By 
June 5th, 2022
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Following launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, the Shenzhou-14 crew docked with the core module Tianhe.
Commander Chen Dong and co-astronauts Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe have entered the core module Tianhe on Sunday, according to the China Manned Space Agency to begin a six-month stay in orbit.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
The Shenzhou-14 completed a computer-orchestrated rendezvous and docking with the radial port of the in-orbit space station core module Tianhe, forming a complex with the core module and the cargo crafts Tianzhou-3 and Tianzhou-4.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Three modules
The trio will cooperate with the ground team to complete the assembly and construction of the Tiangong space station – from a single-module structure into a national space laboratory with three modules: the core module Tianhe and modules Wentian and Mengtian.
The Wentian lab module is set to be launched in July and Mengtian in October.
During their stay in orbit, the Shenzhou-14 crew will also witness the docking of the Tianzhou-5 cargo craft and Shenzhou-15 crewed spaceship with the core module. The two individual crews will live and work together for multiple days, with the Shenzhou-14 trio returning to Earth in December.
China’s Tiangong space station is designed to be a versatile space lab, capable of accommodating 25 experiment cabinets for scientific exploration.
Interdisciplinary research
“Each cabinet is a small-sized lab in space, capable of supporting single subject or interdisciplinary research in space science experiments,” said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the agency, at a press conference.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
During the construction phase of the space station, nearly 100 experimental research projects have been planned, Lin said.
Multi-level biological experiments on molecules, cells, tissues and organs will be carried out in Wentian by using diverse online detection methods, such as by visible light, fluorescence or microscopic imaging.
Wentian can also provide a variable gravity simulation environment to support the comparative study of the biological growth mechanism in different gravity conditions.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
The Mengtian lab module will mainly support microgravity research, with experiment cabinets for the study of physics of fluids, material science, combustion science and basic physics. It also has cabinets for space technology experiments, Lin said.
Go to these videos that detail the launch and docking of Shenzhou-14 to begin full build-out of the Tiangong space station:
Posted in Space News
