Tianhe, the core module of China's space station, has completed its verification of key technologies and achieved its expected goal.

Yang Hong, chief designer of the space station system of the China Manned Space Program at the China Academy of Space Technology, made the remarks at a press conference in Beijing on Sunday.

Yang said the core module has been in orbit for almost one year, and all missions have been carried out smoothly and according to plan, including rendezvous and docking with two manned spacecraft and two cargo spacecraft, as well as the three-month stay of the Shenzhou-12 crew and the six-month stay of the Shenzhou-13 crew.

Missions including extravehicular activities and manual remote operations were carried out in the past year.

Key technologies related to physical and chemical recycling and life support, large complex control, as well as large flexible solar cell wings and driving, have been verified.

Evaluation results show that Tianhe's current functions perform better than their design, Yang said.

Tianhe's recycling and life-support system has provided a good environment for astronauts' metabolism needs in orbit, Yang said.

Moisture discharged by astronauts is collected as condensed water, and urine is recycled and processed into drinking water and oxygen. Tianhe's water recycling efficiency is higher than 95 percent.

The amount of drinking water and oxygen that needs to be carried by cargo spacecraft has been greatly reduced thanks to the technology.

Large-scale flexible solar cell wings have been providing energy for the core module and its complex. The assessment showed that the solar cell wings have a power generation capacity approaching 10 kilowatt, beyond the expectations of their design.

Four extravehicular activities conducted by the Shenzhou-12 and Shenzhou-13 crews covered the operations, installation and maintenance of electronics, machines, pipelines and other typical equipment outside the cabin, and laid a solid foundation for astronauts to install and maintain extravehicular facilities during long-term operational periods after the completion of the space station, Yang said.

The robot arm played an important role in the whole key technology verification process and performed excellently. Its joint motion ability and terminal positioning accuracy met its design expectations. Its stiffness proved to be capable of lifting and transferring large loads, Yang said.

Since 2020, China has successfully carried out six flight missions, including the space station core module Tianhe, the Shenzhou-12 and Shenzhou-13 manned spacecraft, and the Tianzhou-2 and Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft, Hao Chun, director of the China Manned Space Agency, said at the press conference.

All six missions achieved success and completed their goal of verifying key technologies, Hao said.

According to schedule, China will complete the in-orbit construction of its space station by 2022. A total of six missions are planned for this year, including the launch of the Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft in May, the Shenzhou-14 manned spacecraft in June, the lab module Wentian in July, and the lab module Mengtian in October.

The three modules will form a T shape to complete the in-orbit construction of China's space station, followed by the launch of the Tianzhou-5 cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou-15 manned spacecraft, Hao said.

Experts speak highly of China's successful Shenzhou-13 mission
Foreign media and space experts have paid particular attention to China's successful Shenzhou-13 manned mission after three Chinese astronauts completed their six-month space station stay and returned to Earth safely on Saturday.

The experts highlighted the astronauts' work in space, including two spacewalks, more than 20 science experiments and two live educational lectures. They also expressed expectations for future cooperation with China.

Philippe Coue, a French specialist in Chinese astronautics, described the mission as "faultless" in an interview with Xinhua on Saturday.

Noting several "world firsts" were completed and numerous experiments conducted during their half-year flight, he extended his "congratulations to the crew for advancing astronautics in China."

As for the educational lectures delivered from the Tiangong space station, Molly Silk, a doctoral researcher of Chinese space policy at the University of Manchester in England, told the Space.com news website that the real-time interactive event "highlights the reality of the country's technological achievements and displays the competencies and utility of its space program."

"Such an event serves to enhance national pride and to encourage young citizens to pursue science-based careers," she said.

The Shenzhou-13 crew has completed the longest-ever spaceflight in Chinese history, marking the last flight mission to verify critical technologies of the Chinese space station and an important milestone in China's space industry, said Pui Jeng Leong, a media veteran in Brunei, adding it lays a solid technology foundation for further building the Tiangong station.

"China has made such incredible advances, and I just enjoy watching their developments and hope to see us all working together more in the future," Don Thomas, a retired NASA astronaut, recently told Xinhua.

Despite the political divergence between countries, Thomas believes that astronauts from different countries share the same identity - space travelers from Earth.

"It would be my goal that definitely all the space-exploring countries of the world can work together on some projects in the future, maybe building a joint base on the moon or a base on planet Mars," Thomas said.

China's space station to enter new phase of application: official
China's space station will enter a new phase of application and development that will span more than 10 years after the completion of its construction this year, according to a press conference on Sunday.

The initial plan is to launch two manned spaceships and two cargo spacecraft every year during the new phase, Hao Chun, director of the China Manned Space Agency, said at the press conference.

Astronauts will stay in orbit for a long term, carry out space scientific and technological experiments, and maintain the space station, Hao said.

In order to further improve the comprehensive capabilities and technological level of the country's manned space program, a new generation of carrier rockets and manned spacecraft will be developed, Hao said. The new-generation carrier rockets and the return capsule of the new manned spacecraft will be reusable.

The new-generation manned spacecraft will be capable of carrying seven astronauts, and its payload capacity will also be greatly improved.

In the application and development phase, larger-scale space research experiments and new technology tests will be conducted in fields such as space life science and human body studies, microgravity physics science, space astronomy and Earth science.

In 2023, China plans to launch its first large space survey telescope to carry out wide-area space surveys. "We will conduct cutting-edge scientific research on the formation and evolution of the cosmic structure, dark matter and dark energy, exoplanets and solar bodies, and expect to achieve a number of major innovations," Hao said.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

Related Links
China National Space Agency
The Chinese Space Program - News, Policy and Technology
China News from SinoDaily.com

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