Space science spacecraft serve as a crucial platform for expanding human knowledge and achieving original breakthroughs

Space science is a discipline that uses spacecraft as its primary platform to study phenomena and their underlying laws in Earth’s space, the Sun-Earth system, interplanetary space, and the broader universe, encompassing physics, astronomy, chemistry, and life sciences etc. Since humanity entered the space age in the mid-20th century, space science and technology have advanced rapidly, gradually evolving into a strategic domain crucial for technological development, economic growth, national security, and social progress. By continuously pushing the frontiers of human knowledge and opening new realms for human survival and development, space science provides powerful impetus for the advancement of space technology, fosters breakthroughs in core and critical technologies, and serves as both the precursor and foundation for space applications.

In recent years, major global powers have increasingly recognized the leading role of space science in driving scientific and technological innovation. They have successively launched medium- to long-term development strategies, resulting in the development and launch of hundreds of space science satellite missions. This has led to a continuous stream of original scientific achievements. The field of global space science is advancing by leaps and bounds, emerging as a key catalyst for a new wave of scientific and technological revolution. Addressing the unsolved mysteries of the universe and life itself is fundamental to human survival and sustainable development. Major frontiers such as the nature of dark matter and dark energy, the relationship between solar activity and humanity, the formation and evolution of planetary systems, the coupling of Earth’s multi-sphere system, and the search for life on icy moons within our solar system are now guiding the future direction of space science.

Series of original scientific breakthroughs achieved through space science satellites

For over six decades, China’s space endeavors have achieved globally remarkable accomplishments, spanning from the launch of DFH-1 on April 24, 1970 to the manned space program, lunar exploration program, and the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. Chang’e-4 and Chang’e-6 accomplished the first soft landing, roving exploration, and sample return from the far side of the Moon, yielding significant discoveries and scientific insights into the lunar origin and evolution.

The Double Star Program (2003–2004) marked China’s first space science mission driven primarily by scientific objectives, ushering in a new era for the nation’s space science endeavors. In collaboration with the European Space Agency’s Cluster mission, it achieved humanity’s first coordinated six-point exploration of Earth’s space environment, establishing an exemplary model for China-Europe cooperation in space science. Since 2012, the country’s space science has entered a “fast-track” phase of innovative development. A number of space science missions have been implemented, focusing on scientific themes such as the origin and evolution of the universe and the relationship between the solar system and humanity. Led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences through its Strategic Priority Program on Space Science (2011 approved), a series of dedicated space science satellites has been established. This distinguished fleet includes missions such as the Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE, “Wukong”, launched in 2015), SJ-10 (2016), the Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS, “Mozi”, 2016), the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (Insight-HXMT, 2017), Taiji-1 (2018), Gravitational wave high-energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All-sky Monitor (GECAM, 2020), the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S, “Kuafu-1”, 2022), the Einstein Probe (EP, “Tianguan”, 2024) and Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE, scheduled launch in 2026) (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1
figure 1

Strategic priority program on space science.

Full size image

Over the past fifteen years, China’s original achievements in space science have begun to demonstrate breakthroughs across multiple fronts, collectively reflecting the continuous expansion and deepening of scientific research toward the “four extremes.” In the extremely macroscopic domain, a full-sky X-ray map has been produced using independently developed instruments. Furthermore, the first successful satellite-to-ground quantum key distribution and quantum teleportation have been achieved. At the extremely microscopic level, the finest spectral structures of cosmic-ray electrons, protons, helium nuclei, and boron nuclei have been measured with unprecedented precision. Under extreme conditions, the strongest magnetic field in the universe has been directly measured for the first time, and the fastest jet in close proximity to a black hole has been detected. In the realm of highly integrated interdisciplinary research, a deep fusion and coordinated advancement of science, technology, and engineering has been achieved.

In 2025, a series of new scientific highlights were achieved based on the fleet of space science satellites. DAMPE obtained, for the first time internationally, the most precise spectrum of secondary cosmic-ray boron nuclei in the TeV/n energy range and discovered a new spectral structure1 (Fig. 2). Insight-HXMT observed the first results of terrestrial gamma-ray flash2, and extensively observed the new black hole transient Swift J1727.8-1613 exhibited a series of X-ray flares during its 2023 outburst3. GECAM made the first international observation of a stable millisecond-period pulsation signal in a gamma-ray burst powered by a newborn magnetar, providing key evidence for understanding the nature of the remnants from compact star mergers4. ASO-S captured harmonic quasi-periodic pulsations in a white-light solar flare5 and revealed anomalous electron acceleration behavior in high-energy C-class solar flares6. EP successfully detected a mysterious fast X-ray transient, EP240315a. Analysis of this event suggests that the scientific community may need to re-examine and reconsider the theoretical models for the generation mechanisms of gamma-ray bursts, a class of cosmic explosive phenomena7. It also successfully captured a fleeting cosmic X-ray signal designated EP240414a, offering a novel perspective for understanding the processes of stellar death8.

Fig. 2
figure 2

DAMPE observed the spectral hardening of the Boron spectrum (~8σ), which is also the first time for secondary CR observations.

Full size image

In addition to the series of space science satellites, China has also successfully launched science and technology demonstration satellites such as the “Zhangheng-1” “Xihe” and “Macao Science Satellite-1”. The institutionalized basic research carried out based on the space science satellite series has significantly enhanced China’s scientific and technological influence on the global stage.

