Since 2011, NASA has been barred by the United States from working with China at the International Space Station. Eventually, China has been working on its own initiative since then.
As a part of this initiative, China sent astronauts on the Shenzhou-15 spacecraft from the Gobi desert in northwest China. The spacecraft will deliver astronauts to the country’s new Tiangong space station. This is the first time the country has sent an astronaut to stay on its own station in space. Three astronauts will stay there for six months. Later, when they return, new astronauts will be sent again. The spacecraft took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center last Tuesday. The target is Tiangong, the second space station currently in orbit.
The last shipment of the 11 separate components needed to build China’s space station is on its way. The space station is expected to operate for about a decade and conduct experiments in near-zero gravity.
A spokesman for the China Manned Space Administration said the new crew will work on installing equipment around the space station. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
China’s space program has previously landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon, becoming the third country in the world to send astronauts into orbit.
Fei Zanlong, 57, is leading the Shenzhou-15 mission. He led the Shenzhou-6 mission in 2005. Once the Tiangong space station is operational, China will be able to send astronauts there twice a year.
Earlier, on June 17 of this year, China sent three astronauts to the new space station on the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft. China’s space mission is led by Li Boming. His team’s primary goal is to make the 22.5-tonne Tianhe module suitable for space. At the same time increasing China’s capability and confidence in space. In the meantime, Chinese spacecraft have brought rocks and soil from the lunar surface to Earth. Apart from this, a Chinese six-wheeled robot has successfully landed on the red planet Mars.
Earlier in 2019, a Chinese unmanned rover successfully landed on the opposite surface of the moon. Through this, the first country in the world is able to send a vehicle to the opposite surface of the moon.
