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A giant pumpkin at the Xi'an aerospace breeding base, Northwest China, June 20, 2012. Aerospace pumpkins can weigh over 50 kilograms. [Photo / CFP]

MONDAY MARKS THE SECOND CHINA ASTRONAUTICS DAY, which was approved by the State Council, China's Cabinet, last year. For many people, astronautics is something far removed from their daily lives. But space technology benefits our daily lives, too, writes Tian Yulong, a senior official from China National Space Administration in Guangming Daily:

Upon seeing the word "astronautics", people tend to think about rockets, spaceships, space stations, even space exploration plans. They do not view astronautics as something that is part of their daily lives.

That's a misunderstanding of astronautics, as the technologies involved are used by ordinary people every day. A car's Global Positioning System uses satellite technology; when you watch TV, the program signals are transmitted by satellite; even some vegetables in your shopping bags are cultivated in away that was first developed in space.

When natural disasters happen, space technologies play an even more important role. Satellites help monitor the disasters from space, and channel the communication between those fighting in the disaster-stricken areas and the command centers. It is astronautics and space technologies that help relieve the pain inflicted by natural disasters.

The central leadership has also been propelling the strategy of "internet plus satellite applications", so as to make astronautics and space technologies better benefit the people. Currently, technologies such as satellite applications are increasingly merging big information technologies such as big data, the internet of things, the mobile internet, as well as cloud computing, serving to propel our ongoing process of urbanization and the construction of smart cities.

The prosperity of China's aerospace industry has raised China's influence in the world and constantly improved people's livelihoods. As space technologies benefit society, they in turn get more support from the public and further prosper.

We have reason to believe that China's astronautics will develop even further in the future.