China launches core of its space station

China on Thursday launched the main module of its first permanent space station that will host astronauts long term, the latest success for a programme that has realised a number of ambitions in recent years. The Tianhe, or “Heavenly Harmony,” module blasted into space atop a Long March 5B rocket from the Wenchang Launch Center in Hainan, marking another major advance for the country’s space exploration. The launch begins the first of 11 missions necessary to complete, supply and crew the station by the end of next year.

China on Thursday sent to space a key module for its space station, which it plans to complete by 2022 as part of its ambitious space programme. The module, sent to orbit by a rocket, can provide electricity, and accommodate three astronauts for up to six months.

The Tianhe module was launched from Wenchang Space Launch Centre on the southern island of Hainan on a Long March-5B rocket on Thursday as a big crowd cheered and waved China’s flag from a distance.

“Tianhe will act as the management and control hub of the space station Tiangong, meaning Heavenly Palace, with a node that could dock with up to three spacecraft at a time for short stays, or two for long,” Bai Linhou, deputy chief designer of the space station at the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) told news agency Xinhua.

Tianhe has a total length of 16.6m, a maximum diametre of 4.2m and a take-off mass of 22.5 tonnes, and it is the largest spacecraft developed by China.

Once completed, the Tiangong is set to be a rival to the International Space Station from which China is excluded.

International Space Station’s rival mission

The ISS comprises Canada, Japan, the Russian Federation, the US, and 11 member states of the European Space Agency Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

According to the mission schedule, China is expected to complete the construction of the space station in orbit in 2022.

The station will operate in low-earth orbit at an altitude from 340km to 450km with a designed 10-year lifespan.

“The station will have the ability to carry out long-term scientific and technological experiments and explore space resources in low-Earth orbit,” the Xinhua report said.

So far, China has sent two trial space stations into orbit, the Tiangong 1 and 2, allowing short stays by astronauts.