State media reported that a cargo ship loaded with supplies successfully docked at the central unit of the future Chinese space station on Sunday (05/30/2021).
The 14-ton Long March 7 missile and the Tianzhu-2 spacecraft loaded with food, equipment and fuel blasted off from the launch center in Wenchu, located in Hainan Island (south) Saturday night, it was reported earlier. Xinhua Agency.
Xinhua quoted the Chinese Space Agency as saying that the cargo ship docked at the space station unit at 5:01 am (9:01 pm GMT on Saturday).
The gathering in the orbit of the space station, called Tiangong, which means “Heavenly Palace,” will require about ten missions. The station is expected to operate at full capacity in 2022 and then remain active in Earth’s orbit for up to 15 years.
The Long March-7Y3 rocket, carrying the Tianzhu-2 automatic refueling vehicle, takes off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan Province, China. (29.05.2021)
After the possible retirement of the International Space Station after 2028, Tiangong could become the only remote outpost for humans in Earth orbit. China now plans to start preparations to send three astronauts to unload goods, which include food such as pulled pork with garlic sauce and kung pao chicken, according to the agency.
Beijing has invested billions in its space program, trying to catch up with pillars like Russia and the United States, with ambitious projects in Earth orbit and sending unmanned spacecraft to the moon and Mars.
This month, the Chinese rover Zhurong landed on Mars and began sending pictures, making China the third country – after the United States and Russia – to have landed a remote-guided robot on the Red Planet.
gs (afp, Xinhua)
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Ambitious Chinese space program
Get to the lab
Two Chinese astronauts arrived at the Tiangong 2 space laboratory, after two days of travel, as planned. The chief of the mission, Jing Haiping, and Chen Dong sent “Greetings to all the people of the nation.” And Xinhua News Agency reported that the flight went smoothly and all systems were working properly.
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Ambitious Chinese space program
3, 2, 1 … Shenzhou-11 in space
With two astronauts on board, the Shenzhou-11 rocket was launched into space on Monday morning, October 17th. It is the sixth time that China has sent astronauts into space. It took two days to reach the Tiangong-2 Space Laboratory, which blasted into space the previous month (September).
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Ambitious Chinese space program
Experienced astronauts
The two astronauts, Jing Haiping and Chen Dong, will spend 30 days in space. The new China News Agency (Xinhua) said that during this mission they will conduct research projects, including repairing equipment while in orbit and space medicine. The head of the mission, Haiping, is making a third trip to space.
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Ambitious Chinese space program
Tiangong on the go
China launched the space laboratory, Tiangong-2, in September 2016. The lab is 9 meters long and weighs 13 tons, and is located in an orbit of 393 kilometers above the Earth. The laboratory contains two chambers: one of them is hermetically sealed and functions as a laboratory and a housing. The other contains all the necessary supplies such as solar panels, motors, and batteries.
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Ambitious Chinese space program
Important achievement
Wu Ping, director of the China Aerospace Engineering Bureau, said the launch of the space laboratory is of enormous symbolic significance. This is because the lab is better, bigger and has a longer life span than its predecessor.
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Ambitious Chinese space program
The latest missile
China used the Long March 2F missile to launch the Shenzhou-11 mission. The carrier rocket weighs 500 tons.
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Ambitious Chinese space program
An ambitious program
China is working hard to expand its presence in space. It plans to send its first cargo ship, Tianzhou-1, to the space lab in April 2017. The cargo ship will supply the laboratory with fuel and other materials.
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Ambitious Chinese space program
China wants its own space station
Chinese astronauts will carry out several technological research and docking projects needed to achieve the goal of building their space station. If the International Space Station (photo) ends its mission in 2024, as planned, then China will be the only country with a space station in orbit.
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Ambitious Chinese space program
Mars Rover “Made in China”
China recently released a photo of the rover it plans to send to Mars in the future to explore the planet. So far, a simulation has been performed only on the computer, which shows the six-wheeled vehicle with the landing gear. Xinhua said the Mars probe will conduct tests on the surface of Arsia and search for evidence of water during its three-month mission in 2020.
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Ambitious Chinese space program
predecessor
China’s first space laboratory, Tiangong-1, was launched in September 2011. It was discontinued in March 2011.
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Ambitious Chinese space program
The first maneuver in Tiangong-1
Before the lab stopped working, three spacecraft docked with it. In 2011, the Shenzhou-8 mission (photo) managed to dock with Tiangong-1 twice in an 11-day period. In 2012, Jing, the incumbent chief of the Shenzhou-11 mission, completed the docking maneuver with great success.
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