China launched the second of the three modules in its space station under construction in space. The mooring operation constitutes a challenge for the crew because it requires several successive, high precision manipulations.
Le Monde with AFP
“A delicate operation”: China launched, Sunday, July 24, in space the second of the three modules of its space station under construction, a crucial step towards the finalization of the installation.
The machine, named “Wentian”, about twenty tonnes and without astronauts on board, was propelled by a Long-Marche 5B rocket at 22:22:22 am in Paris) from the launch center of Wenchang, on the Tropical Island of Hainan (South), according to images of public television CCTV. Hundreds of enthusiasts had gathered on the surrounding beaches to take photos of the launcher rising in the air in a plume of white smoke.
After about eight minutes of flight, “Wentian has successfully separated from the rocket, to place itself in the planned orbit”, welcomed the space agency responsible for inhabited flights (CMSA), qualifying the Launch of “Total Success”.
an ambitious mooring operation
Almost 18 meters long and a diameter of 4.2 meters, this development module must come to get to Tianhe, the first module of the station, already in orbit since April 2021. The operation of ‘mooring constitutes a challenge for the crew, because it requires several successive manipulations, of high precision, in particular with a robotic arm.
“This is the first time that China must moor such large vehicles”, and “it is a delicate operation”, explains, to the France-Presse (AFP) agency, Jonathan McDowell, astronomer in the Harvard-Smithsonian center for astrophysics, in the United States. A manipulation which should be repeated with the arrival, later in 2022, of a new development module.
“[Ultimately], this will allow the station to be much more efficient, with the space and power necessary to carry out more scientific experiences”, underlines Mr. McDowell.
“Celestial Palace”
With three sleeping spaces, toilets and a kitchen, Wentian will serve as a rescue platform to control the station in the event of failure. The module also has spaces for scientific experiences and includes a SAS which will become the privileged passage for outings in space.
named in Chinese “Tiangong” (“Celestial Palace”) but also known by its acronym CSS (for “Chinese Space Station”, in English), the Chinese space station should be fully operational by the end of the end ‘year.
After Wentian this weekend, the three astronauts from the Shenzhou-14 mission, currently in the space station, will welcome the third and last module in October, Mengtian. The station will then have its final form in the form of T. It will be similar in size to the late Russian-Soviet Mir station. Its lifespan should be ten years to fifteen years.
“The CSS will then have completed its construction in only a year and a half, the fastest rhythm in history for a modular space station”, underlines Chen Lan, analyst of the Go-Taikonauts.com site, specialized in the Chinese space program. “In comparison, the constructions of MIR and the International Space Station (ISS) lasted ten and twelve years respectively.”
Lune objective by 2030
The finalization of Tiangong will also allow China to carry out, for the first time, a crew relay in orbit. This relay should intervene in December, when astronauts from the Shenzhou-14 mission, currently in the space station, will leave their place to those of Shenzhou-15. Tiangong will then host the six crew members for several days.
China has been pushed to build its own station due to the United States refusal to authorize it to participate in the ISS. The Asian giant has been investing for a few decades of billions of euros in its space program for several decades.
China sent her first astronaut in space in 2003. She posed, in early 2019, a machine on the hidden side of the moon, a world first. In 2020, she brought back moon samples and finalized Beidou, her satellite navigation system, a competitor of the American GPS. In 2021, China landed a small robot on Mars and plans to send men to the moon by 2030.