Shenzhou XII: China will send three astronauts to the “Tiangong” space station for the first time-BBC News

According to Chinese media reports, the Shenzhou XII spacecraft will be launched by the Long March 2 F Yao XII carrier rocket on Thursday (June 17) morning local time. The launch site is located at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China.

The Shenzhou XII spacecraft consists of a return capsule, an orbital capsule, and a propulsion capsule. The return module is the “cockpit” for astronauts to enter the space station and return to the earth; the orbital module is the main living place of the astronauts in space; and the propulsion module provides power and propellant, is equipped with instruments and equipment, and stores oxygen tanks and Water tank, and 2 solar arrays.

On June 9, the combination of the Shenzhou 12 spacecraft and the rocket was transferred to the launch area.

According to the plan, the Shenzhou XII spacecraft will dock with the “Tiangong” space station within 6 hours after it enters orbit, and form an assembly. Astronauts will be able to enter the core module of the space station “Tianhe”.

The three astronauts will perform their routines in the air synchronized with the ground. After staying for about three months, they will return to the Dongfeng landing site near the Badain Jaran Desert in Inner Mongolia by taking the spacecraft return capsule.

Chinese media reported that, with the support of robotic arms, Chinese astronauts will also carry out two long-term out-of-vehicle activities to install and maintain extravehicular equipment.

“We have to arrange the core module of the space station, the space home, and carry out a series of key technology verification experiments. The task is very arduous and there are many challenges,” said 56-year-old Nie Haisheng before departure on Wednesday (June 16). Said at the press conference.

Nie Haisheng is an experienced astronaut who participated in manned space missions twice in 2005 and 2013. 55-year-old Liu Boming had experience in a manned space flight. The 46-year-old Tang Hongbo was flying for the first time.

China stated that the mission is to verify “key technologies for the construction and operation of space stations such as long-term astronauts, regeneration and life support, space material supply, out-of-vehicle activities, out-of-vehicle operations, and on-orbit maintenance.”

A space station is a spacecraft that can orbit the earth for a long time and can be used by astronauts for a long time. Prior to this, the Mir space station (Mir) built by the Soviet Union and its successor Russia had been in service for more than 10 years and was the first long-term habitable space research center for mankind.

At present, apart from the “Tiangong” space station, the only space station in service in the world is the International Space Station-which is operated by the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, and the European Union. The International Space Station is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2024, but it is currently expected to extend its service until 2028 or 2030.

The United States once opposed China’s participation in the International Space Station project, which allowed China to begin its own space station program more than a decade ago. So far, China has put two space laboratories into space orbit.

The “Tiangong-1” launched in 2011 and the “Tiangong-2” launched in 2016 are both experimental space stations, which can only allow astronauts to stay in them for a short time. The “Tianhe” launched in April this year is the core module of the official permanent space station “Tiangong”.

Although much smaller than the International Space Station, China hopes that the new 66-ton modular space station can operate for ten years or more. The official media described it as a “national space laboratory and space homeport.” Chinese President Xi Jinping compared it with the “two bombs and one satellite” of the Mao Zedong era.

In order to speed up the operation of the Tiangong space station, China has planned a series of launch missions.

On April 29, the core module of Tianhe was launched into space. It is 16.6 meters long and 4.2 meters wide, and will power the space station. According to reports, the core cabin of “Tianhe” has three bedrooms and one bathroom, and provides more than 120 kinds of food. Astronauts can also use space treadmills and bicycles for daily exercise.

China launched the “Tianzhou-2” cargo spacecraft from Hainan on May 29. The spacecraft carried astronauts’ living supplies, extravehicular space suits, space station platform equipment, propellants, etc.

On May 30, the “Tianhe” core cabin and the “Tianzhou-2” cargo spacecraft completed the rendezvous and docking, which lasted about 8 hours, and the two subsequently transferred to the combined flight phase.

Chinese media said that next year, China will launch another two sections of the “Wentian” experimental cabin and the “Mengtian” experimental cabin; in addition, there will be four cargo spacecraft and four manned spacecraft launches. The space station is scheduled to be completed on-orbit construction in 2022, with experimental capabilities, and transferred to the application and development stage.

China started late in space exploration. In 2003, it put its first astronaut into orbit, becoming the third country to independently achieve space flight after the Soviet Union and the United States.

But China has continued to increase its investment in space. In the era of Xi Jinping, the official media described China’s “space dream” as an important step in national rejuvenation. To a large extent, China hopes to replicate the achievements of the United States and the Soviet Union in a shorter time.

In terms of lunar exploration, in January 2019, China’s “Chang’e-4” probe successfully landed on the moon’s Von Kármán crater, becoming the first country to land a probe on the side of the moon’s back to the earth.

In December last year, the “Chang’e 5” successfully returned to Earth carrying soil samples from the surface of the moon. The last time mankind brought samples of the moon back to Earth dates back to the Soviet Union’s “Moon 24” probe in 1976.

China’s mission to Mars was named “Tianwen” after Qu Yuan’s poem more than 2,000 years ago. In May of this year, the “Tianwen 1” Mars probe successfully landed on Mars and successfully released the Mars rover “Zhu Rong.” It became the second country after the United States to successfully send a probe to Mars.

In 1971, the Soviet Union’s “Mars 3” was once the first mankind to successfully land on the surface of Mars, but after only more than ten seconds of operation, the lander lost communication with the earth forever.

Before the Chinese probe landed on Mars, the American rover Valor, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance landed on the surface of Mars several times from January 2004 to February 2021, respectively.

China also has plans to develop probes to detect asteroids and the Jupiter system. Around 2024, China also plans to launch an orbiting telescope similar to the Hubble Space Telescope, which can be docked with the space station.