China wants to make its Tiangong space station bigger and better
Andrew Jones
Mon, October 28, 2024 at 4:00 AM MDT
Tiangong is China's operational space station located in low Earth orbit. . | Credit: Alejomiranda via Getty Images
China has been operating its completed Tiangong orbital outpost for almost two years now — and is looking to expand its capabilities with new modules and spacecraft.
The three-module, T-shaped Tiangong space station was fully assembled in November 2022, with the arrival of the Mengtian science module. The station seems set to grow again, however.
"In the future, we will try to upgrade our facilities," said Li Ming, chairman of the science and technology committee of the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), speaking during a plenary session on human spaceflight at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Italy, on Oct. 17. CAST designed and manufactured the modules for Tiangong.
The upgrades to Tiangong will come in a number of steps, according to Li. The first would be to update the Chinese space station's Tianhe core module to be able to accept further modules.
Related: China's space station, Tiangong: A complete guide
"With this purpose, we try to upgrade the space station from the T shape. Presently it is the T shape, to the future cross shape, or you may also call it the Double-T shape," Li said. He added that this would allow China to send more space science experiment racks and large extravehicular experiments, and overall extend the scale of operations aboard Tiangong.
"Another upgrade is developing the renewable spaceship," said Li. The versatile spacecraft, named Mengzhou, will come in two variants: one for sending crew to the moon and another for Tiangong.
"With this spaceship, we can support three astronauts for the lunar missions and also the seven astronauts for the new space station missions," said Li.
China conducted a boilerplate test flight of the spacecraft — that is, a flight without life support and other systems — in 2020. Its full debut flight is expected around 2027, and it will fly on a low Earth orbit (LEO) variant of the in-development Long March 10 rocket. The new spacecraft will also be partially reusable.
The Long March 10, like the spacecraft, will have two variants: one for LEO and one for the moon. Both the Long March 10 and the new spacecraft are integral parts of China's plan to put astronauts on the moon by 2030.
China currently sends its astronauts to LEO in its Shenzhou spacecraft, which is similar to, but larger than, Russia's Soyuz spacecraft. The next Shenzhou mission to Tiangong is scheduled to launch on Oct. 30.
a large telescope with two wing-like solar panels in orbit above Earth
The final upgrade will be a huge addition to global astronomy efforts.
"The last one [upgrade] is a CSST, Chinese Space Station Telescope, which has really large optical cameras, featuring both a large field of view and high image qualities," Li said. "It is also open for international communities, especially on data analysis."
Also named Xuntian, the CSST is a Hubble-class space telescope that will share an orbit with Tiangong. It will be able to dock with the space station for maintenance, repairs and even upgrades.
The bus-sized Xuntian will feature a 2-meter (6.6 feet) diameter primary mirror, slightly smaller than that of Hubble. Its field of view will, however, be around 300 times larger, meaning it will be able to conduct broad surveys. Xuntian will scan and map around 40% of the heavens during its planned 10-year lifetime using its 2.5-billion-pixel camera.
RELATED STORIES:
— China aims to breed zebrafish aboard Tiangong space station (video)
— Weightlessness and its effect on astronauts
— 1,000 days in space! Core module of China's Tiangong space station hits milestone
Li said that China aims to expand international cooperation related to Tiangong, both in terms of science experiments and also crewmembers.
"Now we are ready to welcome international astronauts to join the Chinese space station program, based on the principle of mutual respect, mutual benefit, inclusiveness and equality," Li said.
China aims to keep Tiangong — which is around 20% as massive as the International Space Station — occupied and operational for at least 10 years. Tiangong could thus be the only space station in orbit, once the ISS reaches the end of its long life in 2030 or thereabouts.
Andrew Jones
Mon, October 28, 2024 at 4:00 AM MDT
Tiangong is China's operational space station located in low Earth orbit. . | Credit: Alejomiranda via Getty Images
China has been operating its completed Tiangong orbital outpost for almost two years now — and is looking to expand its capabilities with new modules and spacecraft.
