On Thursday, China launched the first module of a future permanent space station from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the island province of Hainan, using a heavy-lift Long March 5B rocket, marking the first step toward establishing an alternative to the International Space Station.
Tianhe (“Harmony of the Heavens”), a 16-meter-long module, will be the main living room for three crew members working on the space station, which is expected to be operational in 2022. The station will be operationalized with ten more launches, including four manned missions.
The International Space Station (ISS), which was launched jointly by the United States and Russia in 1998 and has since included Japanese and European space agencies, is reportedly closed to China. Russia recently announced that it would leave the ISS in 2025 to construct its own space station. Collaboration with China is also a possibility. The Tiangong low-Earth orbital space station is one of a number of ambitious projects China has designed to leapfrog conventional Western forces, including lunar and Mars missions.
Tex by: Ankita Dtts, IBTN9
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