China yesterday launched the third and final module to complete its permanent space station, realizing a more than decade-long endeavor to maintain a constant crewed presence in orbit.
Mengtian was blasted into space at 3:39pm from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on the southern island province of Hainan.
A large crowd of amateur photographers, space enthusiasts and assorted lookers-on watched the lift-off from an adjoining beach.
Photo: AFP
Many waved Chinese flags and wore T-shirts emblazoned with the characters for China, reflecting the deep national pride invested in the space program and the technological progress it represents.
Mengtian, or “Celestial Dream,” joins Wentian as the second laboratory module for the station, collectively known as Tiangong, or “Celestial Palace.” Both are connected to the Tianhe core module where the crew lives and works.
Like its predecessors, Mengtian was launched aboard a Long March 5B Y4 carrier rocket — a member of China’s most powerful familly of launch vehicles.
It was due to spend 13 hours in flight before reaching Tiangong, which is populated by a crew of two male and one female astronauts, the China Manned Space Agency said.
Chen Dong (陳冬), Cai Xuzhe (蔡旭哲) and Liu Yang (劉洋) arrived in early June for a six-month stay on board, during which they are to complete the station’s assembly, conduct space walks and carry out additional experiments.
Following Mengtian’s arrival, an additional uncrewed Tianzhou cargo craft is due to dock with the station next month, with another crewed mission scheduled for next month, at which time crews might overlap as Tiangong has sufficient room to accommodate six astronauts.
Mengtian weighs in at about 20 tonnes, with a length of 17.9m and a diameter of 4.2m. It is to provide space for science experiments in zero gravity, an airlock for exposure to the vacuum of space and a small robotic arm to support extravehicular payloads.
The already orbiting 23-tonne Wentian laboratory is designed for science and biology experiments, and is heavier than any other single-module spacecraft currently in space.
Next year, China plans to launch the Xuntian space telescope, which, while not a part of Tiangong, is to orbit in sequence with the station and can dock occasionally with it for maintenance.
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