The three-module, T-shaped Tiangong space station was fully assembled in November 2022, with the arrival of the Mengtian science module. The station seems set to grow again, however.
"In the future, we will try to upgrade our facilities," said Li Ming, chairman of the science and technology committee of the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), speaking during a plenary session on human spaceflight at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Italy, on Oct. 17. CAST designed and manufactured the modules for Tiangong.
The upgrades to Tiangong will come in a number of steps, according to Li. The first would be to update the Chinese space station's Tianhe core module to be able to accept further modules.
Related: China's space station, Tiangong: A complete guide
"With this purpose, we try to upgrade the space station from the T shape. Presently it is the T shape, to the future cross shape, or you may also call it the Double-T shape," Li said. He added that this would allow China to send more space science experiment racks and large extravehicular experiments, and overall extend the scale of operations aboard Tiangong.
"Another upgrade is developing the renewable spaceship," said Li. The versatile spacecraft, named Mengzhou, will come in two variants: one for sending crew to the moon and another for Tiangong.
"With this spaceship, we can support three astronauts for the lunar missions and also the seven astronauts for the new space station missions," said Li.
China conducted a boilerplate test flight of the spacecraft — that is, a flight without life support and other systems — in 2020. Its full debut flight is expected around 2027, and it will fly on a low Earth orbit (LEO) variant of the in-development Long March 10 rocket. The new spacecraft will also be partially reusable.
The Long March 10, like the spacecraft, will have two variants: one for LEO and one for the moon. Both the Long March 10 and the new spacecraft are integral parts of China's plan to put astronauts on the moon by 2030.
China currently sends its astronauts to LEO in its Shenzhou spacecraft, which is similar to, but larger than, Russia's Soyuz spacecraft. The next Shenzhou mission to Tiangong is scheduled to launch on Oct. 30.
a large telescope with two wing-like solar panels in orbit above Earth
The final upgrade will be a huge addition to global astronomy efforts.
"The last one [upgrade] is a CSST, Chinese Space Station Telescope, which has really large optical cameras, featuring both a large field of view and high image qualities," Li said. "It is also open for international communities, especially on data analysis."
Also named Xuntian, the CSST is a Hubble-class space telescope that will share an orbit with Tiangong. It will be able to dock with the space station for maintenance, repairs and even upgrades.
The bus-sized Xuntian will feature a 2-meter (6.6 feet) diameter primary mirror, slightly smaller than that of Hubble. Its field of view will, however, be around 300 times larger, meaning it will be able to conduct broad surveys. Xuntian will scan and map around 40% of the heavens during its planned 10-year lifetime using its 2.5-billion-pixel camera.
RELATED STORIES:
— China aims to breed zebrafish aboard Tiangong space station (video)
— Weightlessness and its effect on astronauts
— 1,000 days in space! Core module of China's Tiangong space station hits milestone
Li said that China aims to expand international cooperation related to Tiangong, both in terms of science experiments and also crewmembers.
"Now we are ready to welcome international astronauts to join the Chinese space station program, based on the principle of mutual respect, mutual benefit, inclusiveness and equality," Li said.
China aims to keep Tiangong — which is around 20% as massive as the International Space Station — occupied and operational for at least 10 years. Tiangong could thus be the only space station in orbit, once the ISS reaches the end of its long life in 2030 or thereabouts.
NG HAN GUAN
Updated Tue, October 29, 2024
JIUQUAN, China (AP) — A Chinese space ship carrying a three-person crew docked with its orbiting space station Tuesday as the country seeks to expand its exploration of outer space in competition with the United States, even as it looks for cooperation from other nations.
The team of two men and one woman will replace the astronauts who have lived on the Tiangong space station for the last six months, conducting a variety of experiments and maintaining the structure.
They are expected to stay until April or May of next year. The new mission commander, Cai Xuzhe, went to space in the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022, while the the other two, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, are first-time space travelers. Song and Wang were born in the 1990s and are graduates of the third wave of Chinese astronaut recruitment, having undergone a rigorous testing and training process taking years.
Early Wednesday morning, China declared the launch and entry into outerspace a “complete success.”
