Różne artykuły o Chinese space station (CSS)

[Orionid]

Tytuł zmieniony z [SN] China gears up for space station, cargo and crewed mission launches

China gears up for space station, cargo and crewed mission launches
by Andrew Jones — January 7, 2021


Components of the Long March 5B (Y2) to launch the Chinese space station core module at a facility in Tianjin. Credit: CMSA

China's human spaceflight agency is also soliciting proposals for low-cost cargo transportation to orbital outpost

HELSINKI — China is preparing to launch three major missions in the next few months to initiate the construction phase of the country’s space station project.

The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) is finalizing work on rockets which will launch the first space station module, a cargo and refueling craft and a crewed mission.

The launches will be the first of 11 planned missions to construct a three-module Chinese space station. The activity marks the beginning of the end phase of a project approved in 1992 to develop human spaceflight capabilities and establish a long-term crewed presence in low Earth orbit.

A 849-metric-ton Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket will launch the roughly 22-metric-ton Tianhe space station core module this spring. The launcher is currently undergoing final work in a factory in the northern port city Tianjin.

The rocket components will soon be transported by Yuanwang cargo ships to Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on the southern island of Hainan, according to CMSA, China’s human spaceflight agency.

A launch date has not been released but the mission will likely take place around two months after the arrival of the Long March 5B to Wenchang. Previous Long March 5 series missions have required such a period for launch preparations.

“We will soon complete the construction of China’s first long-term orbital crewed space station meeting advanced world levels, and will carry out large-scale space scientific research on it,” Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China’s human spaceflight program, told CCTV recently.

“We firmly believe that it will play a major role in the forefront of scientific exploration of humanity and also in the development of our space technology,” Zhou said.

Chinese space station launch, delays

Launch of the core module was planned for 2018 with subsequent modules to follow around 2020 and 2022. However a launch failure and subsequent issues with the Long March 5 rocket means China is now condensing the schedule into an intensive two-year period.

The 16.6-meter-long, 4.2-meter-diameter Tianhe core module was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and is already at Wenchang. It underwent fit checks with the first flight model of the Long March 5B, which features China’s largest payload fairing, in early 2020.

The module will provide the main living quarters for three astronauts for periods of around six months. It includes a docking hub and will also control the station’s orbit and attitude.


The Tianhe core module and docking hub of the Chinese Space Station. Credit: CMSA

Tianhe is planned to be inserted directly into a low Earth orbit with an apogee of around 370 kilometers and inclined by 41 degrees. A test flight for the mission in April 2020 saw the first Long March 5B launch a prototype new generation crew spacecraft. The new, uncrewed craft was loaded with propellant to simulate a payload similar in mass to a space station module.

Notably the rocket’s large core stage reached orbital velocity and uncontrolled reentry off the west coast of Africa, passing over New York just minutes earlier. A similar event can thus be expected for the upcoming launch.

After completion in 2022 the Chinese Space Station will be joined by a co-orbiting, Hubble-class space telescope. The Xuntian survey telescope will be able to dock with the CSS for maintenance and repairs. The space station itself could also be expanded from three to six modules.

Cargo, crewed missions to follow

Once in orbit the Tianhe module will be visited by the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft. This will be launched by a Long March 7 kerosene-liquid oxygen rocket from Wenchang. That launcher is currently undergoing final assembly.

Tianzhou cargo spacecraft have a mass of up to 13.5 tons and differing pressurized and unpressurized variants. Tianzhou-1 was launched in April 2017 to test technologies crucial to establishing and maintaining a space station.

The mission successfully tested a number of rendezvous and docking maneuvers and verified automated refuelling in microgravity with the Tiangong-2 space lab. The Tiangong lab also tested regenerative life support and a robotic arm for the larger, future space station.

This will be followed by the Shenzhou-12 crewed mission. This will launch on a Long March 2F, an older generation hypergolic rocket, from Jiuquan in the Gobi Desert.

It will be China’s first crewed mission since 2016. Zhou Jianping has previously stated that the crew have already been selected.

The astronauts are expected to carry out a number of extravehicular activities during the mission. The identity of the crew will likely remain secret until days or weeks before launch.

The Shenzhou-12 spacecraft will also feature an upgraded guidance, navigation and control system (GNC) to meet new mission demands, according to a 2017 report (Chinese).

The mission’s Long March 2F is undergoing testing in a final assembly facility in Beijing. Work is expected to be completed following the Chinese New Year (Feb. 12).

