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China’s next-generation craft to blast off for space later this decade

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Chinese astronaut and former pilot Yang Liwei said that the next-generation crewed spacecraft will enable Beijing to send up to 7 astronauts, and may blast off for space for the first time between 2027 and 2028, as the global space race has intensified.

China’s crewed space flights commenced in 2003 when the former fighter pilot Liwei, was sent into orbit in a small bronze-coloured capsule, the Shenzhou-5. He was the country’s first man to explore space and an instant hero cheered by millions.

Guangzhou Daily cited Yang as saying at a Chinese university Monday: “In the future, a new generation of spacecraft will be used on crewed lunar missions, to build our space station, and for deep-space exploration.”

Long March-2F rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-16 Manned Space Flight Mission on May 30 2023, heading to the Tiangong space station. — AFP
Long March-2F rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-16 Manned Space Flight Mission on May 30 2023, heading to the Tiangong space station. — AFP

Yang, who is currently deputy chief designer of China’s manned spaceflight project, said: “Recent tests on the return capsule of the next-generation spacecraft have been very successful, with their first flights estimated to take place between 2027 and 2028.”

The next-generation spacecraft was first tested in 2020.

Since China’s space station became operational late last year, the focus has now shifted to a project to land astronauts on the moon by 2030, with engineers recently disclosing more details of the plan — from the type of carrier rockets to be used to the spacecraft transporting astronauts and other equipment.

Long March-2F rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-16 Manned Space Flight Mission, lifts off on May 30 2023. — AFP
Long March-2F rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-16 Manned Space Flight Mission, lifts off on May 30 2023. — AFP

China’s current Shenzhou spacecraft, based on Russia’s Soyuz, can transport up to three astronauts to low-Earth orbit. 

It consists of a life-support and propulsion module, an in-orbit module for short-term human habitation, and a re-entry capsule for their return to Earth.

“The new generation of crewed spacecraft will comprise just two parts — the propulsion and the return modules — to allow for bigger modules and a larger carrying capacity of up to seven people,” Zhang Bainan, chief designer of the trial version of the new-generation spacecraft, said in 2020.

The return module’s high heat resistance also allows much of it to be re-used.

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Microsoft and BlackRock are set to establish a $30 billion fund for artificial intelligence infrastructure.

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AI models, particularly those employed in deep learning and extensive data processing, necessitate considerable computer power, resulting in increased energy usage.

The computational demands of AI have compelled technology firms to interconnect thousands of chips in clusters to attain the requisite data processing capacity, resulting in a significant increase in the demand for specialized data centers.

The investment entity, termed Global AI Infrastructure Investment Partnership, seeks to improve AI supply chains and energy procurement, according to BlackRock and Microsoft.

MGX, the investment firm supported by Abu Dhabi, will serve as a general partner in the fund, while Nvidia (NVDA.O), a manufacturer of AI chips, will provide its expertise.

The collaboration is expected to generate a total investment potential of up to $100 billion, inclusive of loan funding, according to the corporations.

The investments will primarily be in the United States, with the remainder allocated to partner countries, as stated by the firms.

The Financial Times initially reported on the development.

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Pakistan ascends 14 positions in the UN E-Government Index 2024.

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This significant breakthrough signifies Pakistan’s shift from the “Middle EGDI category” to the “High EGDI category” for the first time, indicating considerable improvements in digital government capabilities.

The nation’s E-Government Development Index has risen to 0.5095, an increase from 0.42380 in 2022. Although Pakistan remains behind global leaders such as Denmark (0.9847) and regional leaders like Singapore (0.969) and the Maldives (0.6745), this enhancement is a significant accomplishment.

Minister of State for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja has reaffirmed the government’s dedication to establishing a digital Pakistan.

During an event in Islamabad on Wednesday, she underscored the necessity for collaborative endeavors to promote innovation among the youth.

She asserted that the private sector ought to have a pivotal role in realizing a digital Pakistan. Shaza Fatima said that the administration is endeavoring to deliver exceptional stable and rapid internet connectivity.

She emphasized that Pakistan’s position in the UN’s e-governance development index had ascended by fourteen points. She stated that we are one of two Asian countries that have advanced from the medium tier to the top tier of digital e-governance, characterizing this as a notable accomplishment.

The Minister of State further asserted that Pakistan has made significant advancements in cyber security, attaining a premier rank in this field.

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AI detecting techniques are going to be introduced by YouTube.

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The artificial intelligence (AI) tools that YouTube plans to introduce have been unveiled. Using artificial intelligence technology, these technologies intend to assist in identifying individuals, voices, and music inside videos found on YouTube.

With the help of artificial intelligence synthetic sounds, the company has improved its Content ID system so that it can identify instances of copyright violations in songs.

The new function, which identifies artificial sounds emulating those of artificial singers, notifies users. The first edition will be made available to the public the next year, and then it will be taken to a more widespread audience.

A feature that will assist in recognizing deepfake faces in videos is also being introduced by YouTube.

It will be possible for consumers to be aware of the fact that their faces are being utilized in videos that were produced by artificial intelligence without their permission.

A greater degree of control over the video platform is intended to be granted to celebrities and artists.

Those who are impacted have the ability to contact YouTube’s privacy request mechanism in order to request that films of this nature be removed from the platform.

A guideline that previously designated such videos as artificial intelligence or content that was misleading is currently being strengthened and modified by the firm.

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