China launches ‘Heavenly Harmony’ station core
Rocket is first of 11 planned space missions and Beijing plans to begin operations by the end of next year
CHINA launched the core module for its first permanent space station yesterday as the country pursues its ambitious space programme.
The Tianhe (“Heavenly Harmony”) module blasted off into space on the Long March-5b Y2 rocket from Hainan, an island in southern China, according to state media.
The module will become the management and control hub of China’s Tiangong space station, which could be operational by the end of next year.
China plans for astronauts to live in the core module of the station for up to six months at a time – at least 12 astronauts are training for such missions.
The country has invested heavily in its space programme, a source of national pride and touted as a symbol of the country’s growing technological expertise and strength. Beijing aims to become a major space power by 2030.
Li Keqiang, the Chinese premier, watched the launch live from a control centre in the capital alongside other civilian and military leaders.
The Tianhe launch is the first of 11 planned missions to construct and supply the station with materials, spare parts and equipment.
One feature will be a node that can dock up to three spacecraft for shorter stays or two for longer stays. It will also have a life support system, recycling urine and carbon dioxide, to lighten the cargo supply load needed to sustain a crew on board for longer periods of time, state media said.
China has been preparing for its own space station for decades after being barred from the International Space Station, the only space station in orbit, largely due to United States concerns over espionage.
Last month, China and Russia announced plans to build a lunar space station together.
China first sent an astronaut into space on its own rocket in 2003, becoming the third country to do so after the former Soviet Union and the US.
Since then, China has focused on hitting new milestones, matching American and Russian space achievements.
A Chinese probe is due to land on Mars this month, which would make it the second country to achieve such a feat after the US.
Last year, China successfully landed a rover on the far side of the Moon.
♦ China’s population grew last year, the government said yesterday, after it was reported in the Financial Times that a census might have found a surprise decline, possibly adding to downward pressure on economic growth.
The National Bureau of Statistics gave no details in its one-sentence statement and said the population figure would be reported later. China’s population edged above 1.4billion in 2019, and it has not fallen since famine in 1959-61 killed millions of people.