- The Chinese space station is expected to be built by the end of 2022
- Shenzhou-14 astronauts to monitor the arrival of the final two modules
- Space station to mark the Chinese permanent room in space
BEIJING, June 5 (Reuters) – China sent three astronauts on a six-month mission on Sunday to monitor a key construction period for its space station, the final modules of which will be launched in the coming months .
The space station, when completed by the end of the year, will mark an important milestone in China’s three-decade manned space program, first approved in 1992 and initially called “Project 921”. It will also mark the start of the Chinese permanent room in space.
The completion of the structure, about a fifth of the International Space Station (ISS) en masse, is a source of pride among the Chinese common people and ends President Xi Jinping’s 10 years as Communist Party leader.
Register now for FREE and unlimited access to Reuters.com
Sign up
A Long March-2F rocket, used to launch China’s first manned spaceflight on the Shenzhou-5 mission in 2003, took off from the Jiuquan satellite launch center in the northern Gobi Desert. West China at 10:44 a.m. (2:44 GMT) with the Shenzhou-14 spacecraft, or “Divine Vessel,” and its three astronauts, showed a live broadcast on state television.
“I saw the launch of Shenzhou-5 when I was a primary school student, and now we have Shenzhou-14,” Zanna Zhang, a social media developer, told Reuters.
“Of course I’m super excited, and I’m very proud as a Chinese. We’re one step closer to becoming a space superpower,” the 25-year-old said.
Construction began in April last year with the launch of the first and largest of its three modules, Tianhe, the residence of visiting astronauts. The Wentian and Mengtian lab modules will be launched in July and October, respectively.
Shenzhou-14 mission commander Chen Dong, 43, and his teammates Liu Yang, 43, and Cai Xuzhe, 46, all of China’s second cohort of astronauts, will live and will work on the space station for about 180 days before returning to Earth in December. with the arrival of the Shenzhou-15 crew.
“PIVOTAL BATTLE”
The Long March-2F carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou-14 spacecraft and three astronauts takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center for a manned mission to build the nearby China Space Station. of Jiuquan, Gansu Province, China, June 5, 2022. cnsphoto via REUTERS ATTENTION PUBLISHERS – THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. CHINA OUT.
Read more
Former Air Force pilot Chen with Liu, who became China’s first female astronaut in space a decade ago, and Cai space mission debutant, will oversee the encounter, docking and integration of Wentian and Mengtian with the basic module.
They will also install equipment inside and outside the space station and conduct a series of scientific research.
“The Shenzhou-14 mission is a key battle in the construction phase of China’s space station,” Chen told a news conference in Jiuquan on Saturday. “The task will be harder, there will be more problems and the challenges will be bigger.”
When completed, the T-shaped space station can accommodate up to 25 lab cabinets, each a microlaboratory that can be used to conduct experiments. Wentian will be equipped to support life sciences research, while Mengtian will focus on microgravity experiments.
Wentian will also have an enclosure cabin for extravehicular travel, as well as short-term rooms for astronauts during crew rotations.
The space station is designed for a lifespan of at least a decade.
Its long-term accommodation capacity of only three astronauts, compared to seven on the ISS, has not deterred China from extending invitations to foreign astronauts in their ambition to internationalize the space station.
The three-module station could be expanded into a four-module cross-shaped configuration in the future, a space station deputy designer told Chinese media last year.
Simultaneously with the ISS, spacecraft and modules launched by other nations are also welcome to dock and become a long-term member of the Chinese station. Commercial human spaceflight at the station is also being explored.
Register now for FREE and unlimited access to Reuters.com
Sign up
Report by Ryan Woo and Ella Cao; Edited by William Mallard and Muralikumar Anantharaman
Our standards: Thomson Reuters’ principles of trust.