China has now released the first images of the entire space station “Tiangong” (Sky Palace). The images taken by the crew of the Shenzhou 16 spacecraft during their return journey to Earth show the entire structure of the space station for the first time since it entered orbit.
The photos were taken by the crew of “Shenzhou 16” (Magic Ship) when they returned to Earth in the space capsule after five months on board “Tiangong”. The Magic Ship was slowed by a large parachute and landed near the Jiuquan Cosmodrome in the Gobi Desert.
The space station weighs 77 tons
The first module of ‘Tiangong’, which orbits the Earth at an altitude of between 340 and 450 kilometers, reached its low Earth orbit in 2021. Modules two and three of the space station, “Wentian” and “Mengtian”, were deployed respectively in 2022 and launched into space this year. The 55-meter-long station, which weighs 77 tons and is about one-fifth the size of the International Space Station, was thus completed.
Must remain in operation for ten years
The intention is that the ‘heaven palace’ will be in operation for at least ten years and will be permanently inhabited. Beijing is not considering international cooperation for the operation of its space station, but assures that it is open to foreign cooperation partners.
China continues its ambitious space program. Just like the US, the People’s Republic also wants to send people to the moon again. The first manned Chinese mission to Earth’s satellite is planned for 2030.
Source: Krone
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