The Shenzhou-19 spaceship carrying the trio blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 4:27 a.m. local time atop a Long March-2F rocket, the backbone of China’s crewed space missions.
“The crew condition is good and the launch has been successful,” the state broadcaster China Central Television announced.
China built its own space station after being excluded from the International Space Station, mainly because of U.S. concerns over the People’s Liberation Army, the Chinese Communist Party’s military arm’s overall control over the space program. China’s moon program is part of a growing rivalry with the U.S. and others, including Japan and India.
The new team will replace the astronauts who have lived on the Tiangong space station for the last six months and will overlap with them for a couple of days or more. They are expected to stay until April or May of next year.
The new mission commander, Cai Xuzhe, went to space in the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022, while the other two, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, are first-time space travelers, born in the 1990s.
Song was an air force pilot and Wang an engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Wang will be the crew’s payload specialist and the third Chinese woman aboard a crewed mission.
Besides putting a space station into orbit, the Chinese space agency has landed an explorer on Mars. It aims to put a person on the moon before 2030, which would make China the second nation after the United States to do so. It also plans to build a research station on the moon and has already transferred rock and soil samples from the moon in a first for any nation in decades, and placed a rover on the little-explored far side of the moon in a global first.
The U.S. still leads in space exploration and plans to land astronauts on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, though NASA pushed the target date back to 2026 earlier this year.
The new Chinese crew will perform spacewalks and install new equipment to protect the station from space debris, some of which was created by China.
According to NASA, large pieces of debris have been created by “satellite explosions and collisions.” China’s firing of a rocket to destroy a redundant weather satellite in 2007 and the “accidental collision of American and Russian communications satellites in 2009 greatly increased the amount of large debris in orbit,” it said.
China’s space authorities say they have measures in place in case their astronauts have to return to Earth earlier.
China launched its first crewed mission in 2003, becoming only the third nation to do so after the former Soviet Union and the United States. The space program is a source of enormous national pride and a hallmark of China’s technological advances over the past two decades.
___
Associated Press producer Caroline Chen contributed to this report.
Three-person crew blasts off for China's Tiangong space station
Michael ZHANG
Tue, October 29, 2024
Astronauts Cai Xuzhe (R), Song Lingdong (C) and Wang Haoze (L) wave to the crowd during a departure ceremony ahead of the launch of the Shenzhou-19 space mission (ADEK BERRY)ADEK BERRY/AFP/AFPMore
Three Chinese astronauts including the country's only woman spaceflight engineer blasted off on a "dream" mission to the Tiangong space station in the early hours of Wednesday.
The new Tiangong team will carry out experiments with an eye to the space programme's ambitious goal of placing astronauts on the Moon by 2030 and eventually constructing a lunar base.
The Shenzhou-19 mission took off with its trio of space explorers from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, state news agency Xinhua and state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Among the crew is Wang Haoze, 34, who is China's only female spaceflight engineer, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). She is the third Chinese woman to take part in a crewed mission.
"Like everyone else, I dream of going to the space station to have a look," Wang told a media gathering Tuesday alongside her fellow crew members, lined up behind podiums and tall panes of glass to seal them off from the public.
"I want to meticulously complete each task and protect our home in space," she said.
"I also want to travel in deep space and wave at the stars."
Headed by Cai Xuzhe, the team will return to Earth in late April or early May next year, CMSA Deputy Director Lin Xiqiang said at a separate press event confirming the launch.
Cai, a 48-year-old former air force pilot, brings experience from a previous stint aboard Tiangong as part of the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022.
"Having been selected for the new crew, taking on a new role, facing new tasks and new challenges, I feel the honour of my mission with a great responsibility," said Cai.
The aerospace veteran added that the crew was now "fully prepared mentally, technically, physically and psychologically" for the mission ahead
Completing the astronaut lineup is 34-year-old man Song Lingdong.
The crew currently aboard the Tiangong space station is scheduled to return to Earth on November 4 after completing handover procedures with the incoming astronauts, Lin said.
