Beijing’s ‘Heavenly Vessel’ rocket successfully docks in space
The Long March-7 rocket carrying the Tianzhou-2 spacecraft lifts off from Wenchang yesterday. (AP pic)
SHENZHEN: China’s cargo spacecraft, carrying supplies, equipment and propellant, docked with the space station’s key module Tianhe today, the official news agency Xinhua reported.
The Tianzhou-2, or “Heavenly Vessel” in Chinese, autonomously rendezvoused and docked with Tianhe at 5.01am Beijing time, Xinhua said today.
It blasted off via a Long March-7 Y3 rocket at 8.55pm Beijing time yesterday from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre on the southern island of Hainan, the China Manned Space Engineering Office said.
With a designed life of more than one year, Tianzhou-2 carried supplies for future astronauts including food for the Shenzhou-12 crew which will be launched next month for a three-month stay on the station, as well as two tons of propellant.
Tianzhou-2 is the second of 11 missions needed to complete China’s first self-developed space station around 2022, and follows the launch of Tianhe, the first module, in late April.
The three-module space station will rival the International Space Station (ISS), which is backed by countries including the US, Russia and Japan.
China was barred from participating in the ISS by the US.
The rocket’s launch was postponed this month due to technical reasons, state media said.
The first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 was sent to refuel a space lab – Tiangong-2 – three times in 2017, as a test of the technologies needed to support construction of the space station.
Both Tiangong-2 and an earlier space lab Tiangong-1 have been deorbited in recent years.
Next year, China will launch the two other core modules – Wentian and Mengtian – using the Long March 5B, its biggest and most powerful space transport vehicle.
That rocket, capable of sending 25 tonnes of payload into low Earth orbit, was a source of worry earlier in May as it reentered the atmosphere after delivering Tianhe into orbit.
Media reports warned of an uncontrolled reentry of the rocket’s core stage, reviving memories of debris from the flight of the first Long March 5B in May 2020, which damaged buildings when it landed in Ivory Coast.
Remnants from the rocket finally fell harmlessly in the Indian Ocean, but China drew criticism for not being transparent about the timing of the debris reentry and predictions of its trajectory.
From June until 2022, four manned spacecraft and four cargo spacecraft will also be launched, by the smaller Long March-7 and 2F rockets, which have a maximum low Earth payload of 14 tonnes and 8.8 tonnes, respectively.
The Tianzhou-2, or “Heavenly Vessel” in Chinese, autonomously rendezvoused and docked with Tianhe at 5.01am Beijing time, Xinhua said today.
It blasted off via a Long March-7 Y3 rocket at 8.55pm Beijing time yesterday from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre on the southern island of Hainan, the China Manned Space Engineering Office said.
With a designed life of more than one year, Tianzhou-2 carried supplies for future astronauts including food for the Shenzhou-12 crew which will be launched next month for a three-month stay on the station, as well as two tons of propellant.
Tianzhou-2 is the second of 11 missions needed to complete China’s first self-developed space station around 2022, and follows the launch of Tianhe, the first module, in late April.
The three-module space station will rival the International Space Station (ISS), which is backed by countries including the US, Russia and Japan.
China was barred from participating in the ISS by the US.
The rocket’s launch was postponed this month due to technical reasons, state media said.
The first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 was sent to refuel a space lab – Tiangong-2 – three times in 2017, as a test of the technologies needed to support construction of the space station.
Both Tiangong-2 and an earlier space lab Tiangong-1 have been deorbited in recent years.
Next year, China will launch the two other core modules – Wentian and Mengtian – using the Long March 5B, its biggest and most powerful space transport vehicle.
That rocket, capable of sending 25 tonnes of payload into low Earth orbit, was a source of worry earlier in May as it reentered the atmosphere after delivering Tianhe into orbit.
Media reports warned of an uncontrolled reentry of the rocket’s core stage, reviving memories of debris from the flight of the first Long March 5B in May 2020, which damaged buildings when it landed in Ivory Coast.
