CHINA’S SPACE PROGRAM

Commercial companies weren’t the only ones reaching for the skies. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) also took several major steps forward in terms of human spaceflight last year.

On April 29 Beijing time, CNSA launched the initial component of its first permanent space station, Tiangong. The core capsule, called Tianhe (meaning “harmony of heavens”), will serve as a residence and control center for orbiting astronauts, as well as a scientific laboratory.

But the story didn’t end there. The Long March 5B rocket that lofted the station’s capsule into space fell back to Earth May 9 (also Beijing time) in an uncontrolled reentry, tumbling into the

Indian Ocean. Despite the rocket’s harmless demise, the event drew criticism over CNSA’s lack of foreknowledge coupled with the inability to plan where the debris would fall. The single previous flight of a Long March 5B rocket ended with debris reportedly impacting villages in the Ivory Coast in 2020.

Also on April 29, CNSA and Roscosmos released a joint statement “acknowledging mutual interest in the construction of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) for the peaceful exploration and use of the Moon.” A document released June 16 gives an initial timeline for construction of the station between 2026 and 2035, with crewed landings beginning in 2036.

On June 17, CNSA’s Shenzhou 12 mission launched, carrying three astronauts to the Tianhe module in China’s seventh crewed spaceflight. During their stay, the crew completed the country’s secondever spacewalk.

China is expected to maintain its momentum through 2022 as well. Two additional space station modules will complete the Tiangong station this year, while crewed Shenzhou launches are also planned to continue. — A.K.