中國發(fā)展航天事業(yè)的宗旨是：探索外層空間，擴展對地球和宇宙的認(rèn)識；和平利用外層空間，促進人類文明和社會進步，造福全人類；滿足經(jīng)濟建設(shè)、科技發(fā)展、國家安全和社會進步等方面的需求，提高全民科學(xué)文化素質(zhì)，維護國家權(quán)益，增強綜合國力。

    中國發(fā)展航天事業(yè)服從和服務(wù)于國家整體發(fā)展戰(zhàn)略，堅持科學(xué)發(fā)展、自主發(fā)展、和平發(fā)展、創(chuàng)新發(fā)展、開放發(fā)展的原則。

    ——科學(xué)發(fā)展。尊重科學(xué)、尊重規(guī)律，從航天事業(yè)的發(fā)展實際出發(fā)，統(tǒng)籌兼顧和科學(xué)部署空間技術(shù)、空間應(yīng)用和空間科學(xué)等各項航天活動，保持航天事業(yè)全面、協(xié)調(diào)、可持續(xù)發(fā)展。

The purposes of China's space industry are: to explore outer space and to enhance understanding of the Earth and the cosmos; to utilize outer space for peaceful purposes, promote human civilization and social progress, and to benefit the whole of mankind; to meet the demands of economic development, scientific and technological development, national security and social progress; and to improve the scientific and cultural knowledge of the Chinese people, protect China's national rights and interests, and build up its national comprehensive strength.

China's space industry is subject to and serves the national overall development strategy, and adheres to the principles of scientific, independent, peaceful, innovative, and open development.

-- Scientific development. China respects science and the laws of nature. Keeping the actual situation of its space industry in mind, it works out comprehensive plans and arrangement of its activities regarding space technology, space applications and space science, in order to maintain comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable development of the industry.

    ——自主發(fā)展。始終堅持走獨立自主、自力更生的發(fā)展道路，主要依靠自身力量，根據(jù)國情和國力，自主發(fā)展航天事業(yè)，滿足國家現(xiàn)代化建設(shè)的基本需求。

    ——和平發(fā)展。始終堅持和平利用外層空間，反對外空武器化和外空軍備競賽，合理開發(fā)和利用空間資源，切實保護空間環(huán)境，使航天活動造福全人類。

    ——創(chuàng)新發(fā)展。把提高自主創(chuàng)新能力作為航天事業(yè)發(fā)展的戰(zhàn)略基點，強化工業(yè)基礎(chǔ)，完善創(chuàng)新體系，以實施航天重大科技工程為載體，集中力量，重點突破，實現(xiàn)航天科技跨越發(fā)展。

-- Independent development. Keeping to the path of independence and self-reliance, China relies primarily on its own capabilities to develop its space industry to meet the needs of modernization, based upon its actual conditions and strength.

-- Peaceful development. China always adheres to the use of outer space for peaceful purposes, and opposes weaponization or any arms race in outer space. The country develops and utilizes space resources in a prudent manner and takes effective measures to protect the space environment, ensuring that its space activities benefit the whole of mankind.

-- Innovative development. China's strategy for the development of its space industry is to enhance its capabilities of independent innovation, consolidate its industrial foundation, and improve its innovation system. By implementing important space science and technology projects, the country concentrates its strength on making key breakthroughs for leap-frog development in this field.