By akademiotoelektronik, 14/12/2022

Chinese space station: successful stowage for the Shenzhou-12 ship

Successful takeoff and stowage.The three Chinese astronauts took off this Thursday, for the first inhabited flight to the "celestial palace" that Beijing assembles to cope with the International Space Station (SSI).The Longue-Marche 2F rocket left at 9:22 am (1h22 GMT) its shot from the Jiuquan space launch center, in the Gobi desert (northwest), before settling in orbit ten minutes later.

A little more than 6 hours after taking off, the space capsule, with the three astronauts on board, has, as expected, hit "successfully" at the Chinese space station (CSS) under construction, announced the agencySpatial of the Asian country responsible for inhabited flights.

Landage scheduled for Thursday

This is the first man inhabited for China in almost five years and a record of duration in the space in perspective for the Asian giant: the three astronauts, whose names were not revealed until Wednesday, mustStay three months in orbit.In a context of tension with the West, the success of the mission is a question of prestige for Beijing, which will celebrate, on July 1, the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party.

The national television broadcast images of astronauts, all smiles, lifting their visor after their arrival in orbit, while a pencil floated in weightlessness."Solar panels have been deployed normally and we can declare that this launch is successful," said the director of the launch center Zhang Zhifen.Center for control and place of life of astronauts, the Tianhe module was placed at the end of April in low terrestrial orbit (at 350-390 km above sea level).

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On board, astronauts will not unemployment: maintenance, installation of equipment, outings in space, preparation of future construction missions and stays of future crews.The trio has undergone more than 6.000 hours of training, including pools in pool in space combination, in order to get used to weightless outings.

The "celestial palace"

Called "Tiangong" ("celestial palace"), the Chinese space station, once finished, will be similar in size to the old Soviet station Mir (1986-2001).Its lifespan will be at least ten years.

The Shenzhou-12 mission is the third launch on the eleven which will be necessary for the construction of the station between 2021 and 2022.Four inhabited missions are planned in total.In addition to Tianhe already in place, the two remaining modules (which will be laboratories) should be sent to space in 2022.The latter will make it possible to carry out experiences in biotechnology, medicine, astronomy or even space technology.

China has resolved to build its own station in space after the United States refusal to let it participate in the ISS.The latter, which brings together the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan, has to retire in 2024, even if NASA spoke of a possible extension beyond 2028.