China Successfully Launches Core Module of Its First Space Station

The United States’ International Space Station (Flickr)

China has successfully sent the core component of a new permanent space station into orbit on April 23, reports China’s state media. The core module, known as Tianhe, meaning harmony of the heavens, is the largest spacecraft China has developed so far. 

China completed its first manned space flight in 2003, and now it is turning its ambitions toward a space station. Previously, only the U.S. and U.S.S.R. have successfully completed space station projects. Mir was the first operational space station, operated by the Soviet Union, and later by Russia, from 1986 to 2001. At the time it was the largest and longest-lasting artificial satellite in orbit, but it was succeeded by the ISS after Mir's orbit decayed. Both Tiangong-1 (2011) and Tiangong-2 (2016) were China’s first prototype space stations, simple modules that allowed short astronaut stays. However, Tianhe marks China’s first step to have its fully completed space station by 2022. 

Tianhe is expected to operate for 10 years, but that could be extended to 15. Along with the launch, China revealed plans for eleven launches scheduled in the next two years. The first crewed mission is expected to be launched in June 2021, where China will send three astronauts to orbit for about three months to test the life support system and maintenance.

The only space station currently in orbit is the International Space Station (ISS), which China does not have access to. Principally built and operated by the U.S., the ISS has welcomed astronauts from 15 different countries, including countries newly involved in space exploration: South Africa, Brazil, the Netherlands, and Malaysia. However, China has been barred from the ISS since 2011, after Congress passed a law prohibiting official U.S. contact with the Chinese space program due to national security concerns.

The U.S.’s decision was not well-received by China’s space community. Speaking to CNN, accomplished space mission commander Nie Haisheng said, “As an astronaut, I have a strong desire to fly with astronauts from other countries.” He called the space a “family affair” and expressed hope to contribute to space’s global exploration. 

In addition to the launch, China’s National Space Administration announced a partnership with Roscosmos, Russia’s state space agency, to create an International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). The ILRS would be a complex set of experimental research facilities created on the surface and/or in the orbit of the moon. In this joint declaration, the two sides emphasized that the facility would be open to all international partners interested in cooperation.