#China #launches #space #station #modules
China on Sunday launched the second of three modules needed to complete its new space station, state media reported, the latest step in Beijing’s ambitious space program.
The unmanned vehicle, named Wentian, was propelled by a Long March 5B rocket from the Wenchang Launch Center on China’s tropical island of Hainan at 14:22 (0622 GMT).
Fifteen minutes later, an official from the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) confirmed the “success” of the launch.
Hundreds of people gathered on nearby beaches to take photos of the launch vehicle rising through the air in a plume of white smoke.
After about eight minutes of flight, “the Wentian laboratory module successfully separated from the rocket and entered its intended orbit, making the launch a complete success,” the CMSA said.
Beijing launched the central module of its Tiangong space station – meaning “heavenly palace” – in April 2021.
Almost 18 meters long and weighing 22 tons, the new module has three sleeping areas and space for scientific experiments.
It will dock with the existing module in space, a challenging operation that experts said will require multiple high-precision manipulations and the use of a robotic arm.
“This is the first time China has docked such large vessels, which is a delicate operation,” said Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
He said by the time the next module arrives, the space station will have a “rather unusual L-shape” that will need a lot of power to stay stable.
“These are all technical challenges that the USSR pushed forward with the Mir station in the late 1980s, but it’s new to China,” he told AFP.
“But it will result in a much more capable station with the space and power to do more science experiments.”
Wentian will also serve as a backup platform to control the space station in the event of a failure.
The third and final module is due to dock in October, and Tiangong – which should have a lifespan of at least 10 years – should be fully operational by the end of the year.
– Fast paced room plan –
Under Chinese President Xi Jinping, the country’s plans for its heavily touted “space dream” have been kicked into high gear.
China has made great strides to catch up with the United States and Russia, where astronauts and cosmonauts have decades of experience in space exploration.
“The CSS (Chinese space station) will complete its construction…in a year and a half, which will be the fastest in modular space station history,” said Chen Lan, an analyst for the Go-Taikonauts.com website, which is in the Chinese specializing in the space program.
“By comparison, Mir and the International Space Station took 10 and 12 years to build, respectively.”
China’s space program has already landed a rover on Mars and sent probes to the moon.
In addition to a space station, Beijing also plans to build a base on the moon and send people there by 2030.
China has been banned from the International Space Station since 2011, when the United States banned NASA from dealing with the country.
While China has no plans to use its space station for ISS-scale global cooperation, Beijing has said it is open to foreign cooperation.
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