- 'Space dream' -
China has ramped up plans to achieve its "space dream" under President Xi Jinping.
Its space programme was the third to put humans in orbit and has also landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon.
Crewed by teams of three astronauts that are rotated every six months, the Tiangong space station is the programme's crown jewel.
Beijing says it is on track to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030, where it intends to construct a base on the lunar surface.
The Shenzhou-19 crew's time aboard Tiangong will see them carry out various experiments, including some involving "bricks" made from components imitating lunar soil, CCTV reported.
These items -- to be delivered to Tiangong by the Tianzhou-8 cargo ship in November -- will be tested to see how they fare in extreme radiation, gravity, temperature and other conditions.
Due to the high cost of transporting materials into space, Chinese scientists hope to be able to use lunar soil for the construction of the future base, CCTV reported.
The Shenzhou-19 mission is primarily about "accumulating additional experience", Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in the United States, told AFP.
While this particular swap of astronaut crews and upcoming six-month stint aboard Tiangong may not witness major breakthroughs or feats, it is still "very valuable to do", said McDowell.
China has in recent decades injected billions of dollars into developing an advanced space programme on par with the United States and Europe.
In 2019, China successfully landed its Chang'e-4 probe on the far side of the moon -- the first spacecraft ever to do so. In 2021, it landed a small robot on Mars.
Tiangong, whose core module launched in 2021, is planned to be used for about 10 years.
bur-je/sst
China's only woman spaceflight engineer in crew for 'dream' mission
Michael ZHANG
Mon, October 28, 2024
China has ramped up plans to achieve its 'space dream' under President Xi Jinping
Michael ZHANG
Mon, October 28, 2024
China has ramped up plans to achieve its 'space dream' under President Xi Jinping
(ADEK BERRY)ADEK BERRY/AFP/AFP
China's only woman spaceflight engineer will be among a crew of three astronauts blasting off on a "dream" mission to the Tiangong space station this week, Beijing announced Tuesday.
The new Tiangong team will carry out experiments with an eye to the space programme's ambitious goal of placing astronauts on the Moon by 2030 and eventually constructing a lunar base.
The Shenzhou-19 mission is scheduled to take off with its trio of space explorers at 4:27 am Wednesday (2027 GMT Tuesday) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said.
Among the crew is Wang Haoze, 34, who is China's only female spaceflight engineer, according to the agency. She will become the third Chinese woman to take part in a crewed mission.
"Like everyone else, I dream of going to the space station to have a look," Wang told a media gathering Tuesday alongside her fellow crew members, lined up behind podiums and tall panes of glass to seal them off from the public.
"I want to meticulously complete each task and protect our home in space," she said.
"I also want to travel in deep space and wave at the stars."
Headed by Cai Xuzhe, the team will return to Earth in "late April or early May next year", CMSA Deputy Director Lin Xiqiang said at a separate press event confirming the launch.
Cai, a 48-year-old former air force pilot, brings experience from a previous stint aboard Tiangong as part of the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022.
"Having been selected for the new crew, taking on a new role, facing new tasks and new challenges, I feel the honour of my mission with a great responsibility," said Cai.
The aerospace veteran added that the crew was now "fully prepared mentally, technically, physically and psychologically" for the mission ahead.
Completing the astronaut lineup is 34-year-old man Song Lingdong.
The crew currently aboard the Tiangong space station is scheduled to return to Earth on November 4 after completing handover procedures with the incoming astronauts, Lin said.
- 'Space dream' -
China has ramped up plans to achieve its "space dream" under President Xi Jinping.
The country's space programme was the third to put humans in orbit and has also landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon.
Crewed by teams of three astronauts that are exchanged every six months, the Tiangong space station is the programme's crown jewel.
Beijing says it is on track to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030, where it intends to construct a base on the lunar surface.
The Shenzhou-19 crew's time aboard Tiangong will see them carry out various experiments, including some involving "bricks" made from components imitating lunar soil, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
These items -- to be delivered to Tiangong by the Tianzhou-8 cargo ship in November -- will be tested to see how they fare in extreme radiation, gravity, temperature and other conditions.
