BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) — The following is a summary of published science and technology news of China.

REUSABLE ROCKET

China’s development of both 4-meter-diameter and 5-meter-diameter reusable rockets is being accelerated, with their inaugural flights scheduled for 2025 and 2026, respectively.

The manufacturing of these two new large reusable launching vehicle models is a response to growing demand in the commercial space market.

IRRIGATION WATER

Researchers have developed a new method using machine learning and multiple data sets to estimate irrigation water use across China, and also revealed how water use might change in the future based on different climate and economic scenarios.

The research findings could provide crucial information for policymaking regarding agricultural water, contributing greatly to the sustainable use and management of water resources in the context of climate change and socioeconomic dynamics.

AI

China’s southwestern province of Yunnan has deployed artificial intelligence (AI) to carry out most routine inspections at 621 power substations, replacing the need for human interventions.

The AI inspection, powered by cameras, drones and walking robots, is capable of completing a task in less than five minutes, down from the five hours required by human workers.