What You Should Know about China Space Station

The Chinese Space Station (Tiangong Space Station) generally refers to a space station system planned by the People’s Republic of China. It is expected to be completed around 2022. The orbital height of the space station is 400~450 kilometers, the inclination angle is 42~43 degrees, the design life is 10 years, the long-term residence is 3 people, and the total weight can reach 180 tons for large-scale space applications.
In 1992, the Chinese government formulated a “three-step” development strategy for manned spaceflight projects, and the construction of a space station is an important goal of the development strategy.
In May 2021, the Tianhe core module of the space station completed the on-orbit test verification. On the evening of May 29, my country launched the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft on time at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan. At 9:22 on June 17, the Long March 2 F Yao 12 carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou 12 manned spacecraft was ignited and launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. At 15:54 on June 17, the Shenzhou 12 manned spacecraft completed an autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking with the Tianhe core module. At 18:48 on June 17, astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo entered the Tianhe core module successively. On July 4, the Shenzhou 12 astronauts carried out the first outing of the Chinese space station. On September 16, the Shenzhou 12 manned spacecraft was evacuated from the space station complex. At about 13:30 on September 17, after the reverse thrust engine of the Shenzhou 12 manned spacecraft’s return capsule was successfully ignited, it landed safely in the predetermined area of ​​the Dongfeng Landing Site. At 15:00 on September 20, the Long March 7 Yao-4 carrier rocket carrying the Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft was successfully launched at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan.
At 6:56 on October 16, 2021, the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft and the space station assembly completed an autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking. Astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu entered the Tianhe core module, and the Chinese space station opened the era of long-term residence.
At 6:59 on January 6, 2022, after about 47 minutes of close cross-system coordination, the test of the space station robotic arm transposition cargo spacecraft was a complete success.

Chinese Space Station Target Mission

According to the space station construction mission plan, in 2021 and 2022, China will successively implement 11 flight missions, including 3 space station module launches, 4 cargo spacecraft and 4 manned spacecraft launches. The mission objective of the third step of the three-step development strategy of China’s manned space project.
On March 4, 2022, it was reported that the Chinese space station will be fully completed in 2022, and for the first time six astronauts will be in orbit at the same time. Zhang Bainan, deputy to the National People’s Congress, deputy chief designer of China’s manned space project, and chief designer of the space station optical module system of the Fifth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group, revealed yesterday that in 2022, China’s manned space station project will enter the construction stage of the space station, and will complete the sky-seeking experimental module. 6 major missions, including the Mengtian experimental module, the Shenzhou manned spacecraft and the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft, the space station has been fully built, the first six spacecraft combination flight has been achieved, the first astronauts have stayed for 6 months, and the first two crews Six astronauts are in orbit at the same time.
At 0:44 on April 16, 2022, Beijing time, the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft was successfully separated from the Tianhe core module of the space station. The Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew worked and lived in the space station complex for 183 days, refreshing China The record of the time spent in space by an astronaut on a single mission.

China’s Space Station Development Capabilities

The space station is planned to be designed for a long-term manned state of 3 people. During the operation phase, the manned spacecraft will implement personnel rotation every six months, and the initial period will adopt the mode of intermittent personnel access. After the manned space station is completed, it will become an important base for China’s space science and new technology research experiments, and it will operate in orbit for more than 10 years.
The construction of the space station in the third step of China’s manned space project will initially build three modules, including a core module and two experimental modules, each with a scale of more than 20 tons. The basic configuration is T-shaped, the core cabin is in the center, and the experimental cabin I and the experimental cabin II are connected on both sides respectively.
There are two docking ports at the front end of the core module to accept manned spacecraft docking and docking; the rear end is equipped with a rear docking port for docking and supplying cargo spacecraft. An airlock cabin is installed on the station for astronauts to exit the capsule, and a robotic arm is configured to assist docking, supply, exit and scientific experiments.
Subsequently, during the operation of the space station, at most, there will be one cargo spacecraft and two manned spacecraft. The whole system will add up to more than 90 tons.
The Chinese space station is capable of development. In the operation stage, new cabins will be added to expand the scale and application capacity according to the needs of scientific research.
One core module and two experimental modules of the space station will be launched by the large-scale carrier rocket Long March 5B; the increase in cargo spacecraft and manned spacecraft will be launched by the medium-sized carrier rocket Long March 7. [9-10] The person in charge of the China Manned Space Engineering Office said that since the release date, China’s manned space project has adopted a new logo, and the documents and publicity documents related to the manned space station and cargo spacecraft will all use the new standard name and code.

