By 
March 4th, 2017
China presses forward on its space station work.
Credit: CMSE
China is pushing forward on its plans to establish a space station in the 2020s.
A first step is flying its cargo resupply spacecraft, the Tianzhou-1, set for liftoff next month.
Meanwhile, China is readying a space station core module for flight in 2018, one of many segments that will comprise the orbiting complex due for completion around 2022.
Assembly of that central module — named “Tianhe-1” — has already been completed and tests are currently under way, reports Bao Weimin of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC).
Outpost longevity
The Chinese space station will initially be much smaller than the current International Space Station (ISS), but could be expanded for future scientific research and international cooperation, according to the country’s space officials.
Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China’s Hainan Province.
Credit: CCTV
Given present plans to retire the ISS in 2024, China’s space station will be the only country with a permanent space station.
According to Bao, as reported by the state-run Xinhua news agency, the Chinese outpost will function in orbit for “dozens of years,” adding that all key parts of the facility are designed to be serviceable and replaceable.
China’s cargo ship will dock with the now-orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab and refuel that facility.
Credit: CMSE
In-orbit re-fueling
In mid- or late April, the Tianzhou-1 supply ship will depart from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China’s Hainan Province – launched atop a Long March-7 Y2 carrier rocket. If successfully placed into orbit, it will dock with the now-orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab three times and carry out experiments and tests.
Xinhua reports that, during the journey, Tianzhou-1 will orbit on its own for about three months and together with Tiangong-2 for about two months after their rendezvous.
Tianzhou-1’s flight will check and verify such technologies as supply of goods, in-orbit re-fueling and fast automated rendezvous and docking.
With tasks completed, the autopiloted Tianzhou-1 will fall back to Earth while Tiangong-2 is to remain in orbit and continue conducting experiments.
China’s Chang’e 3 Moon lander and Yutu rover. Next step is returning lunar samples back to Earth via the Chang’e-5.
Credit: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Moon lander
Also on China’s active space agenda for this year is a Long March-5 boost in November from Wenchang of the Chang’e-5 robotic Moon lander, a mission focused on landing, gathering select lunar materials for return to Earth.
According to Chinese news services, the over 8-ton Chang’e-5 is comprised of four parts: the “orbiter” “lander” “ascender” and a “returner” – an Earth reentry module.
If successful, the Chang’e-5 mission would be the first lunar sample return to Earth in over 40 years.
The former Soviet Union successfully executed three robotic sample return missions: Luna 16 returned a small sample (101 grams) from Mare Fecunditatis in September of 1970; February 1972, Luna 20 returned 55 grams of soil from the Apollonius highlands region; Luna 24 retrieved 170.1 grams of lunar samples from the Moon’s Mare Crisium (Sea of Crisis) for return to Earth in August 1976.
To view a video on readying the Chang’e-5 for its Mon mission, go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oishjEeEcZE
Watch a video on Tianzhou-1 preparation at:
http://cd-pv.news.cctvplus.com/2017/0304/8044541_Preview_8570.mp4
Posted in Space News
