The space station kept aerospace agencies and companies worldwide busy trying to estimate the date and time of its return. While there were no movie stars or astronauts aboard the real-life Tiangong-1, its homecoming was nonetheless still of supreme interest to the space industry and the public. How did Aerospace Know Tiangong-1’s Time of Reentry? Over a five-year period, two successful manned missions by taikonauts (Chinese astronauts) took place, which included China’s first female astronauts, Liu Yang and Wang Yaping. Its primary mission was to perform docking and orbital experiments. The space station’s initial launch was unmanned, but it had a habitable experimental module to house astronauts. Tiangong-1 weighed 8.5 tons, measured 34 feet by 11 feet, and was the approximate size of a school bus. Sent into orbit on September 30, 2011, Tiangong-1, or “Heavenly Palace 1,” is China’s first space lab, the prototype for China’s ambitious space program to launch a permanent, 20-ton space station in 2023. China’s human spaceflight agency has previously revealed that the rocket and spacecraft can be readied to launch with 8.5 days' notice.The Tiangong-1 Space Station is the approximate size of a school bus. It is now in a standby state, ready to be launched at a moment's notice," Song Jing, chief designer of the Long March 2F rocket ground system, told CCTV.Ĭhina has prepared Shenzhou and Long March 2F rockets for potential emergencies as part of its operation of the Tiangong space station. "Our Long March 2F Yao 17 carrier rocket entered the launch area in April 2023 and has undergone assembly, hoisting, and testing. It will be maintained in a state or near-readiness in case it is required to be used as a lifeboat for the Shenzhou 16 crew. Meanwhile, the Long March 2F rocket to launch the Shenzhou 17 mission in six months' time is also ready at Jiuquan. The Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and Xi'an Satellite Control Center, working in concert with other tracking stations and Yuanwang tracking vessels, conducted a launch rehearsal on May 28 Beijing time.ĭai Xiangjun, senior engineer at Xi'an Satellite Control Center, told CCTV that both equipment and personnel were ready for the launch of Shenzhou 16. Preparations for the launch of Shenzhou 16 have proceeded well, according to Chinese state media press reports. China's space program: Latest news and photos Facts about China's Tiangong space station China's Long March rocket family: History and photos The country is also looking to see foreign astronauts travel to Tiangong, as well as open the space station to potential tourist visits.Įarlier this month China also launched the Tianzhou 6 cargo spacecraft to Tiangong to deliver supplies for the six-month-long Shenzhou 16 mission, as well as science experiments, equipment and propellant for the space station to maintain its orbit. The station is about 20% as massive as the International Space Station, according to Chinese space officials. Mission commander Fei Junlong and crewmates Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu have been aboard Tiangong since November and will hand over control of the space station to the new crew before returning home in early June.Ĭhina completed its three-module Tiangong in late 2022 and aims to keep the orbital outpost permanently occupied for at least a decade. (Image credit: VCG/VCG via Getty Images)Īfter reaching orbit and docking with Tiangong, the crew will be greeted aboard the space station by the outpost's current Shenzhou 15 crew. Chinese astronauts Gui Haichao (left), Zhu Yangzhu (center) and Jing Haipeng of the Shenzhou 16 space mission attend a see-off ceremony at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on in Jiuquan, Gansu Province of China.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |