Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

China is pressing forward on its Tiangong space lab program.
Credit: CAST

China’s Tiangong-2 space lab is being prepared for launch, a true “Space Lab” that will verify key technologies for building China’s space station, explains its chief designer, Zhu Zongpeng.

Zhu explains in a new interview with China Central Television (CCTV) that the Tiangong-2 is being prepared for liftoff in the third quarter of this year.

The piloted Shenzhou-11 spacecraft – with two persons onboard — is also being readied for launch, later to dock with the Tiangong-2.

Three major missions

The space lab will complete three major missions, according to Zhu, who said the Tiangong-2 can be called “China’s first space lab in terms of its function.”

“The Tiangong-2 can be called the first space laboratory of China, and its missions mainly includes mid-term stay,” Zhu adds.

After the docking of the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft with the Tiangong-2, the astronauts will enter the space lab to work and live in the orbiting facility for 30 days.

The second mission, Zhu says, is to dock with a cargo ship next year to implement on-orbit propellant re-supply.

The third mission is to carry out some experiments for China’s future space station, including technical experiments and some relevant experiments involving repair work.

China’s Shenzhou-11 piloted spacecraft in testing.
Credit: CCTV/framegrab via GBTimes.

Key technology

The orbit altitude of the Tiangong-2 will reach 393 kilometers from Earth, the same as that of the future space station.

“The orbit altitude of the Tiangong-2 was designed according to the altitude for operating the space station in the future, and is higher than that of the Tiangong-1, mainly aimed at verifying docking and rendezvous technologies for the space station,” said Zhu.

The on-orbit propellant resupply will also be a key technology for the stable operation of the space station.

“We must collect gas from the fuel tank of the Tiangong-2 into a cylinder, so that a pressure difference will be formed to ensure that the propellant will be supplied from the cargo ship to the space lab,” says Zhu, adding that precise and sealed connection of the re-supply pipelines will also be ensured.

China’s 60-ton medium-size space station is depicted in this artwork.
Credit: CNSA

Pre-launch testing 

Compared with the Tiangong-1, the Tiangong-2 has more facilities to ensure a comfortable stay for the astronauts, including equipment for receiving television programs from Earth and sending e-mails, according to Zhu.

At least 14 experiments will be carried out in the Tiangong-2.

The Tiangong-2 is now under pre-launch testing at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

China’s space officials note they want to put a permanent human-staffed space station into service around 2022. The construction of the country’s first orbiting space station will be completed by around 2020.

For a review of their plans, go to this site (in Chinese) with graphics: