BEIJING: Astronauts entered China’s space station’s new lab module for the first time on Monday, taking a major step toward completing an orbital checkpoint by the end of the year.
The station is one of the major gems of Beijing’s ambitious space program, which has landed robotic rovers on Mars. Moonand made China the third nation to put humans in orbit.
once completed, tiangong – or “heavenly castles” – will be continuously rotated by teams of three astronauts, who will conduct scientific experiments and help test new technologies.
The second of Tiangong’s three main sections, Wentian, docked with the station’s core module Tianhe on Monday after successfully launching from southern China a day earlier, state media reported.
Hours after docking, the three astronauts – who have been living in the core module since June – opened the hatch and entered ventianFootage from state broadcaster CCTV was shown.
The crew, dressed in blue jumpsuits, were seen floating around the brightly lit module before facing the camera and saluting.
According to the official Xinhua news agency, Wentian will focus on life science and biotechnology research, including cell research and development experiments on plants, fruit flies and zebrafish.
State media said the module would have accommodations for three additional astronauts, which could accommodate up to six people during the crew transition.
The third and final module, another lab named mangtiesScheduled to launch in October.
Once completed, Tiangong is expected to remain in a low orbit 400–450 kilometers (250–280 mi) from Earth for at least 10 years.
Next year, China also plans to launch a space telescope with a field of view 350 times that of the NASAHubble Space Telescope.
The telescope will be placed in the same orbit as Tiangong, allowing the station to dock with it for refueling and servicing if needed.
China has poured billions of dollars into space flight and exploration as it seeks to build a program that reflects its stature as a rising global power.
The program has seen rapid success over the past two decades, including launching the first Chinese astronauts, a historic first controlled landing on the far side of the Moon, and delivering a rover to the surface of Mars.
And after several missions to test the technologies needed for successive crew outposts, it is set to dismantle Tiangong this year.
Upon completion the station is expected to have a mass of 90 tons—about a quarter the size of the International Space Station—of which China has been excluded by the United States.
The ISS – a collaboration between the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan – is due to be retired after 2024, although NASA has said it could potentially remain functional after 2028.
The station is one of the major gems of Beijing’s ambitious space program, which has landed robotic rovers on Mars. Moonand made China the third nation to put humans in orbit.
once completed, tiangong – or “heavenly castles” – will be continuously rotated by teams of three astronauts, who will conduct scientific experiments and help test new technologies.
The second of Tiangong’s three main sections, Wentian, docked with the station’s core module Tianhe on Monday after successfully launching from southern China a day earlier, state media reported.
Hours after docking, the three astronauts – who have been living in the core module since June – opened the hatch and entered ventianFootage from state broadcaster CCTV was shown.
The crew, dressed in blue jumpsuits, were seen floating around the brightly lit module before facing the camera and saluting.
According to the official Xinhua news agency, Wentian will focus on life science and biotechnology research, including cell research and development experiments on plants, fruit flies and zebrafish.
State media said the module would have accommodations for three additional astronauts, which could accommodate up to six people during the crew transition.
The third and final module, another lab named mangtiesScheduled to launch in October.
Once completed, Tiangong is expected to remain in a low orbit 400–450 kilometers (250–280 mi) from Earth for at least 10 years.
Next year, China also plans to launch a space telescope with a field of view 350 times that of the NASAHubble Space Telescope.
The telescope will be placed in the same orbit as Tiangong, allowing the station to dock with it for refueling and servicing if needed.
China has poured billions of dollars into space flight and exploration as it seeks to build a program that reflects its stature as a rising global power.
The program has seen rapid success over the past two decades, including launching the first Chinese astronauts, a historic first controlled landing on the far side of the Moon, and delivering a rover to the surface of Mars.
And after several missions to test the technologies needed for successive crew outposts, it is set to dismantle Tiangong this year.
Upon completion the station is expected to have a mass of 90 tons—about a quarter the size of the International Space Station—of which China has been excluded by the United States.
The ISS – a collaboration between the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan – is due to be retired after 2024, although NASA has said it could potentially remain functional after 2028.