China is expected to launch the first module of its future orbital station in a few weeks. A manned mission – the first since 2016 – will also be operated this year.
The International Space Station is now the one and only operational station in orbit, but not for long. A Chinese station called "Tiangong" (Heavenly Palace) will indeed soon join it, before finally succeeding it (the ISS is aging). This structure, which will weigh nearly 100 tons, will comprise three modules. On board, taikonauts will conduct various scientific experiments and prepare for future long-duration flights.
The central module of this station (16.6 meters long for 22 tons) will be launched next spring. The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) is finalizing work on the affected launcher at a factory north of the city of Tianjin, according to Spacenews . The firing will be done with a Long March 5B rocket, from the Wenchang launch base.
This module will provide the main living quarters of taikonauts on board for periods of approximately six months. It will also feature a docking port and control the orbit and attitude of the station.
In total, the Chinese National Space Administration plans eleven launches to complete the construction of this station in 2022. The structure, which should be placed at an altitude of about 370 kilometers, will be tilted 41 degrees.
Note that the launch of this first main module was normally scheduled for 2018 (and those of the following modules in 2020 and 2022). However, a failed launch and subsequent problems with the Long March 5 rocket caused China to push back the deadlines, eventually condensing the schedule into an intensive two-year period.
When completed in 2022, the Chinese Space Station will also be joined by a space telescope of the same class as Hubble, named Xuntian. Equipped with a mirror two meters in diameter, it must be placed in orbit in 2024.
CALT, which plans around 40 orbital launches this year, is also continuing development of its Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft. He will be responsible for transporting freight to the station. It will also be the first to dock at this new structure. It will then be replaced by the Chinese ship Shenzhou-12, this time with a crew (a kind of Dragon capsule from SpaceX Chinese version). This will be China's first crewed mission since 2016. The relevant taikonauts have already been selected.
Finally, it should be noted that if this new station is of Chinese origin, it will also be accessible to any other UN member country that wishes to conduct scientific experiments on board. .
