Sun Jiadong
Encyclopedia
Sun Jiadong was born in Fuxian, Liaoning Province. He is a Chinese scientist and an expert in carrier rocket and satellite technology. He has long served as a leader of Chinese satellite projects, and is currently the chief designer for the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
.
Sun is also a member of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences
and the International Academy of Astronautics.
to begin preparatory courses in Russian
when he was 18.
Later he transferred to the automotive department. Around the time of the Chinese air force formation, he was chosen to join the army as a Russian translator. In 1951, Sun and 29 other soldiers were sent to study aircraft engines at Zhukovsky Air Force Academy in Soviet Union
. In 1958, Sun graduated "with highest honor" and returned to China.
navigation system.
During the Cultural Revolution
, Sun was appointed as the chief scientist of the Chinese satellite project. On April 24, 1970, the first Chinese space satellite, Dong Fang Hong I
, was successfully launched. On March 3, 1971 the satellite "Shi Jian I" was launched. In 1975, China's first returning satellite was successfully launched. In 1984, China's first synchronized experimental communication satellite, Dong Fang Hong II was launched. Sun was the chief designer of all of them.
He was elected Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1991.
Since 2003, he has been the chief designer for the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP).
Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
Chinese Lunar Exploration Program , also known as the Chang'e program, is a program of robotic and human missions to the Moon undertaken by the China National Space Administration , the space agency of the People's Republic of China...
.
Sun is also a member of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences , formerly known as Academia Sinica, is the national academy for the natural sciences of the People's Republic of China. It is an institution of the State Council of China. It is headquartered in Beijing, with institutes all over the People's Republic of China...
and the International Academy of Astronautics.
Early life
Sun enrolled in the Harbin Institute of TechnologyHarbin Institute of Technology
The Harbin Institute of Technology , or HIT, is colloquially known as Hagongda . It is a research university in the city of Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China....
to begin preparatory courses in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
when he was 18.
Later he transferred to the automotive department. Around the time of the Chinese air force formation, he was chosen to join the army as a Russian translator. In 1951, Sun and 29 other soldiers were sent to study aircraft engines at Zhukovsky Air Force Academy in Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. In 1958, Sun graduated "with highest honor" and returned to China.
Career
After returning to China, Sun served in the Fifth Research Institute of the Ministry of National Defense, conducting missile research. In 1967, he was appointed by Qian Xuesen to restructure the staff for satellite research. In addition to being in charge of the general design project for China’s first satellite, he also worked as the technical superintendent and general designer for both China’s first remote sensing satellite and recoverable satellite. He was also the chief designer of a second generation of special application satellites, such as communication, meteorological, and earth resource detecting satellites, as well as the Beidou-2Compass navigation system
The COMPASS system is a project by China to develop an independent global satellite navigation system.COMPASS is not an extension to the previously deployed Beidou-1, but a new GNSS similar in principle to GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo.-General:The new system will be a constellation of 35 satellites,...
navigation system.
During the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
, Sun was appointed as the chief scientist of the Chinese satellite project. On April 24, 1970, the first Chinese space satellite, Dong Fang Hong I
Dong Fang Hong I
Dong Fang Hong I , also known as China 1, was the People's Republic of China's first space satellite, launched successfully on April 24, 1970 as part of the PRC's Dong Fang Hong space satellite program. At 173 kg , it was heavier than the first satellites of other countries. The satellite carried...
, was successfully launched. On March 3, 1971 the satellite "Shi Jian I" was launched. In 1975, China's first returning satellite was successfully launched. In 1984, China's first synchronized experimental communication satellite, Dong Fang Hong II was launched. Sun was the chief designer of all of them.
He was elected Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1991.
Since 2003, he has been the chief designer for the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP).
Awards
- 1980 the honorary title of a working model in No 7 Engineering Industry Department
- 1984 the First-Class Merit Citation by the Ministry Of Aeronautics And Astronautics
- 1985 two special awards, among them the National Prize for Progress in Science and Technology
- 1999 "Two Bombs, One Satellite" Achievement Medal
- 2009 National Science and Technology Award