China's Mengtian space lab module and its carrier - a Long March 5B rocket - were moved to a service tower on Tuesday morning to undergo final tests before their planned flight in the coming days, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
The agency said in a brief news release that prelaunch preparation work is underway at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in the southernmost island prov China's Mengtian space lab module and its carrier - a Long March 5B rocket - were moved to a service tower on Tuesday morning to undergo final tests before their planned flight in the coming days, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
The agency said in a brief news release that prelaunch preparation work is underway at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in the southernmost island province of Hainan. No further details were given.
Mengtian, the second lab component of China's Tiangong space station, was transported to Wenchang by ship in early August. It received fuel earlier this month at the launch center.
The lab module is about 17 meters long, has a diameter of 4 meters and weighs more than 20 metric tons, according to its designers at the China Academy of Space Technology.
Scientific equipment onboard will be used for microgravity studies and to carry out experiments in fluid physics, materials science, combustion science and fundamental physics.
Wentian, Tiangong station's first lab module, was launched on July 24 on a Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket from the Wenchang center.
Tiangong is currently composed of four modules: the Tianhe core module, the Wentian lab, the Tianzhou 4 cargo ship and the Shenzhou XIV spacecraft.
After Mengtian is connected with the Tiangong, the station will form a T-shaped structure and astronauts will have as much as 110 cubic meters in their usable space.
After the labs, the Tianzhou 5 cargo craft and the Shenzhou XV crew are scheduled to arrive at the massive orbiting outpost around the end of the year.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Related Links
China Manned Space Agency
The Chinese Space Program - News, Policy and Technology
China News from SinoDaily.com
|
| Tweet |
| Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution. | ||
| SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly |  | SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once credit card or paypal
|
China's deep space exploration laboratory recruits young talents
Beijing (XNA) Oct 24, 2022
China's deep space exploration laboratory launched campus recruitment, aiming to attract more young talents to devote themselves to the country's deep space exploration, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). Co-established by the CNSA, Anhui Province, and the University of Science and Technology of China, the laboratory is headquartered in Hefei, the capital city of Anhui. It started operation in June this year. The recruitment is mainly for graduates of 2023. A total ... read more