China’s Space Origins Exploration Program

The Space Origins Exploration Program, one of the major programs of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for seizing strategic heights in science and technology, directly addresses the first-phase objectives of the National Mid- and Long-term Plan for Space Science in China (2024–2050). Focusing on fundamental questions concerning the “origins”, this program encompasses four flagship space science satellite missions: Discovering the Sky at the Longest wavelength (DSL), the Solar Polar Orbit Observatory (SPO), the Earth 2.0 (ET) mission, and the Enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) mission. By 2025, all four missions have completed the Preliminary Design Phase and are currently in the Prototype Phase, with launches scheduled between 2028 and 2030. Beginning in 2029, some missions will start nominal observations and produce scientific data, with the expectation of delivering major discoveries and original results on the origins of the universe, space weather, life, and extreme physical conditions.