Update 1 Nov 2022: China launches third and final space station component
Mengtian, or “Celestial Dream,” joins Wentian as the second laboratory module for China’s permanent space station, collectively known as Tiangong
China on Monday 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 3:39 p.m. (3:39 a.m. ET) Monday from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in 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. 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 family of launch vehicles.
Mengtian was due to spend 13 hours in flight before reaching Tiangong which is populated by a crew of two male and one female astronauts, according to the China Manned Space Agency. Chen Dong, Cai Xuzhe and Liu Yang arrived in early June for a six-month stay on board, during which they will complete the station’s assembly, conduct space walks and carry out additional experiments. Following Mengtian’s arrival, an additional un-crewed Tianzhou cargo craft is due to dock with the station next month with another crewed mission scheduled for December, at which time crews may overlap as Tiangong has sufficient room to accommodate six astronauts.
Wentian's small mechanical arm completes in-orbit tests
Simulated image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on July 25, 2022 shows that Wentian lab module has successfully docked with the front port of Tianhe core module combination
The small mechanical arm mounted with Wentian, the first lab module of China's space station, has successfully completed in-orbit tests, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
With the support of the ground team, the small mechanical arm has completed a series of in-orbit function and performance tests. All indexes performed well, achieving expected results, said the CMSA. The weight and length of the small mechanical arm are about half that of the 10-meter-long large mechanical arm on the core module Tianhe. It is quite flexible and can perform operations with greater precision.
The Shenzhou-14 crew will, for the first time, be aided by the small mechanical arm to carry out extravehicular activities. The small arm can also be held with the large arm to form a combined arm that is capable of performing extravehicular operations with greater accuracy at a larger range. China on July 24 launched the Wentian lab module, which consists of a work cabin, an airlock cabin and a resource cabin.
Shenzhou-14 astronauts complete first extravehicular activities
Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Sept. 1, 2022 shows Shenzhou-14 astronauts Chen Dong (Top), Liu Yang conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) out of the space station lab module Wentian. China's Shenzhou-14 astronauts Chen Dong and Liu Yang successfully exited the space station lab module Wentian on Thursday to conduct EVAs, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA)
This was the first time Chinese astronauts have used Wentian's airlock cabin, aided by its small mechanical arm, to carry out EVAs, said the CMSA, who has declared Friday's mission a complete success. The pair returned to the lab module at 0:33 a.m. (Beijing Time) after about six hours of EVAs, according to the CMSA. Under the coordination between space and Earth, and coordination with astronaut Cai Xuzhe inside the lab module, the pair completed a series of tasks, including the installation of the extended pump set of the Wentian lab module, lifting the lab module's panoramic camera, and the verification of capability for independent transfer and emergency return to the spacecraft.
The EVAs tested the cooperation ability between astronauts and the small mechanical arm, and tested the function and performance of Wentian's airlock cabin and support equipment related to EVAs, the CMSA said. China launched the Shenzhou-14 spaceship on June 5, sending three astronauts to its space station combination for a six-month mission.
China's space station lab module Mengtian arrives at launch site: 9 Aug 2022
Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on July 25, 2022 shows Shenzhou-14 astronaut Chen Dong opening the hatch door of Wentian lab module. [Photo/Xinhua]
The lab module will be assembled and tested as planned at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, said the agency.
The facilities and equipment at the launch site are in good condition. All the systems involved in the mission are undergoing orderly preparations, said the agency.
China's first lab module for space station
China on Sunday launched Wentian, the first lab module of its space station. The new module will function both as a backup of the core module and as a powerful scientific experiment platform. The Wentian module is 17.9 meters long, has a maximum diameter of 4.2 meters and a takeoff mass of 23 tonnes, almost the size of a subway car in Beijing. It is the heaviest single-cabin active spacecraft in orbit in the world, according to Liu Gang, deputy chief designer of the China manned space program's space station system with the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).
The Wentian module consists of a work cabin, an airlock cabin and a resource cabin. The Long March-5B Y3 carrier rocket, carrying Wentian, blasted off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on the coast of the southern island province of Hainan at 2:22 p.m. (Beijing Time), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). About 495 seconds later, Wentian separated from the rocket and entered the planned orbit. The launch is a complete success, the CMSA declared.
This is the 24th flight mission since the country's manned space program was approved and initiated. The construction of China's Tiangong space station is expected to be completed this year. It will then evolve from a single-module structure into a national space laboratory with three modules -- the core module Tianhe, and lab modules Wentian and Mengtian. The Tianhe module was launched in April 2021, and the Mengtian module is set to be launched in October this year.
