Astronauts set up new lab on space station

• The third and final module, dubbed Mengtian, is set to launch in October.
• China is only the third country to place humans in orbit. The station will be a quarter of the size of the International Space Station.
• China also plans to launch a space telescope with a field of view 350 times that of NASA’s Hubble Telescope.

The station is one of the crown jewels of Beijing’s ambitious space programme, which has already landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon and made China only the third country to place humans in orbit.

Tiangong — or “heavenly palace” — will be constantly crewed by rotating teams of three astronauts who will conduct scientific experiments and assist in the testing of new technologies once completed.

The second of Tiangong’s three main sections, Wentian, docked with the station’s core module Tianhe on Monday after successfully launching from southern China the day before, according to state media.

The three astronauts, who have been living in the core module since June, opened the hatch and entered Wentian a few hours after docking, according to CCTV footage.

The crew was seen floating around the brightly lit module in blue jumpsuits before facing the camera and saluting.

According to the official news agency Xinhua, Wentian will focus on life sciences and biotechnology research, including cell research and growth experiments on plants, fruit flies, and zebrafish.

According to state media, the module will house up to six people during crew transitions, with living space for three additional astronauts.

The third and final module, dubbed Mengtian, is set to launch in October.

Tiangong is expected to remain in low orbit 400-450 kilometres (250-280 miles) above Earth for at least ten years once completed.

China also plans to launch a space telescope with a field of view 350 times that of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope next year.

The telescope will be in the same orbit as Tiangong, allowing the station to dock with it for refuelling and servicing whenever necessary.

China has invested billions of dollars in space flight and exploration in order to establish a programme that reflects its status as a rising global power.

In the last two decades, the programme has seen rapid success, including the launch of the first Chinese astronauts, a historic first controlled landing on the far side of the Moon, and the delivery of a rover to the surface of Mars.

And, after several missions to test the technologies required for a constantly crewed outpost, Tiangong is expected to be completed this year.

When completed, the station is expected to weigh 90 tonnes, roughly a quarter of the International Space Station, from which China has been barred by the US.

The International Space Station (ISS), a collaboration between the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe, and Japan, is scheduled to be retired in 2024, though NASA has stated that it could potentially remain operational beyond 2028.

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