Due to the high cost of transporting materials into space, Chinese scientists hope to be able to use lunar soil for the construction of the future base, CCTV reported.
The Shenzhou-19 mission is primarily about "accumulating additional experience", Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in the United States, told AFP.
While this particular swap of astronaut crews and upcoming six-month stint aboard Tiangong may not witness major breakthroughs or feats, it is still "very valuable to do", said McDowell.
China has in recent decades injected billions of dollars into developing an advanced space programme on par with the United States and Europe.
In 2019, China successfully landed its Chang'e-4 probe on the far side of the moon -- the first spacecraft ever to do so. In 2021, it landed a small robot on Mars.
Tiangong, whose core module launched in 2021, is planned to be used for about 10 years.
China's only woman spaceflight engineer will be among a crew of three astronauts blasting off on a "dream" mission to the Tiangong space station this week, Beijing announced Tuesday.
The new Tiangong team will carry out experiments with an eye to the space programme's ambitious goal of placing astronauts on the Moon by 2030 and eventually constructing a lunar base.
The Shenzhou-19 mission is scheduled to take off with its trio of space explorers at 4:27 am Wednesday (2027 GMT Tuesday) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said.
Among the crew is Wang Haoze, 34, who is China's only female spaceflight engineer, according to the agency. She will become the third Chinese woman to take part in a crewed mission.
"Like everyone else, I dream of going to the space station to have a look," Wang told a media gathering Tuesday alongside her fellow crew members, lined up behind podiums and tall panes of glass to seal them off from the public.
"I want to meticulously complete each task and protect our home in space," she said.
"I also want to travel in deep space and wave at the stars."
Headed by Cai Xuzhe, the team will return to Earth in "late April or early May next year", CMSA Deputy Director Lin Xiqiang said at a separate press event confirming the launch.
Cai, a 48-year-old former air force pilot, brings experience from a previous stint aboard Tiangong as part of the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022.
"Having been selected for the new crew, taking on a new role, facing new tasks and new challenges, I feel the honour of my mission with a great responsibility," said Cai.
The aerospace veteran added that the crew was now "fully prepared mentally, technically, physically and psychologically" for the mission ahead.
Completing the astronaut lineup is 34-year-old man Song Lingdong.
The crew currently aboard the Tiangong space station is scheduled to return to Earth on November 4 after completing handover procedures with the incoming astronauts, Lin said.
- 'Space dream' -
China has ramped up plans to achieve its "space dream" under President Xi Jinping.
The country's space programme was the third to put humans in orbit and has also landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon.
Crewed by teams of three astronauts that are exchanged every six months, the Tiangong space station is the programme's crown jewel.
Beijing says it is on track to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030, where it intends to construct a base on the lunar surface.
The Shenzhou-19 crew's time aboard Tiangong will see them carry out various experiments, including some involving "bricks" made from components imitating lunar soil, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
These items -- to be delivered to Tiangong by the Tianzhou-8 cargo ship in November -- will be tested to see how they fare in extreme radiation, gravity, temperature and other conditions.
Due to the high cost of transporting materials into space, Chinese scientists hope to be able to use lunar soil for the construction of the future base, CCTV reported.
The Shenzhou-19 mission is primarily about "accumulating additional experience", Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in the United States, told AFP.
While this particular swap of astronaut crews and upcoming six-month stint aboard Tiangong may not witness major breakthroughs or feats, it is still "very valuable to do", said McDowell.
China has in recent decades injected billions of dollars into developing an advanced space programme on par with the United States and Europe.
In 2019, China successfully landed its Chang'e-4 probe on the far side of the moon -- the first spacecraft ever to do so. In 2021, it landed a small robot on Mars.
Tiangong, whose core module launched in 2021, is planned to be used for about 10 years.