National mid- and long-term plan for space science in China (2024–2050) provides a development roadmap up to 2050

National Mid- and Long-term Plan for Space Science in China (2024–2050) was officially released on October 15, 20249 (Fig. 3). Facing the frontiers of space science and addressing the major needs of the country, China’s reality, such as the disciplinary advantages, human resources, and the maturity level of the engineering and technology, must also be taken into account. Accordingly, China’s space science plan will focus on five scientific themes, namely, “Extreme Universe”, “Space-Time Ripples”, “the Panoramic View of the Sun and the Earth”, “Habitable Planets”, and “Biological & Physical Science in Space”.

Fig. 3
figure 3

National mid- and long-term plan for space science in China (2024–2050) was jointly released by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China National Space Administration and China Manned Space Agency on October 15, 2024.

Full size image

The theme “Extreme Universe” explores the origin and evolution of the universe as well as reveals the physical laws of the universe under extreme conditions. The main scientific questions to be addressed include the nature of dark matter particles, the sources of high-energy radiation in the universe, the nature of dark energy, the physical mechanisms of dynamic cosmic detections and transient sources, the dark age of the universe, and the history of reionization.

The theme “Space-Time Ripples” detects low and medium-frequency gravitational waves and primordial gravitational waves in order to reveal the nature of gravity and space-time. The scientific questions to be addressed include the formation of supermassive black holes and their co-evolution with host galaxies, as well as the testing of early cosmological models.

The theme “the Panoramic View of the Sun and the Earth” explores the Sun, Earth and the heliosphere, and reveals the physical processes and laws governing the complex system of the Sun-Earth and the Sun-Solar system connections. The main scientific questions to be addressed include the structure and coupling processes of the solid Earth’s inner layers, the characteristics of the solar magnetic field and the mechanism of the origin of the solar magnetic cycle, and the processes and mechanisms of solar wind and interstellar medium interaction.

The theme “Habitable planets” explores the habitability of solar system planets and exoplanets, and searches for extraterrestrial life. The main scientific questions to be addressed include the mechanism of interaction between human activities and the natural environment, the composition of the Moon’s deep matter and its layer structure, the origin and evolution of asteroids and comets, the evolution of habitable environments and potential life signals on Mars, and the habitability and life signatures of exoplanets.

The theme “Biological & Physical Science in Space” reveals the laws of matter movement and life activities under space conditions as well as deepens the knowledge of fundamental physics such as quantum mechanics and general relativity. The scientific questions to be solved mainly include fire safety in manned spaceflight, preparation of high-performance materials and the behavior of materials in extreme space environments, quantum effects in the gravitational field, basic medical problems of medium- and long-term spaceflight and residence, and research on special biotechnology in space.

China’s space origins exploration program has been adopted

Based on the China’s development strategy study for space science, a series of new space science satellite missions have been proposed for the near future (Fig. 4), which will focus on major scientific issues in the category of “origins”, such as the origins of the universe, the origins of space weather, the origins of life, etc. It is proposed that by 2030, in-orbit scientific exploration is expected to yield major discoveries and original results in the following directions, such as the dark age of the universe, the solar magnetic activity cycle and high-speed solar wind, Earth-like exoplanet, and the physical laws of the universe under extreme conditions.

Fig. 4
figure 4

China’s space origins exploration program.

Full size image

Discovering the Sky at the Longest wavelength (DSL)10. With 1 mother satellite and 9 daughter satellites operating in a 300 km circular lunar orbit, DSL takes advantage of the highly clean electromagnetic environment on the far side of the Moon to conduct ultra-long-wave radio astronomy observations, which will provide key observational evidence to open a new window to image the dark age of the universe with MHz radio waves.

Solar Polar Orbit Observatory (SPO)11. With the implementation of the solar polar orbit observation system above the ecliptic plane, SPO aims to achieve the first-ever frontal imaging of the solar polar region, so as to make crucial breakthroughs in research on the origin of solar magnetic activity cycles and the origin of high-speed solar wind.

The Earth 2.0 (ET)12. A space observatory at the Earth-Sun L2 point conducts a long-term, large-scale survey of exoplanets, to explore habitable Earth-like planets outside our solar system, and target candidates for extraterrestrial life search.

Enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP)13. The mission will conduct research on the detection of dense celestial bodies, such as black holes and neutron stars, with high time resolution, high energy resolution and high-precision polarization, so as to explore the physical laws and principles under the extreme conditions in the universe, including extreme gravity, magnetism, and density.

We firmly believe that through the steady advancement of these missions, China’s space science will make a significant contribution to unraveling the mysteries of the universe. As detailed in this review, the strategic implementation of space science satellite series, guided by the National Mid- and Long-term Plan, has yielded breakthroughs in understanding cosmic rays, black holes, solar activity, and transient phenomena. Looking ahead, the steady progress of missions is poised to catalyze China’s transition from “keeping pace” to “taking the lead” across more scientific frontiers, which promises a continuous stream of critical, original, and paradigm-shifting discoveries. Moving forward, China’s space science program will continue to deliver more critical, original, and pioneering major scientific and technological achievements, that will not only become landmark achievements in establishing a leading space nation, but also ultimately benefit humanity’s collective understanding of the cosmos.