Remnants from the rocket finally fell harmlessly in the Indian Ocean, but China drew criticism for not being transparent about the timing of the debris reentry and predictions of its trajectory.
From June until 2022, four manned spacecraft and four cargo spacecraft will also be launched, by the smaller Long March-7 and 2F rockets, which have a maximum low Earth payload of 14 tonnes and 8.8 tonnes, respectively.
heavenly dash line
ReplyDeleteMfer, not until Formosa is been unified!
Deletelioning now under repair, again, only ready by 2028.
DeleteWakakakaka…
DeleteAs propagated by a katak-ised 犬养mfer, using farts fro Formosa 水炮!
Since the late 1980s, there has been an informal agreement among space-faring nations all large sub-orbital space remains like boosters and satellites must retain a final portion of fuel and control to deorbit the mass in a safe way, usually in an uninhabited portion of the ocean.
ReplyDeleteOnly China seems to either ignore the informal agreement or incapable of carrying it out.
I suspect it is a combination of the two.
It's a matter of time before somebody gets killed by a piece of DaGe space debris
ReplyDeleteTell that to yr uncle Sam.
DeleteHe has the most number of large space debris floating around low earth orbit due to its numerous space flights.
Do spend yr idling time to search for human casualties caused by some if these debris.
Most nation didn't follow that informal agreement about all large sub-orbital space remains like boosters and satellites must retain a final portion of fuel and control to deorbit the mass in a safe way, usually in an uninhabited portion of the ocean.
Most satellites, then & now, were/r small size objects that burned themselves out during re-entry into the lower earth.
Besides, first stage rocket module, ejected after the boosting stage，consisted only of light weight empty capsule that could be completely burnt-out upon re-entry.
However, space shuttle's boosters had never had ANY retained final portion of fuel and control to deorbit the mass in an uninhabited portion of the ocean. They constituted the largest low orbit space debris that could cause unforseen harm - yet nobody ever raised a fart!
The long March space rocket booster module was falling according to Chinese scientist calculated path. But, that incident was blown out of proportion by western propagandas & spread like fart amongst the Chinese haters!
Truly selective know-nothing fart of inconsequential!
DeleteIn February 2015, the USAF Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Flight 13 (DMSP-F13) exploded on orbit, creating at least 149 debris objects, which were expected to remain in orbit for decades.
DeleteAnd forty two years ago today (July 11), NASA's defunct Skylab space station came crashing back to Earth, dropping big hunks of hardware into the Indian Ocean and across Western Australia.
The fall marked the official end for America's first crewed orbital outpost — and famously prompted the Aussie town of Esperance to charge NASA $400 for littering.
"The long March space rocket booster module was falling according to Chinese scientist calculated path."
DeleteIt's funny how some people completely lose their brains because of their love for the Chinese Communist Party.
The Long March booster was completely cold. No fuel , no remaining control. The terrestrial equivalent would be a car that has lost its steering and lost its brakes.
Maybe it will hit somebody, maybe it won't.... purely a matter of luck that the Long March booster didn't hit anybody.
The Yanks have been remarkably careful regarding space debris - there are always chances for unexpected failure of equipment.
The fact that Ktemoc has to dredge up the 42 years old case of Skylab simply proves the point.
"The Long March booster was completely cold. No fuel , no remaining control"
DeleteThat's where yr farted logic failed u!
It remained at the control of the earth's gravity in following its trajectory along the designed falling orbit.
"The terrestrial equivalent would be a car that has lost its steering and lost its brakes"
Wakakakakaka… as if in falling straight downward in a head-on collision.
The Skylab debris was falling from a much higher orbit. It remained in larger chunk afyer hitting ground confirming the failing of the yank's in controlling the destruction of the large space debris according to ethical consideration.
Low level orbit debris NEVER create disastrous problem partly due to mother earth's frictional atmosphere & partly due to the structural design of these low orbit debris.
Have u done any decent researches?
Or u just fart as u go?