China launches second space station module, Wentian
A Long March-5B Y3 rocket, carrying the Wentian lab module for China's space station under construction, takes off from Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan province, China July 24, 2022. China Daily via REUTERS
China on Sunday launched the second of three modules to its permanent space station, in one of the final missions needed to complete the orbiting outpost by year's end.
A live feed on state broadcaster CCTV showed the 23-tonne Wentian ("Quest for the Heavens") laboratory module launching on the back of China's most powerful rocket, the Long March 5B, at 2:22 p.m. (0622 GMT) from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on the southern island of Hainan. Space agency staff, seen on the live feed observing the progress of the launch from a control room, cheered and applauded when the Wentian separated from the rocket about 10 minutes after the launch.
The launch was "a complete success", CCTV reported shortly after. China began constructing the space station in April 2021 with the launch of the Tianhe module, the main living quarters, in the first of 11 crewed and uncrewed missions in the undertaking. The Wentian lab module, 17.9 metres (59 feet) long, will be where astronauts can carry out scientific experiments, along with the other lab module yet to be launched - Mengtian ("Dreaming of the Heavens").
Chang Zheng 5B launches Wentian Laboratory Module
China has launched the Wentian Laboratory Cabin Module on Sunday, July 24 at 06:22 UTC out of the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China. The module is one of two planned for launch this year to China’s Tiangong space station, with the second being the Mengtian module which is slated to launch in October. Both modules will launch on China’s most powerful rocket currently available, the Chang Zheng 5B (CZ-5B), and will target the low Earth orbit (LEO) of the Tiangong space station, which is in a 390 km altitude, 41.58° inclination orbit. Both will dock to the Tianhe core module of the station, which was launched in April 2021.
Wentian (“Quest for the Heavens”) is a laboratory cabin module (LCM), and one of the three major modules of the Chinese Space Station. It will not only provide science space for the station, but also additional navigation capabilities, avionics, propulsion, and orientation control. The module is 17.9 meters long with a diameter of 4.2 meters. It is about 22 tons in mass and contains pressurized space. It will host multiple scientific research facilities including a Life and Ecology Rack, a Biotechnology Rack, an Advanced Aerospace Technology Rack, a Cryogenic Storage Rack, and a facility to study varying gravity. It also includes more payload racks for future, planned science instruments. Wentian also has the capability to host science experiments outside of the module to study different influences on different kinds of probes, including cosmic ray, space environment, and solar wind research.
On the side of the module, two 30-meter-long solar arrays will be used to power the station and module. The exact capabilities of the two solar panels are unknown, as are details of the Wentian module. What is known is that the module will have an airlock system, which will aid the station for future spacewalks. It also includes a second mechanical arm and additional crew cabins to support more people living on the station. The module will initially dock with the axial port of the Tianhe core module of the station. After that, the station’s robotic arm will move the module to the desired radial port. This is necessary as China opted to simplify some of the Tianhe module’s docking posts. This resulted in the ports for Wentian and Mengtian not having any active docking systems. This type of process was used previously with Russia’s MIR space station.
Chinese space station nears completion as laboratory module successfully docks
Large crowds of space enthusiasts watching watched China's launch of the Wentian lab module from tropical Hainan Island on a hot Sunday afternoon
China successfully docked a second laboratory module to its under-construction space station, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said Monday, as the country takes a step closer to completing its orbital outpost by the end of the year.
The Wentian module was launched atop a Long March 5B rocket from Hainan Island at 2:22 p.m. local time on Sunday. Wentian, China's largest ever spacecraft weighing 23 metric tons, is equipped with four scientific cabinets to conduct ecological and biotechnological experiments under varying gravity conditions. It also features a robotic arm for external experiments and an additional airlock for spacewalks.
The docking marks the penultimate phase in the construction of China's ambitious three-module Tiangong space station project, which is slated to finish construction by late 2022. Construction of the space station began in April last year, with the launch of the Tianhe module -- the station's main living quarters. In October, China is expected to launch a second laboratory module, known as Mengtian. The two laboratory modules will link-up to form a T-shaped structure, with Tianhe in the center.
China launches Wentian laboratory module to join Tiangong space station
The Wentian lab module was launched on a Long March 5B carrier rocket from Wenchang. (Li Gang: Xinhua via AP)
China is one step closer to completing its permanent orbiting space station, with the successful launch of a new laboratory module. The 23-tonne module, named Wentian, or "Quest for the Heavens", was launched on Sunday from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on Hainan Island in China's south. Amateur photographers and space enthusiasts watched as it lifted off on the Long March 5B remote 3 rocket to join the Tiangong (Heavenly Palace) space station.