Basic Composition Of The Chinese Space Station

The Chinese space station consists of five modules: the core module, the experimental module Mengtian, the experimental module Wentian, the manned spacecraft (the already named “Shenzhou” spacecraft) and the cargo spacecraft (Tianzhou-1 spacecraft). Each aircraft is not only an independent aircraft with independent flight capabilities, but also can be combined with the core cabin to form a space combination of various forms, and work together under the unified scheduling of the core cabin to complete various tasks undertaken by the space station.

Core cabin

The total length is about 18.1 meters, the maximum diameter is about 4.2 meters, and the launch mass is 20-22 tons. The core cabin module is divided into node cabin, life control cabin and resource cabin.
The main tasks include providing a living environment for astronauts, supporting astronauts’ long-term in-orbit residency, supporting the docking and docking of spacecraft and expansion modules, and carrying out a small number of space application experiments. It is the management and control center of the space station.
The core module has five docking ports, which can be docked with one cargo spacecraft, two manned spacecraft and two experimental modules, as well as an exit hatch for astronauts to go out.

Experimental cabin

The total length is about 14.4 meters, the maximum diameter is about 4.2 meters, and the launch mass is about 20-22 tons.
The core module of the space station is mainly for combined control tasks, the experimental module II is mainly for application experimental tasks, and the experimental module I has both functions. The experimental cabins I and II were launched successively and have independent flight functions. After docking with the core cabin, they form a combination, which can carry out space applications and new technology tests for long-term in-orbit residency, and backup and enhance the functions of the core cabin platform.

Cargo Ship

The maximum diameter is about 3.35 meters, and the launch mass is not more than 13 tons. The cargo spacecraft is the ground logistics support system of the space station.
The main tasks are to supply the propellant consumption and air leakage of the space station, transport the repair and replacement equipment of the space station, and prolong the on-orbit flight life of the space station; and work; the third is to transport space science experimental equipment and supplies to support and ensure that the space station has the conditions to carry out large-scale space science experiments and applications.
The cargo spacecraft is named Tianzhou cargo spacecraft. It adopts modular design and has three configurations: fully sealed cargo hold, semi-sealed/semi-open cargo hold, and fully open cargo hold. It can transport different loads, including small sections, by astronauts and astronauts. A robotic arm assembles it onto the space station.
The spacecraft was launched with the newly developed Long March 7 carrier rocket.
Tianzhou-2
Tianzhou-2 is the first cargo spacecraft launched during the key technology verification phase of the Chinese space station.
On the evening of May 29, 2021, my country launched the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft on time at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan. This is the first applied flight of the space station cargo transportation system. Tianzhou-2 sent 6.8 tons of supplies to the space station. During the orbital operation of the Tianzhou-2 spacecraft, a series of extended application tests were carried out.
On March 27, 2022, the China Manned Space Engineering Office reported that the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft completed all the scheduled tasks in the space station assembly stage and evacuated the space station core module assembly at 15:59 on March 27, Beijing time. Subsequent re-entry into the atmosphere will be selected under ground control.
Tianzhou-3
At 15:00 on September 20, 2021, the Long March 7 Yao-4 carrier rocket carrying the Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft was successfully launched at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan. After the Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft entered orbit, the orbital state setting was successfully completed. At 22:08 on September 20, 2021, Beijing time, it successfully docked with the rearward port of the Tianhe core module of the space station using the independent rapid rendezvous and docking mode. The whole process Lasted about 6.5 hours. Tianzhou-3 is loaded with astronauts’ living materials, extravehicular space suits and out-of-vehicle consumables, space station platform materials, some loads and propellants, etc. After completing the rendezvous and docking with the Tianhe core module and Tianzhou-2 combination, it will be transferred to Tianzhou-3. Into the flight state of the three-cabin (ship) combination.

