CHINA (MAY 30): China will complete the construction of its self-developed Tiangong space station in 2022.
The space station will be in T-shape, with the core module at the center and a lab capsule on each side.
Furthermore, China planned to conduct 11 space launches during the two years of the space station building.
On May 29th, China launched its cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-2 at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China’s Hainan Province, which successfully docked with the space station core module Tianhe on the morning of May 30.
Tianhe will serve as a management and control hub of the space station Tiangong, meaning Heavenly Palace, with a node that could dock with up to three spacecraft at a time for short stays, or two for long.
Combined with Tianhe, Tianzhou-2 will replenish Tianhe’s propellant. Tests on space application project equipment will also be carried out as planned.
The building of the space station is the third step in China’s space exploration program.
The designed service life of the space station is no less than 10 years. – Reuters
