China launches second module of new space station “Heavenly Palace” | Science

The Wentian science module, which weighs about 20 tons and has no taikonauts on board, was launched on a Long March 5B launcher at 2:22 p.m. (8:22 a.m. Belgian time) from the Wenchang launch site on the tropical island of Hainan (south) .

With a length of almost 18 meters and a diameter of 4.2 meters, the laboratory module will be linked to Tianhe, the core module of the station, which has been in orbit since April 2021. The operation is challenging for the crew as it requires extremely precise manipulations, some of which must be performed with a robotic arm.

In addition to three bedrooms, toilets and a kitchen, the new laboratory module is equipped with compartments for scientific experiments. Wentian will also serve as an auxiliary platform to control the space station if something goes wrong.

Named “Tiangong” (“Heavenly Palace” in Chinese) but also known by the acronym CSS (“Chinese space station” in English), the space station is expected to be fully operational by the end of the year. to be.

After Wentian this weekend, the three taikonauts of the Shenzhou-14 mission, who are currently on the space station, are expected to welcome another lab module, Mengtian, in October. The station will then have its final T-shape. It will be similar in size to the former Russian space station Mir. Tiangong should last at least ten years.

China has been investing billions of euros in its space program for decades. The Asian giant also sent its first taikonaut into space in 2003. In 2019, the country landed a spacecraft on the far side of the moon, a world first. The following year, China brought back samples from the moon and another year later, it landed a small robot on Mars. China also plans to send people to the moon by 2030.