Updated: 2016-02-28 10:16, (Xinhua)
A Long March 3B rocket lifts the satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province at 12:04 am into the geosynchronous orbit. [Photo by Zhao Zhuqing/People’s Daily Online]
BEIJING – China will send its second orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 into space in the third quarter of this year, which is expected to dock with a cargo ship scheduled to be launched in the first half of next year, sources from the manned space program said Sunday.
As part of the country’s space lab program, China also plans to launch the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft, which will carry two astronauts on board, in the fourth quarter of this year to dock with Tiangong-2, according to the program’s spokesperson.
After its first test flight in the Wenchang satellite launch center in south China’s Hainan Province, the Long March-7 rocket will put the cargo ship Tianzhou-1, which literally means “heavenly vessel,” into space in the first half of 2017 to dock with Tiangong-2 and conduct experiments.
A researcher works on a satellite in Changchun, Jilin province, in December. The satellite is designed to monitor and research global carbon dioxide emissions.[Photo/Xinhua]
China will conduct more than 20 space missions this year, including a manned one and the maiden flights of two rockets, according to the nation’s major space contractor.
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp said it plans to launch the Tiangong 2 space laboratory and the Shenzhou XI manned spacecraft and to test-fly the Long March 5 and Long March 7 rockets.
China will also launch two satellites for the domestically developed Beidou Navigation Satellite System and the Gaofen 3 for the Gaofen High-Resolution Earth Observation System.
The company said in a statement on its website, “This year will see more than 20 space launches, the most missions in a single year.”
It added that the company will also launch a communications satellite for Belarus, marking the first time China has exported a communications satellite to Europe.
Second space lab, manned mission planned
Updated: 2016-02-29 02:41
By ZHAO LEI(China Daily)
China is assembling its second space laboratory and its latest manned spacecraft, and plans to send them into space in the second half of this year, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
The Tiangong 2 space lab is scheduled to be launched in the third quarter. The Shen-zhou XI spacecraft, which will carry two astronauts, will be launched in the fourth quarter and will dock with Tiangong 2, the agency said on its website on Sunday.
Astronauts will stay in the space lab for several days to test its life support systems and carry out scientific experiments.
In the first half of next year, a next-generation Long March 7 rocket will transport the Tianzhou 1 cargo spacecraft to dock with the Tiangong 2 to resupply fuel and other materials, according to the agency.
A space expert close to the program, who did not wish to be named, said: “Tiangong 2 is like a miniature space station and will have the task of testing technologies that support the long-term stay of humans. Tianzhou 1 will focus on fuel resupply technology, which is a major challenge for long-term, in-orbit operations.”
The space agency said the two Shenzhou XI astronauts are receiving training, while Tiangong 2, Shenzhou XI, two Long March 2F rockets to lift them into space, the Long March 7 rocket and Tianzhou 1 are all being assembled.
China’s multibillion-dollar space program, a source of increasing national pride, aims to put a permanent manned space station into service in about 2022. It will consist of three parts — a core module attached to two labs, each weighing about 20 metric tons.
By 2020, construction of the space station will be completed, according to the agency.
China launched its first space lab, Tiangong 1, in September 2011. With a designated life span of two years, it has been in service for four and a half years and is in good condition, enabling it to remain in orbit for continued operations, the agency said.
The space lab has successfully conducted six automatic and astronaut-controlled dockings with the Shenzhou VIII, Shenzhou IX and Shenzhou X spacecraft.
According to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, China will carry out more than 20 space missions before the end of this year, including the manned Shen-zhou XI mission and the maiden flights of Long March 5 and Long March 7.