The main model of China space station in research. [Photo/China Daily]
China plans to launch the basic model of its space station before the end of June, starting to build the largest space-based asset in the country, China Manned Space Agency said.
The 20-metric-tonne core model and Long March 5B heavy-duty rocket it is tasked with launching have arrived at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province, the group said Thursday morning, adding that four groups of astronauts have been selected for the construction of the space station and are undergoing training.
They said China is willing to open the station to international cooperation in science and technology. Chinese scientists and their peers from the United Nations have selected the first batch of scientific experiments proposed by foreign researchers to be conducted at the station. They are currently working on the implementation of the collaborative programs, the group said.
The group said it is also considering plans for a lunar exploration program in China.
The most solemn space effort in China, the multimodal space station, named Tiangong, or Palace of Heaven, will mostly consist of three parts – a basic module connected to two space laboratories – with a combined weight of more than 90 tons.
The main model, named Tianhe, or Harmony of Heavens, is 16.6 meters long and has a diameter of 4.2 meters. There are three parts – a liaison section, a life support and control section and a facilities section.
It will be at the heart of the space station’s work, as astronauts live in and control the entire station from the inside.
The entire station is expected to be fully operational next year and is expected to be operational for about 15 years, the programme’s designers said.