According to the official Xinhua news agency, it spent roughly eight minutes in flight before entering orbit and docking at the space station. Astronauts will carry out scientific experiments on the 17.9-metre long Wentian module, which will also serve as short-term living quarters during crew rotations. It features an airlock cabin that will be the main exit-entry point for extra-vehicular activities when the station is completed.
The final lab module Mengtian, which means "Dreaming of the Heavens", is expected to be launched in October. In 2003 China became the third country to launch an astronaut into orbit on its own accord, after the former Soviet Union and the US. China started constructing the station in space in April 2021, with the launch of the main living quarters, in the first of 11 crewed and uncrewed missions.
China launches 2nd space station module to support science experiments
A Long March-5B Y3 rocket carrying China's space station lab module Wentian blasts off from Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on July 24, 2022 in Wenchang, Hainan Province of China. (Image credit: VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
Wentian docked to the Tianhe module of China's Tiangong space station on Sunday (July 24) at 3:15 p.m. EDT (1913 GMT), according to a statement(opens in new tab) from China's space agency.
China is set to add a new compartment to its space station following the launch of the Wentian module early on Sunday. Wentian was sent on its way to orbit atop a Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket that blasted off at 2:25 a.m. EDT (0625 GMT or 2:25 p.m Beijing time) on July 24 from the Wenchang spaceport on the southern island of Hainan. The 58.7-foot-long (17.9 meters) module will soon match the orbit of Tianhe, China's first space station module, which launched in April 2021. Wentian is expected to rendezvous and dock with a port attached to Tianhe later on Sunday.
Wentian, which literally means "quest for the heavens," is the second of three modules planned for launch by China. A third, named Mengtian, is scheduled to launch in October and will complete the T-shaped Tiangong space station. Including a Shenzhou crew spacecraft and Tianzhou cargo vessel docked at the station, the completed Tiangong will be around 20% as massive as the International Space Station (ISS), which has a mass of about 460 tons.
China successfully launches Wentian lab module to its space station
China successfully launched its space station lab module Wentian, the largest spacecraft ever developed by the country, into orbit on Sunday afternoon. The Long March-5B Y3 rocket, carrying Wentian (which means "quest for the heavens"), blasted off at 2:22 p.m. Beijing Time from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province.
About eight minutes later, the lab module separated from the carrier rocket and entered its preset orbit. The China Manned Space Agency (CMS) declared the launch mission a complete success. On July 17, the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft undocked from Tianhe, leaving its front docking port for the upcoming Wentian lab module. The Shenzhou-14 crew watched the launch of the Wentian in orbit.
With a length of 17.9 meters, a maximum diameter of 4.2 meters and a takeoff weight of 23 tonnes, the Wentian module is the largest and heaviest spacecraft China has developed. It has the same astronaut living facilities as the Tianhe core module, including three sleeping areas, a toilet and a kitchen. The lab module will provide a bigger platform for scientific experiments in space. It is mainly for space life science research. The module is equipped with laboratory cabinets for life ecology, biotechnology and variable gravity science.
China successfully launches Wentian module as space station nears completion
A Long March 5B rocket with the Wentian module takes off from Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site. Photo by Hou Yu/China News Service via Getty Images
China successfully launched its second module, called Wentian, to the Tiangong space station early Sunday morning (via SpaceNews). Wentian took off aboard a Long March 5B rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan, China at 2:22AM ET (2:22PM local), docking at the Tiangong space station about 13 hours later at 3:13PM ET (3:13AM local).
The Wentian module contains equipment that allows the Chinese astronauts, also known as taikonauts, to perform various scientific experiments during their time on the station. As noted by The New York Times, the additional module will also provide three extra spaces to sleep, as well as another airlock that crewmembers can use to conduct spacewalks.
In June, China sent the three-person Shenzhou 14 crew to Tiangong to prepare for Wentian’s arrival. Mengtian, the station’s third and final lab module, is set to launch on a Long March 5B in October. This will complete the Tiangong space station, forming a T-shaped structure once the final module has docked.
Wait Begins for Falling 23-Ton Rocket Booster After China Space Station Launch
Another big Chinese rocket launched to space on Sunday at 2:22 p.m. Beijing time, and once again, no one knows where or when it will come down. It will be a replay of two earlier launches of the same rocket, the Long March 5B, which is one of the largest currently in use.
For about a week after launch, the world’s watchers of space debris will be tracking the 10-story, 23-ton rocket booster as wisps of air friction slowly pull it back down. The chance that it will strike anyone on Earth is low but significantly higher than what many space experts consider acceptable. The powerful rocket was designed specifically to launch pieces of China’s Tiangong space station.
