This Wednesday, October 30, a new crew joined the Chinese space station. Thanks to this, China has been able to ensure the continuous presence of its astronauts for more than two years. Futura explains how it works.
The three astronauts of the mission ShenzhouShenzhou-19 Joined the Chinese space station on October 30 after an uneventful flight from the Jiuquan launch site. Routine is settled in this new station, but the stakes are high.
gave CSSCSS (China’s space station) has no other official name, unlike the two previous stations Tiangong 1 and 2, which were launched as its prelude in 2011 and 2016, and have been decommissioned today. CSS currently has three modules and is about the same size as the old Russian station. MirMirbut remains well below the amplitude ofISSISS.
Three modules
However, the CSS project is not over. The station currently has three modules, Tiana, Vientiane and Mengtian. Three other modules may be added in the future, increasing the number of scientific experiments carried out on board, many of which are already housed in 16 dedicated racks (cabinets).
Small feature: The station will power the future Chinese Xuntian Space Telescope, the equivalent ofHubbleHubbleTo be able to take care of it without the need for the space shuttle to dock there. As a reminder, NASA launched five missions to Hubble with the Space Shuttle, which were very expensive.
The moon in the viewfinder
China is the first country in the world to maintain both a manned lunar program and a low-orbit space station. The United States and the Soviet Union were the first to carry out their own lunar programs before landing on space stations. Today, only India aims for the same in its space program, while NASA intends to hand over the post-ISS future to the private space industry to have a free hand with the Artemis program.
CSS is an excellent laboratory for preparing astronaut missions to the Moon, which China aims for by 2030 at the latest! The country is strengthening its knowledge base. The matterThe matter Procedures, automatic space matching, anti-collision alert with space debris and extravacuolar spacewalk.
Between scientific experiments, station maintenance and educational activities, Chinese astronauts are finally doing things aboard the ISS that they have never been able to access. Gradually, China is gaining experience from various ISS partners that will help it reduce the risk of lunar flights, such as the next manned Artemis flights, planned for next year. have gone The CSS clearly serves as a laboratory to test technologies necessary for a Moon or mission. constructionconstruction of a lunar base.
International and industry
Only the Shenzhou ship is derived from ship architecture. SoyuzSoyuzallowing astronauts to reach the Chinese station. The cargo is brought by the Tianzhou ship. But China has already launched a tender program for the Chinese space industry (which has grown significantly over the past 10 years) to bring cargo to the CSS and return it to Earth. This program is similar. Commercial Cargo Program From NASA, who led the way SpaceXSpaceX in 2009, and for a call for tenders recently launched by the European Space Agency.
You can relive the takeoff of the Shenzhou-19 crew on a live stream hosted by state media CCTV. In recent years, China has become more and more public about its program, but still makes a point of keeping crew identities secret until the last minute before takeoff! © CCTV
Finally, China is counting on CSS to internationalize its human spaceflight program. Many countries like Pakistan have become very close to China and can send astronauts there. This international component of CSS echoes its International Lunar Base Program, which already brings together a number of partner countries from around the world.