Astronaut

Chinese astronauts are all selected from active-duty Air Force pilots and mainly undertake spacecraft driving tasks. The space station will carry out space science experiments. In addition to the common requirement of good physical fitness, different types of astronauts are needed in the future, especially engineers and scientists. This is a major direction for the selection of astronauts in the future.

Future Class

Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China’s manned space project, said that China’s space station will launch an optical module of more than ten tons in the future to maintain co-orbit flight with the space station, and plans to erect a set of two-meter-diameter survey telescopes in the optical module. (CSST for short), the resolution is comparable to that of Hubble, and the field of view is more than 300 times that of Hubble. For 10 years in orbit, more than 40% of the sky area, about 17,500 square degrees of sky area, can be observed.

China Space Station Space Laboratory

The space laboratory is a manned space vehicle that conducts space experiments. It is smaller in scale than the space station and is the prototype of the space station. The main tasks of the space laboratory are: to break through and master the technology of space rendezvous, docking and combination control of aircraft; to break through key technologies such as mid-term astronaut residency, long-term autonomous flight of aircraft in orbit, regenerative life support, and supplementary cargo spacecraft; The performance and function of the transport spacecraft; preliminary assessment of key technologies related to the construction of the space station.
China’s Tiangong-1 is a rendezvous and docking target aircraft, and Tiangong-2 is modified for load requirements. Originally, there was Tiangong-3, but the development team optimized the design and tapped the potential to merge all the test tasks of Tiangong-3 into Tiangong-2. This saves the cost of Tiangong-3 and the spacecraft serving Tiangong-3, and instead directly launches the test core module of the space station to achieve low-cost, leap-forward development.

Tiangong-1

“Tiangong-1” weighs about 8.5 tons. The main task is to complete the space rendezvous and docking flight test as a rendezvous and docking target; to ensure the work and life of astronauts during their short-term stay in orbit, and to ensure the safety of astronauts; to carry out space applications, aerospace Medical experiments, space science experiments and space station technology experiments; initially establish a space test platform capable of short-term manned, long-term unmanned independent and reliable operation, and accumulate experience for the construction of space stations.
At 21:16:03 on September 29, 2011, the Tiangong-1 target vehicle lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center with a design life of two years and an actual in-orbit four and a half years. On March 16, 2016, the Tiangong-1 target aircraft officially terminated the data service and fully completed its historical mission. Tiangong-1 operated in orbit for 1,630 days. It not only completed the established mission, but also flew beyond the design life and carried out a number of extended technical tests beyond the plan, accumulating important experience for the construction and operation of the space station and the application and promotion of manned spaceflight achievements.

Tian Gong-2

The Tiangong-2 is the same as the Tiangong-1 target aircraft. The Tiangong-2 space laboratory weighs about 8.6 tons and is divided into two cabins. The front cabin is an experimental cabin, which is a fully sealed environment. The rear cabin is a resource cabin, which mainly has a built-in propulsion system, power supply system, and guarantees power and energy supply.
On the evening of July 19, 2019, Tiangong-2 returned to Earth. Since its launch in September 2016, its operating days have been fixed at the number “1036”. As the first real space laboratory in my country, Tiangong-2 carried a total of 14 application loads, as well as aerospace medical experimental equipment and on-orbit maintenance test equipment, and carried out more than 60 space experiments during nearly three years of work. Scientific experiments and technical experiments. In addition, Tiangong-2 also cooperated with the Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft to realize the mission of on-orbit replenishment of my country’s spacecraft for the first time, making comprehensive breakthroughs and mastering related technologies, and fully verified the propellant replenishment in the subsequent space station stage. , and make my country’s propellant replenishment system performance indicators reach the world’s leading level.