China’s First Space Station Module Readies for Liftoff

[cloneman]

---

---

By Space News Staff
As China pushes ahead with plans to launch its first space station module later this summer, the country’s first astronaut is openly discussing the prospect of China’s future engagement with the international space station (ISS).

The 8.5-ton Tiangong 1 module, the first in a series of connecting rooms that will be launched into orbit, has been transported to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China’s Gansu Province and is undergoing a final checkout before its liftoff on a Long March 2-F carrier booster later this year.

Chinese news outlets report that Tiangong 1 is being built to serve as a rendezvous and docking platform for China’s future spacecraft. Once in Earth orbit, it would be followed by blastoff of an unpiloted Shenzhou 8 spacecraft in the latter half of this year, to carry out the nation’s first space docking. The launches are slated for the third and fourth quarters of 2011, respectively, according to several Chinese news outlets. Now on site, Tiangong 1 is loaded with its payload and undergoing final tests before launch.

During the Paris air show in July, a delegation from the China Manned Space Engineering Office accepted 300 flags from the International Astronautical Federation. These flags are to be taken to the Tiangong 1 target spacecraft. They are slated to be brought back to Earth by a Chinese astronaut when he completes China’s first piloted rendezvous and docking linkup next year.

In December 2010, the same 300 IAF flags were sent to the ISS via Russia’s crewed Soyuz spacecraft. They were delivered back to Earth by the Space Shuttle Endeavour crew in June 2011.

The quest by China to move into space station development began in early September 2008, following the first spacewalk by a Chinese astronaut — Zhai Zhigang — during the three-person Shenzhou 7 mission.

In a July 8 press report, China’s first astronaut, Yang Liwei, was vocal regarding his country’s interest in ISS cooperation. Yang, who is also deputy director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office in Beijing, made his comments to a domestic audience in an online interactive broadcast.

Yang said technical hurdles remain in pursuing such collaboration. Specifically, he emphasized that China’s space station standards and the ISS docking standards do not agree.

The unification of standards is the first problem to solve in the effort to carry out future space station cooperation, Yang said, according to China’s Xinhua state-run news agency.

“This is the first time I am aware of that any high-profile official associated with the Chinese space program has made such a strong statement to the Chinese public on ISS participation,” Gregory Kulacki, a senior analyst and China Project Manager for the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Global Security Program in Cambridge, Mass., said in an interview. “And, as far as I know, it is the first time I have heard a Chinese official confirm that the docking hardware they will be using in the upcoming mission is not compatible with the ISS.”

Chinas First Space Station Module Readies for Liftoff | SpaceNews.com

[cloneman]

[Cambodia Spirit]

Is that space module too small?? How could scientists living and working in that for a long time?

[CardSharp]

Is that space module too small?? How could scientists living and working in that for a long time?

Doesn't look too bad. Astronauts should be able to sacrifice a few creature comforts for the sake of science.

[Cambodia Spirit]

[gagaga]

its not a bad idea China invest on huge payload launch vehicle instead of the 2nd 5th gen fighter, if there are any... i think even our brainwash nationalist cant deny China rocket tech worse than Japanese...

[tanlixiang28776]

its not a bad idea China invest on huge payload launch vehicle instead of the 2nd 5th gen fighter, if there are any... i think even our brainwash nationalist cant deny China rocket tech worse than Japanese...

LOL. You aren't even remotely Chinese and you certainly don't have a clue when it comes to rocket technology.

[gagaga]

WOW i leave it...

[Sanchez]

Does anyone know how many launches are planned to complete the construction of the space station?

[Numba9hockey]

Doesn't look too bad. Astronauts should be able to sacrifice a few creature comforts for the sake of science.

You mean weapons in space.

[SinoSoldier]

its not a bad idea China invest on huge payload launch vehicle instead of the 2nd 5th gen fighter, if there are any... i think even our brainwash nationalist cant deny China rocket tech worse than Japanese...

China's "worse rocket tech" has put a man in space, done an EVA, launched a huge number of satellites, and has launched moon probes.

Irony hurts.

[CardSharp]

You mean weapons in space.

Stow your whining.

[ChineseTiger1986]

its not a bad idea China invest on huge payload launch vehicle instead of the 2nd 5th gen fighter, if there are any... i think even our brainwash nationalist cant deny China rocket tech worse than Japanese...

Sigh, you don't have a clue about what you were talking about.

[Imran Khan]

great achievement indeed congs to our brothers .its design one time and can be replace with others or it will be like it is now?

[Cambodia Spirit]

---

---

China's "worse rocket tech" has put a man in space, done an EVA, launched a huge number of satellites, and has launched moon probes.

Irony hurts.

They mean the Japanese homemade satellites with American launch vehicles techs that the Japs bought from USA decades ago!!!

its not a bad idea China invest on huge payload launch vehicle instead of the 2nd 5th gen fighter, if there are any... i think even our brainwash nationalist cant deny China rocket tech worse than Japanese...

...and when you stop pretending yourself a Chinese with that ******* false flags!?

if you wannabe a tough guy then show your real face talk straight like a man, don't just sneaking like a cunning rat behind the monitor and mocking, you have made your people look vile in people eyes!!!