China launches second module to build its space base

China on Sunday launched the second of three space stations it's constructing. Important in the direction of the completion of this formidable mission.

The Wentian module, which weighed about 20 tons and had no astronauts on board, was launched by the Long March 5B rocket at 2:22 pm (03:22 GMT) from the Wenchang launch website on the southern tropical island. Of Hainan. China.

Hundreds of individuals lined the seaside to take photos of rockets flying into the sky amidst white smoke clouds.

After an eight-minute flight, "Wentian efficiently broke away from the rocket to put itself within the deliberate orbit" held the CMSA manned space flight, which described the launch as a "full success." ".

About 18 meters lengthy and 4.2 meters in diameter, the laboratory module will likely be related to Tianhe, the primary module of the station, which has been in orbit since April 2021.

Chinese space station module launches

This operation is a problem for the crew as a result of it requires some high-precision workout routines, a few of them utilizing robotic arms.

"This is the primary time that China has had to park such a big automobile," Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer on the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics within the United States, advised AFP.

"Fastest"

Equipped with three bedrooms, a toilet and a brand new modular kitchen, there are additionally sections for scientific experiments. Wentian will even function a platform to handle the space station in case of technical issues.

Named Tiangong ("Paradise Palace"), but additionally recognized by the acronym CSS (Chinese Space Station), the space station needs to be totally operational by the tip of this yr.

After Wentian this weekend, the three astronauts on the Shenzhou-14 mission, at present on the space station, will obtain one other laboratory module, Mengtian, initially throughout October.

The terminal will then have its closing "T" form. It will likely be comparable in dimension to the previous Soviet-Russian space station Mir. Their lifespan will likely be not less than 10 years.

"CSS will likely be accomplished in only a yr and a half, the quickest pace in modular space station historical past," mentioned Chen Lan, an analyst at Go Taikonauts.com who focuses on Chinese space functions. "By comparability, the development of the Mir and the International Space Station (ISS) took 10 and 12 years," he added.

Once Tiangong is accomplished, China will likely be in a position to perform crew modifications in orbit for the primary time. The transfer ought to happen in December, when astronauts from the Shenzhou-14 mission, at present on the space station, present space for these from Shenzhou-15.

China was pressured to build its terminal after the United States refused to enable it to be part of the ISS. The Asian big has been investing billions of {dollars} in its space program for many years.

China despatched its first astronaut into space in 2003. In 2019, the nation put an instrument on the far aspect of the moon, an unprecedented occasion worldwide. In 2020, China collected samples from Earth satellites and the next yr despatched a small robotic to Mars. China additionally plans to ship folks to the moon by 2030.

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