The latest mission lifted Wentian, a laboratory module that will expand the station’s scientific research capabilities. It will also add three more spaces for astronauts to sleep and another airlock for them to conduct spacewalks. Completing and operating the space station is described in state media broadcasts as important to China’s national prestige. But the country has taken some damage to its reputation during earlier flights of the rocket.
Wentian module
Wentian (simplified Chinese: 问天; traditional Chinese: 問天; pinyin: Wèn Tiān; lit. 'Quest for the Heavens'), officially the Wentian laboratory cabin module (Chinese: 问天实验舱), is a major module of the Tiangong space station. It is the first Laboratory Cabin Module launched, and the first module to extend the existing Tianhe core module of the station. It was launched into orbit on 24 July 2022, successfully docking with Tianhe nearly 13 hours later at 19:13 UTC on the same day. On 25 July 2022 at 02:03 UTC, the crew of Shenzhou 14 opened the hatch and entered the module for the first time.
The Wentian laboratory module provides additional navigation avionics, propulsion and orientation control as backup functions for the Tianhe Core Module (TCM). It also provides a pressurized environment for researchers to conduct science experiments in freefall or zero gravity which could not be conducted on Earth for more than a few minutes. Experiments can also be placed on the outside of the modules, for exposure to the space environment, cosmic rays, vacuum, and solar winds. The axial port of Wentian is fitted with rendezvous equipment and first docked to the axial port of Tianhe. A mechanical arm dubbed, as Indexing robotic arm, looking a sort of Lyappa arm used on the Mir space station will then move the module to a radial port of the CCM. It is different from Lyappa as it works on a different mechanism. Lyappa arm is needed to control the pitch of the spacecraft and redocking in a different plane. But the indexing robot arm where docking is needed in the same plane. In addition to this arm used for docking relocation, the Chinarm on Tianhe module can also be used as a backup.
In addition to this, it also carries a small 5 m (16 ft) long robotic arm like the Chinarm as a supplemental to that arm. It will be used for manipulating extravehicular payloads and its positioning accuracy is 5 times better than the Chinarm. Wentian in total has 22 standard adaptors (silver squares) to host the payloads.Wentian’s arm will primarily be used to transfer experiments and other hardware outside the station. There is also an adapter by which this arm can be grappled by the Chinarm it to work a single robotic arm like Orbiter Servicing Arm with Canadarms. Electrical power is provided by two steerable solar power arrays, which use photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electricity. Energy is stored to power the station when it passes into the Earth's shadow. Resupply ships will replenish fuel for LCM 1 for station-keeping, to counter the effects of atmospheric drag.
China space station: What is the Tiangong?
China launched a 23-tonne research lab module to its newly built space station Tiangong on Sunday 24 July. The lab Wentian, or "Quest for the Heavens", is expected to carry out biological and life science research
Tiangong space station, or "Heavenly Palace", is China's new permanent space station. The country has previously launched two temporary trial space stations, named as Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2.
The new lab Wentian is the second of three key modules to Tiangong. The first key module Tianhe - which contains living quarters for crew members - was sent into orbit in April 2021. The other key module, Mengtian science lab, is due to be launched by the end of 2022.
China has big ambitions for Tiangong. The station will have its own power, propulsion, life support systems and living quarters. It is also designed to provide refuelling power to China's new space telescope, called Xuntian, which will fly close to the space station next year.
China's Plan for Space Exploration
China is only the third country in history to have put both astronauts into space and to build a space station, after the Soviet Union (now Russia) and the US.
China hopes Tiangong will replace the International Space Station (ISS), which is due to be decommissioned in 2031. Chinese astronauts are currently excluded from the ISS because US law bans its space agency, Nasa, from sharing its data with China.
China's ambitions do not end there. A few years from now it wants to take samples from asteroids near the Earth. By 2030, it aims to have put its first astronauts on the Moon, and to have sent probes to collect samples from Mars and Jupiter.
China launches Tianhe module to Tiangong space station
Rendering of Tianhe core module with the robotic arm at docking position
Tianhe (Chinese: 天和; pinyin: Tiānhé; lit. 'Harmony of the Heavens'), officially the Tianhe core module (Chinese: 天和核心舱), is the first module to launch of the Tiangong space station. It was launched into orbit on 29 April 2021, as the first launch of the final phase of Tiangong program, part of the China Manned Space Program (Project 921).
Tianhe follows in the footsteps of Salyut, Skylab, Mir, International Space Station, Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2 space stations. It is the first module of a third-generation Chinese modular space station. Other examples of modular station projects include the Soviet/Russian Mir, Russian OPSEK, and the International Space Station. Operations will be controlled from the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center.
In 2018, a fullscale mockup of Tianhe was publicly presented at China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai. In October 2020, China selected 18 new astronauts ahead of the space station construction to participate in the country's space station project.
