Zhang Rongqiao

Zhang Rongqiao ( Chinese  張榮 橋  /  张荣 桥 , Pinyin Zhāng Róngqiáo , born  March 1966 in Anling) is a Chinese communications engineer. Since 2016 he has been the Technical Director of the Mars Program of the People's Republic of China .

Youth, university and early work

Zhang Rongqiao was established in March 1966 in a village of the greater community Anling (安凌镇) in the district Qimen the prefecture-level city Huangshan , province of Anhui , was born. He attended the 1st district high school in Qimen, where he graduated from high school in 1982 at the age of 16. From 1984 he attended what was then the Academy for Telecommunications in Northwest China (西北 电讯 工程 学院) in Xi'an , since 1959 one of the national universities of applied sciences in China (全国 重点 大学, since 1995 “ Project 211 ”). In January 1988 the academy was renamed " University of Electrical Engineering and Electronics Xi'an ", in the same year Zhang Rongqiao graduated from the Institute for Electromagnetic Fields and Microwave Technology (电磁场 与 微波 技术 专业) of the Faculty of Electronics (电子 工程系). He then moved to the Chinese Academy for Space Technology, where he obtained the degree of Postgraduate Specialist (硕士 研究生) in 1991, a kind of "specialist doctorate" which in China is located above the graduate engineer but below the doctorate. Zhang Rongqiao initially stayed at the Chinese Academy for Space Technology , where he worked at the Research Institute 503 in Beijing (北京 卫星 信息 工程 研究所), where he was the head of sub-projects specifically dealing with the tracing of medium-range missiles using satellites and the transmission of images from cruise missiles . Soon he rose from laboratory manager to institute manager.

Moon and Mars program

On January 24, 2004, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao approved the construction of the Chang'e-1 lunar orbit , which officially launched the People's Republic of China's lunar program . The Space Technology Academy had had feasibility studies and concepts for the probe since 2001, and now that the funds were released, construction of a prototype began immediately. Almost six months later, on June 2, 2004, the Commission for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense , which externally operated as the “ China National Space Administration ”, established a “Center for lunar exploration and space projects” (探 月 与 航天 工程 中心, Pinyin Tànyuè Yǔ Hángtiān Gōngchéng Zhōngxīn ). Zhang Rongqiao now moved from the Space Technology Academy to the newly established department, which at the time was also subordinate to the State Council of the People's Republic of China and the Central Military Commission . When the Defense Technology Commission was dissolved in 2008 and transferred to the National Agency for Science, Technology and Industry in National Defense , Zhang Rongqiao was appointed deputy technical director of the lunar program.

Zhang Rongqiao was not only a skilled leader but also a recognized figure in the field of microwave technology . Therefore, on December 11, 2008, he was hired by his old university as an honorary professor (教授). The University of Electrical Engineering and Electronics was less concerned with specific teaching and doctoral supervision, but rather with strengthening its links to the space industry. It was hoped to be involved in the national large-scale scientific and technical projects , the program through which the People's Republic of China finances, among other things, manned spaceflight and deep-space missions.

On January 11, 2016, Prime Minister Li Keqiang released funds for a combined orbiter-rover mission to Mars in 2020, and Zhang Rongqiao was appointed Technical Director of the Mars program of the People's Republic of China . Since he was also the technical director of the center for lunar exploration and space projects (探 月 与 航天 工程 中心 总工程师), he was also responsible for the lunar program. In this capacity, he attended the reception hosted by President Xi Jinping for the scientists and engineers involved in the successful landing of Chang'e-4 on the far side of the moon in the Great Hall of the People on February 20, 2019 . The Martian program naturally focuses on the Tianwen-1 mission. However, thought had already been given to a return mission in 2016 and these plans - also with regard to the Changzheng 9 launch vehicle required for this - continued in the background. Originally, a decision on this mission should only be made after an assessment of the Chang'e 5 return mission to the moon (end of 2020). After Xi Jinping's re-election on March 17, 2018, the already high status of space travel in Chinese politics had increased even further, and in April 2020 the project, which for technical and rail-mechanical reasons cannot be implemented until April 2029 at the earliest, was already in place for approval by the State Council.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 缘分！ 这 9 位 航天 人 ， 都 在 陕西 上 大学 ， 还 毕业于 同一 所 211 高校. In: kknews.cc. June 19, 2019, accessed June 6, 2020 (Chinese). 
2. ↑ 辉煌 历史. In: xidian.edu.cn. Retrieved June 6, 2020 (Chinese). 
3. ↑ 张荣 桥 ： 仰望 星空 脚踏实地. In: hsxfw.gov.cn. February 27, 2019, accessed June 6, 2020 (Chinese). 
4. ↑ 西安 电子 科技 大学 电子 工程 学院 简介. In: yz.kaoyan.com. January 22, 2005, accessed June 8, 2020 (Chinese). 
5. ↑ 中国 航天 科技 集团公司 的 各个 研究院 的 主要 方向 都是 什么？ In: zhihu.com. September 10, 2013, accessed June 6, 2020 (Chinese). 
6. ↑ ^{a b c} 李斌鹏: 探 月 副 总设计师 张荣 桥 回 母校 做 报告. In: news.xidian.edu.cn. December 17, 2008, accessed June 7, 2020 (Chinese). 
7. ↑ ^{a b} 国家 探 月 工程 副 总设计师 ， 中国 首次 火星 探测 任务 工程 总设计师 张荣 桥 讲座 ： ： 嫦娥 工程 与 中国 空间 探索 的 突破. In: ruc.edu.cn. September 16, 2019, accessed June 6, 2020 (Chinese). 
8. ↑ 孙泽洲 从 “探 月” 到 “探 火” 一步 一个 脚印. In: cast.cn. October 26, 2016, accessed June 6, 2020 (Chinese). 
9. ↑ 张荣 桥: Ku 频段 微带 平面 天线 的 设计. In: nlc.cn. Retrieved June 8, 2020 (Chinese). 
10. ↑ 张荣 桥: Ku 频段 微带 平面 天线 的 研制. In: nlc.cn. May 1, 1993, accessed June 8, 2020 (Chinese). 
11. ↑ 科学 研究院. In: xidian.edu.cn. Retrieved June 8, 2020 (Chinese). 
12. ↑ 中国 火星 探测 任务 工程 总设计师 校友 张荣 桥 返校 记. In: xidian.edu.cn. November 4, 2016, accessed June 8, 2020 (Chinese). 
13. ↑ 黄山 发布: 骄傲！ 习 大大 接见 了 这位 黄山 人 ， 是 探 月 工程 嫦娥 四号 任务 参 研 参 试 人员！ In: sohu.com. February 22, 2019, accessed June 7, 2020 (Chinese). 
14. ↑ 孟林智 et al .: 无人 火星 取样 返回 任务 关键 环节 分析. In: jdse.bit.edu.cn. April 6, 2016, accessed June 7, 2020 (Chinese). 
15. ↑ 齐 芳: 中国 首次 火星 探测 任务 总设计师 张荣 桥 的 思索. In: 81.cn. September 21, 2017, accessed June 7, 2020 (Chinese). 
16. ↑ 倪伟: 中国 火星 探测 命名 “天 问 一号” ， 透露 一项 更 长远 太空 计划. In: bjnews.com.cn. April 24, 2020, accessed June 7, 2020 (Chinese). 

Note: This article places the family name before the person's first name. This is the usual order in Chinese. Zhang is the family name here, Rongqiao is the first name.