China is about to take the first step towards building its own space station with the launch of Tiangong 1, or Heavenly Palace, in a further sign of its race to catch up with the US and Russia.

　　中國(guó)即將發(fā)射“天宮一號(hào)”，向建造自己的空間站邁出第一步，此舉進(jìn)一步表明中國(guó)在追趕美國(guó)和俄羅斯。

　　State media on Tuesday reported that China would next week launch an unmanned craft from the Chinese western Gobi desert that will be used to practise operations at a future space station.

　　中國(guó)官方媒體周二報(bào)道稱，中國(guó)將于下周從西部戈壁沙漠發(fā)射一艘無(wú)人駕駛飛行器。該飛行器將用于為未來(lái)的空間站演練操作。

　　The launch comes as the US is cutting funding for its space programme, having retired its space shuttle fleet after a last flight of the Atlantis in July.

　　中國(guó)即將發(fā)射“天宮一號(hào)”之際，美國(guó)正在削減空間項(xiàng)目資金，在今年7月“亞特蘭蒂斯號(hào)”航天飛機(jī)最后一次升空后，讓其航天飛機(jī)退役。

　　Although space experts warn of huge technological challenges ahead for the country’s space station plans, the programme would make China the world’s only nation with a space station.

　　盡管航天專家們警告中國(guó)的空間站計(jì)劃面臨巨大的技術(shù)挑戰(zhàn)，但該項(xiàng)目將讓中國(guó)成為世界上唯一一個(gè)擁有空間站的國(guó)家。

　　The China Manned Space Engineering Office has said it plans to complete the space station in 2020, just as the International Space Station is scheduled to retire.

　　中國(guó)載人航天工程辦公室(CMSEO)表示，計(jì)劃在2020年完成空間站，正好是國(guó)際空間站(ISS)計(jì)劃退役的時(shí)間。

　　While China’s foreign policy doctrine tries to avoid trumpeting the country’s “rise”, many citizens feel such technological prestige projects are part of a renaissance that will return the nation to its rightful place as a global power.

　　盡管中國(guó)外交政策方針努力避免宣揚(yáng)本國(guó)“崛起”，但許多民眾覺(jué)得此類技術(shù)上的面子工程是中國(guó)復(fù)興的一部分，將讓中國(guó)重新獲得其應(yīng)有的全球大國(guó)地位。

　　In July, China joined the club of the few nations with deep-sea submersibles capable of diving deeper than 5,000 metres. Last October, it ousted the US as the maker of the world’s fastest supercomputer.

　　今年7月，中國(guó)成為少數(shù)幾個(gè)擁有能夠下潛5000米以下的深海潛水器的國(guó)家之一。去年10月，中國(guó)超越美國(guó)，制造出全球最快的超級(jí)計(jì)算機(jī)。

　　These achievements all contrast sharply with Beijing’s huge challenges in modernising a still poor and technologically weak country.

　　這些成就都與中國(guó)政府面臨的巨大挑戰(zhàn)形成鮮明反差，中國(guó)仍是一個(gè)貧窮和技術(shù)上薄弱的國(guó)家，中國(guó)政府正致力于讓國(guó)家現(xiàn)代化。

　　The crash of two high-speed trains in July, which killed 40 people, triggered soul searching among many middle-class Chinese who questioned their government’s relentless race for faster development.

　　今年7月中國(guó)發(fā)生的造成40人死亡的動(dòng)車(chē)追尾事故，促使中國(guó)許多中產(chǎn)人士開(kāi)始反省，對(duì)政府一味追求加快發(fā)展提出質(zhì)疑。

　　The nine-metre-long space capsule has become another symbol of how China, backed by the wealth accumulated in its three-decade economic boom, a state-led research push and a patriotic nation, is starting to close the gap on technologies once exclusive to the cold war rivals.

　　天宮一號(hào)9米長(zhǎng)的太空艙已成為另一個(gè)象征，表明中國(guó)在30年經(jīng)濟(jì)繁榮積累的財(cái)富、政府主導(dǎo)的研發(fā)努力和愛(ài)國(guó)民族的支持下，在一度只有冷戰(zhàn)對(duì)手掌握的技術(shù)領(lǐng)域開(kāi)始縮小差距。

　　According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, the space station will focus on scientific purposes.

　　中國(guó)載人航天工程辦公室表示，空間站將致力于科研目的。

　　However, it is part of a space programme largely controlled by the military which US experts say is helping China to acquire advanced satellite, sensor and propulsion capabilities, which are also useful for its missile programme.

　　然而，這是主要由中國(guó)軍方控制的航天項(xiàng)目的一部分。美國(guó)專家表示，航天項(xiàng)目正幫助中國(guó)獲得先進(jìn)的衛(wèi)星、遙感和推進(jìn)能力，這一切對(duì)中國(guó)的導(dǎo)彈項(xiàng)目也是有用的。

　　If Tiangong 1 successfully arrives and stays in space, China plans to use it to practise docking.

　　如果天宮一號(hào)發(fā)射成功并進(jìn)入預(yù)定軌道，中國(guó)計(jì)劃利用它演練空間對(duì)接。

　　Later this year a first unmanned docking mission is scheduled, followed by two manned docking exercises next year.

　　中國(guó)計(jì)劃在今年晚些時(shí)侯實(shí)施首次無(wú)人對(duì)接任務(wù)，并在明年實(shí)施兩次載人對(duì)接實(shí)驗(yàn)。

　　Later Tiangong versions will go on longer missions to prepare for the launch of the space station in parts.

　　隨后天宮系列將執(zhí)行時(shí)間更長(zhǎng)的任務(wù)，為分期分批發(fā)射空間站的各部分做準(zhǔn)備。

　　Last month a Long March rocket, similar to that earmarked to carry the Tiangong into space, malfunctioned in a reminder of the huge challenges ahead.

　　上月，與將要運(yùn)載“天宮一號(hào)”進(jìn)入太空的火箭類似的“長(zhǎng)征3號(hào)”火箭發(fā)生故障，提醒中國(guó)未來(lái)面臨的巨大挑戰(zhàn)。

　　But a long delay was not an option; the launch had to happen ahead of October 1, China’s National Day.

　　但長(zhǎng)時(shí)間推遲發(fā)射不是一個(gè)選擇；“天宮一號(hào)”必須在10月1日中國(guó)國(guó)慶之前發(fā)射升空。