China's sixth manned space mission. It docked with the Tiangong 2 space laboratory. China has more space projects planned, including Chang'e 5, an unmanned Chinese lunar exploration mission, and the exploration of Mars.

High-speed rail

Photo taken on June 26, 2017 shows China's new bullet train "Fuxing" at Beijing South Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China. [Photo/Xinhua]

China has built the first high-speed rail line in the freezing high-altitude regions, as well as the first and only high-speed railway in a tropical zone in the world. The operational mileage of high-speed trains in China has now exceeded 22,000 kilometers, accounting for more than 60 percent of the global total. China's high-speed railways and trains have become a significant symbol of the world's railways modernization, and are a highly-appraised brand for Chinese high-end equipment.