Chinese astronauts to conduct experiments in space, including lunar bricks
Florence Lo and Eduardo Baptista
Tue, October 29, 2024
See-off ceremony before the Shenzhou-19 spaceflight mission at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
See-off ceremony before the Shenzhou-19 spaceflight mission at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
See-off ceremony before the Shenzhou-19 spaceflight mission at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
By Florence Lo and Eduardo Baptista
JIUQUAN, China (Reuters) - China sent three astronauts on Wednesday to its permanently inhabited space station, where they will conduct dozens of scientific experiments, some related to the construction of human habitats.
The spacecraft Shenzhou-19 and its three crew lifted off atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China at 4:27 a.m. (2027 GMT), according to state media.
"During the Shenzhou-19 flight ... 86 space sci-tech experiments will be carried out in the fields of space life sciences, microgravity physics, materials, medicine, new technologies," Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), said in a press conference on Tuesday.
One of these experiments is expected to involve exposing bricks made from simulated lunar soil to conditions in space.
Should the tests prove successful, the bricks could be a key material used in the construction of a permanent lunar research station, which China hopes to complete by 2035, as it would in theory be more convenient than transporting building materials from Earth.
The bricks will be sent in a separate uncrewed cargo spaceflight to the Shenzhou-19 crew next month.
The Shenzhou crewed spaceflights have been a regular fixture of China's space program for the past two decades and have increased in frequency in recent years as China built and began operating its "Tiangong" space station, officially completed in November 2022.
The fast development of China's manned and unmanned space program has alarmed the United States, which has encountered issues with its own crewed spaceflights.
Two NASA astronauts brought to the International Space Station by Boeing's Starliner capsule in June have been stranded there since due to unforeseen issues with the spacecraft's propulsion system. They are expected to return in February 2025 on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
CMSA's Lin on Tuesday said that in order to avoid similar issues, the emergency response plan has been "continuously optimized" so that astronauts have more time to deal with scenarios such as damage to the Shenzhou-19 caused by space debris.
Lin added that Shenzhou-20 and its carrier rocket were on standby and ready to perform an emergency rescue mission if necessary.
LOOKING TO THE MOON
Since the launch of Shenzhou-14 in June 2022, Shenzhou missions have involved trios of astronauts and six-month stays in space, with an overlap period of several days where the departing crew hands over the station to the newly arrived group. The Shenzhou-19 crew is expected to return to Earth next year in April or May.
Lin highlighted that two of the three astronauts crewing the Shenzhou-19 were born in 1990 and conducting their first spaceflight, with Wang Haoze also being the third female Chinese national sent into space
The leader of the crew, 48-year-old Cai Yuzhe, was part of the Shenzhou-14 crew that completed Tiangong's construction. Outside the mission, all three crew members are part of the Chinese military's air force.
As Tiangong approaches its second anniversary, China's focus has now turned to the goal of achieving a manned landing on the moon by 2030. In May, China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe was launched from the island province of Hainan and successfully returned a month later.
While the mission was uncrewed, its completion made China the first country to retrieve samples from the moon's far side.
The two younger Shenzhou-19 crew members were part of the third batch of astronauts selected to train for future spaceflights. The fourth batch, announced in 2022, will for the first time be more focused on moon landings, rather than just flights to the Tiangong space station, according to Lin.
"(The training content of the fourth batch) will extend the astronauts' abilities, from controlling spacecraft to driving lunar rovers, from celestial body identification to geological exploration, from weightless floating in space to carrying heavy loads on the moon," the CMSA official said.
(Reporting by Florence Lo in Jiuquan and Eduardo Baptista in Beijing; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Chinese astronauts Wang Haoze, from left, Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong wave as they attend the see-off ceremony for the Shenzhou-19 mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, in the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chinese astronauts Wang Haoze, from left, Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong wave as they prepare to depart on the Shenzhou-19 mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, in the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chinese astronauts Wang Haoze, from left, Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong salute as they attend the see-off ceremony for the Shenzhou-19 mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, in the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chinese astronauts Wang Haoze, from left, Song Lingdong and Cai Xuzhe wave during the see-off ceremony for the Shenzhou-19 mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, in the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chinese astronauts Wang Haoze, from left, Song Lingdong and Cai Xuzhe wave during the see-off ceremony for the Shenzhou-19 mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, in the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chinese astronauts Wang Haoze, from left, Song Lingdong and Cai Xuzhe wave during the see-off ceremony for the Shenzhou-19 mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, in the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chinese astronauts Wang Haoze, from left, Song Lingdong and Cai Xuzhe wave during the see-off ceremony for the Shenzhou-19 mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, in the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Victor Tangermann
Mon, October 28, 2024
Mon, October 28, 2024
Space Cribs
Chinese astronauts on board the country's Tiangong space station have given us a rare glimpse into what life is like roughly 260 miles above the surface.
