China aims to operate regular space flights by 2045, official says

FILE PHOTO: A model of an astronaut holding a Chinese flag is seen above the full-size model of Chinese space station core module Tianhe at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Zhuhai Airshow, in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, China November 8, 2018. REUTERS/Brenda Goh/File Photo

China aims to set up a space programme operating thousands of flights a year and carrying tens of thousands of tons of cargo and passengers by 2045, state news agency Xinhua quoted an official as saying on Friday.

China is trying to catch up with Russia and the United States to become a major space power by 2030.

Bao Weimin, a senior official at China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp., told a conference that the planned space flight system would be able to meet commercial demands, according to the Xinhua report.

FILE PHOTO: The Long March II-F rocket loaded with a Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft carrying three Chinese astronauts lifts off from the launch pad in the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu province June 16, 2012. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo

He also said China is aiming for breakthroughs in the core technology needed and for the building of a testing system by 2025.

China has taken steps in recent years to make space flights more economical. It is developing reusable rockets such as Long March 8 and 9, and it successfully launched and landed a reusable spacecraft this month.

(Reporting by Liangping Gao and Yew Lun Tian; Editing by Hugh Lawson)