斯蒂芬·陈（Stephen Chen）报道 受昨日（2011年11月3日）上午神舟八号飞船历史性交会对接成功的鼓舞，中国官方表示，空间站的建设最早将于2013年开始。
by Stephen Chen Encouraged by yesterday (November 3, 2011) morning’s historic rendezvous and docking of the Shenzhou VIII spacecraft, Chinese authorities said construction of a space station will begin as soon as 2013.
载人航天工程新闻发言人武平昨日在北京举行的新闻发布会上表示：“我们明年还将进行两次交会对接飞行。在此之后，我们将开始建设太空实验室和空间站。”该太空实验室预计将在2016年建成并投入运营。她表示，如果其架构和设备证明是有效且可靠的，该设施将在2020年发展成为全面运行的空间站。
“We will do two more rendezvous and docking flights next year,” said Wu Ping (武平), spokeswoman for the manned space programme, at a press conference in Beijing yesterday. “After that, we will begin the construction of a space laboratory and space station.”The space laboratory is expected to be up and running by 2016. If its architecture and equipment proves effective and reliable, the facility will grow into a full-scale space station by 2020, she said.
据空间官方机构透露，这一雄心勃勃的项目将需要使用包括长征五号系列火箭在内的新型运载火箭进行20多次太空飞行。按照每趟飞行平均成本50亿元人民币（折合约61亿港元）计算，该项目将需要超过1000亿元人民币的投资。
The construction will require more than 20 space flights using China’s new heavy-lift launch vehicles, including LM-5 series rockets. Based on an average cost of five billion yuan (HK$6.10 billion) per flight, the ambitious project will require an investment of more than 100 billion yuan, according to space authorities.
这是中国载人航天工程最详细、最确定的官方时间表，标志着在神舟八号于昨日凌晨1点刚过与天宫一号目标飞行器对接成功后，官方对未来充满越来越大的信心。常驻澳大利亚的空间分析师莫里斯·琼斯（Morris Jones）博士表示，此次对接对中国载人航天计划的未来至关重要，因为如果没有反复的交会对接，就无法建造或维护大型空间站。
It is the most detailed and assured official timeline of China’s manned space programme, signifying growing confidence among authorities after the Shenzhou VIII docked with the Tiangong-1 space laboratory module shortly after 1am yesterday. Dr Morris Jones, a space analyst based in Australia, said the docking was vital for the future of China’s manned-spaceflight programme, as a large space station cannot be constructed or maintained without repeated rendezvous and dockings.
他说：“对接非常顺利，发射也是如此。这表明中国太空硬件的技术和制造水平正在不断提高。”数以百万计的大陆民众熬夜到半夜观看对接。许多拥有有线电视的观众观看了该事件的高清直播——这在中国航天项目中尚属首次。在激光和微波雷达的引导下，两艘飞船精确连接并牢固锁定，没有出现任何技术故障。一些科学家表示，这次连接表明中国在电子和制造业方面取得了重大进步。
“The docking was very smooth, but so was the launch,” he said. “This suggests that the technology and manufacturing of China’s space hardware is improving.”Millions of mainlanders stayed up past midnight to watch the docking. Many with cable TV watched the event in high definition – a first for a Chinese space project. Guided by laser and microwave radars, the two spacecraft connected precisely and locked firmly without any technical glitches. Some scientists said the connection was indicative of China’s significant advancements in electronics and manufacturing.
中国电子科技集团公司空间项目总监程朋昨日对新华社表示，飞船上所有对任务至关重要的最敏感设备，都在一些发达国家对中国实施高技术产品禁运的清单上名列前茅。程朋说，这给中国研究人员带来了挑战，并促使他们进行创新。
Cheng Ming (程朋), space programme director for the China Electronics Technology Group Corp, told Xinhua yesterday that all of the spacecraft’s most sensitive equipment that was crucial to the mission is high on some developed countries’ lists of hi-tech products that are embargoed from China. This presented a challenge to Chinese researchers, and pushed them to be innovative, Cheng said.
程朋表示，其中最敏感的组件之一激光制导雷达，给公司的研发部门带来了巨大压力，并在研究人员中引发了激烈的技术争论。他说，他们通过在地球上能找到的最危险环境——喜马拉雅山脉中进行实验，解决了这场争论。
One of the most sensitive components, the laser-guidance radar, put enormous pressure on the company’s R&D department and triggered fierce technical debates among researchers. They solved the argument by conducting experiments in the most hazardous environment they could find on earth – in the Himalayas, Cheng said.
程朋表示，激光技术以及任务期间取得的其他突破（例如高效太阳能电池板）将渗透到主流工业中，从而提高国家的竞争力。
The laser technology as well as other breakthroughs achieved during the mission – such as highly efficient solar panels – would filter through to mainstream industry, increasing the country’s competitiveness, Cheng said.