As seen in an almost seven-minute-long video shared by Chinese state-owned news agency CCTV, members of the current Shenzhou-18 crew gave an extensive tour of their temporary abode.
Crew members show off the station's kitchen, from a small heater that dispenses water into small pouches to a modified microwave. Astronauts also showed off the surprisingly roomy beds that each feature a sizable porthole, with unparalleled views of the Earth below.
We even got a glimpse of the two orbital lab segments, including several cherry tomato and lettuce plants growing in the station's greenhouse.
In short, it's an uncommon and surprisingly detailed peek behind the curtain of an otherwise secretive space program that has historically held its cards close to its chest.
Open Hatch Day
In less than two years, China assembled three modules of its space station, which can accommodate a crew of up to three astronauts.
While the country was excluded by the US from participating on board the International Space Station, its space program has made tremendous advancements in a matter of years and is hoping to send astronauts to the surface of the Moon as soon as 2030.
In April, the country sent its latest crew to the orbital lab. Existing members are currently preparing to make their return to Earth after having spent close to half a year on board the station.
During their stay, they've observed how zebrafish adapt to their unusual microgravity environment, among several other scientific experiments.
Meanwhile, NASA is getting ready to deorbit the ISS by the end of the decade — and the station's successor is still largely stuck in the early planning stages.
Chinese astronauts on board the country's Tiangong space station have given us a rare glimpse into what life is like roughly 260 miles above the surface.
As seen in an almost seven-minute-long video shared by Chinese state-owned news agency CCTV, members of the current Shenzhou-18 crew gave an extensive tour of their temporary abode.
Crew members show off the station's kitchen, from a small heater that dispenses water into small pouches to a modified microwave. Astronauts also showed off the surprisingly roomy beds that each feature a sizable porthole, with unparalleled views of the Earth below.
We even got a glimpse of the two orbital lab segments, including several cherry tomato and lettuce plants growing in the station's greenhouse.
In short, it's an uncommon and surprisingly detailed peek behind the curtain of an otherwise secretive space program that has historically held its cards close to its chest.
Open Hatch Day
In less than two years, China assembled three modules of its space station, which can accommodate a crew of up to three astronauts.
While the country was excluded by the US from participating on board the International Space Station, its space program has made tremendous advancements in a matter of years and is hoping to send astronauts to the surface of the Moon as soon as 2030.
In April, the country sent its latest crew to the orbital lab. Existing members are currently preparing to make their return to Earth after having spent close to half a year on board the station.
During their stay, they've observed how zebrafish adapt to their unusual microgravity environment, among several other scientific experiments.
Meanwhile, NASA is getting ready to deorbit the ISS by the end of the decade — and the station's successor is still largely stuck in the early planning stages.
Step Inside China’s Secretive New Space Station
Owen Bellwood
Tue, October 29, 2024
The Tiangong Space Station has been in orbit for three years.
Owen Bellwood
Tue, October 29, 2024
The Tiangong Space Station has been in orbit for three years.
- Photo: Liu Fang/Xinhua (Getty Images)
China has had astronauts in space since June 2012, when the Shenzhou 10 mission docked with the Tiangong-1 prototype space station for the first time. Since then, the country’s presence in orbit has grown and now it operates a station that’s roughly a fifth of the size of the International Space Station.
The new, larger station is called the Tiangong Space Station and while it’s been in operation around 240 miles above the Earth’s surface for more than three years now, its makeup has remained pretty mysterious to space fans, until now.
In a new video shared by China’s state-run broadcaster CCTV, the current crew of the TSS offers a rare tour of the facilities they’re working with in orbit, reports Futurism. The tour shows off the station’s kitchen, sleeping areas and views of Earth, as the site explains:
Crew members show off the station’s kitchen, from a small heater that dispenses water into small pouches to a modified microwave. Astronauts also showed off the surprisingly roomy beds that each feature a sizable porthole, with unparalleled views of the Earth below.
We even got a glimpse of the two orbital lab segments, including several cherry tomato and lettuce plants growing in the station’s greenhouse.
In short, it’s an uncommon and surprisingly detailed peek behind the curtain of an otherwise secretive space program that has historically held its cards close to its chest.
You can watch the tour for yourself below, and it really is fascinating to see how far China’s space station has come in just a handful of years. The first module of the Tiangong Space Station launched into orbit in April 2021 and was soon followed by two other pieces.
Each of the three modules that make up the station were fully assembled on Earth, before launching into space on China’s Changzheng 5 rockets. Because the components were completed on the ground, construction in space was minimal and the station became operational at a rapid rate. In fact, it’s first astronauts docked with the station less than three months after the first module was in orbit.
While onboard the station, Chinese astronauts have carried out the same kinds of experiments that NASA carries out on the ISS. So far, they’ve studied how zebra fish adapt to microgravity and researchers looked at whether early forms of life could be capable of surviving in the cosmos.
China has had astronauts in space since June 2012, when the Shenzhou 10 mission docked with the Tiangong-1 prototype space station for the first time. Since then, the country’s presence in orbit has grown and now it operates a station that’s roughly a fifth of the size of the International Space Station.
The new, larger station is called the Tiangong Space Station and while it’s been in operation around 240 miles above the Earth’s surface for more than three years now, its makeup has remained pretty mysterious to space fans, until now.
In a new video shared by China’s state-run broadcaster CCTV, the current crew of the TSS offers a rare tour of the facilities they’re working with in orbit, reports Futurism. The tour shows off the station’s kitchen, sleeping areas and views of Earth, as the site explains:
Crew members show off the station’s kitchen, from a small heater that dispenses water into small pouches to a modified microwave. Astronauts also showed off the surprisingly roomy beds that each feature a sizable porthole, with unparalleled views of the Earth below.
We even got a glimpse of the two orbital lab segments, including several cherry tomato and lettuce plants growing in the station’s greenhouse.
In short, it’s an uncommon and surprisingly detailed peek behind the curtain of an otherwise secretive space program that has historically held its cards close to its chest.
You can watch the tour for yourself below, and it really is fascinating to see how far China’s space station has come in just a handful of years. The first module of the Tiangong Space Station launched into orbit in April 2021 and was soon followed by two other pieces.
Each of the three modules that make up the station were fully assembled on Earth, before launching into space on China’s Changzheng 5 rockets. Because the components were completed on the ground, construction in space was minimal and the station became operational at a rapid rate. In fact, it’s first astronauts docked with the station less than three months after the first module was in orbit.
While onboard the station, Chinese astronauts have carried out the same kinds of experiments that NASA carries out on the ISS. So far, they’ve studied how zebra fish adapt to microgravity and researchers looked at whether early forms of life could be capable of surviving in the cosmos.
A Long March rocket with a Shenzhou-19 spacecraft atop takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China in the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Long March rocket with a Shenzhou-19 spacecraft atop takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China in the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Long March rocket with a Shenzhou-19 spacecraft atop takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China in the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Shenzhou-19 spacecraft sitting atop a Long March rocket takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China in the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Shenzhou-19 spacecraft sitting atop a Long March rocket takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China in the early hours, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Long March rocket with a Shenzhou-19 spacecraft atop takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China in the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this image taken with a long exposure, a Long March rocket with a Shenzhou-19 spacecraft atop takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China in the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Shenzhou-19 spacecraft atop a Long March rocket takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China in the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Shenzhou-19 spacecraft atop a Long March rocket takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China in the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)ASSOCIATED PRESS
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