No clear schedule for the launches has been published. It is also unclear how soon after the two experiment modules will follow Tianhe into orbit. However the reports on launch vehicle preparations suggest the missions will follow relatively quickly after the module launch.

Chinese commercial resupply?

The Chinese Space Station, sometimes referred to as Tiangong (also the name for two small testbed space labs), is expected to be completed and enter normal operations in 2022 orbiting between 340-420 kilometers above the Earth.

CMSA announced Wednesday (Chinese) a solicitation for proposals for low-cost cargo transportation to assist space station operations.

The call aims to explore low-cost cargo transportation methods, create a supplement to the Tianzhou cargo delivery system, and build a “flexible, efficient, diverse, and low-cost cargo transportation system.”

Main requirements for cargo delivery include a payload capacity of 1-4 tons, possibility for removing and deorbiting station waste to prevent space debris, and transportation costs to be inline with international levels.

For returning cargo to Earth, requirements are for a payload 100-300 kilograms with the returning spacecraft to be easily tracked and recovered.

Actors are required to submit proposals by Feb. 28, including technical descriptions, spacecraft capabilities, and cost and engineering analyses.

The call is understood to be open to both state-owned space sector entities and new commercial actors, which have emerged since late 2014. The latter, nascent grouping is in the earlier phases of developing light and medium-lift launch vehicles and likely lack the required capabilities, expertise and resources.

The call for proposals is notable however for being open to outside entrants. Such missions and activities have so far been carried out by the China Aerospace Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC), China’s state-owned main space contractor.

Other actors such as sister conglomerate CASIC and nominally private firms were previously understood to be restricted to competing for commercial missions only. This indicates China is considering furthering commercialization of its space activities.

Source: https://spacenews.com/china-gears-up-for-space-station-cargo-and-crewed-mission-launches/

[Orionid]

China rolls out Long March 5B rocket for space station launch
by Andrew Jones — April 23, 2021 [SN]


Rollout of the first Long March 5B to the pad at Wenchang, South China in April 2020. Credit: CASC

HELSINKI — China is set to launch the first module for its own space station next week after rolling out a Long March 5B rocket at Wenchang spaceport late Thursday.

The 53.7-meter-long Long March 5B is now expected to launch the 22-ton Tianhe space station core module around April 29, although authorities have not officially released a launch time.

Source: https://spacenews.com/china-rolls-out-long-march-5b-rocket-for-space-station-launch/

[Orionid]

Rocket to lift space station core moves to launch tower
By Zhao Lei | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2021-04-23 10:33 [CD]


A Long March 5B carrier rocket which will launch the core capsule of China's space station is moved to the launch tower at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in the southernmost island province of Hainan, April 23, 2021. [Photo by Guo Wenbin/chinadaily.com.cn]

The Long March 5B carrier rocket which will launch the core capsule of China's space station was moved on Friday morning to the launch tower at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in the southernmost island province of Hainan, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202104/23/WS6082320ca31024ad0bab9dac.html

[Orionid]

China launches Tianhe space station core module into orbit
by Andrew Jones — April 29, 2021 [SN]


Liftoff of the Long March 5B rocket carrying the Tianhe core module for the Chinese Space Station. Credit: CCTV/framegrab
HELSINKI — China successfully launched a 22-metric-ton module late Wednesday, beginning an intense period of missions for constructing the nation’s own space station.

A Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket lifted off from the coastal Wenchang spaceport at 11:23 p.m. Eastern. The Tianhe space station core module separated from the first stage after 490 seconds of flight.

Source: https://spacenews.com/china-launches-tianhe-space-station-core-module-into-orbit/

[Orionid]

China Is Set to Launch First Module of Massive Space Station
By Ling Xin on April 21, 2021

The new orbiting laboratory will host research from Chinese and international scientists


Credit: Alejandro Miranda Alamy

Since the Soviet Union launched the first space station, Salyut 1, 50 years ago, humans have lived on a total of 11 such facilities in Earth orbit. China will soon add one more to that list. With the core module of the Chinese Space Station (CSS) scheduled to lift off at the end of April, the culmination of a project the nation’s government initially envisioned in 1992 is finally entering the construction phase.

Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/china-is-set-to-launch-first-module-of-massive-space-station1/

[Orionid]

Assembly of Chinese space station begins with successful core module launch
April 29, 2021 Stephen Clark [SFN]


A Chinese Long March 5B rocket lifts off with the Tianhe space station core module. Credit: Xinhua

Chinese officials confirmed the successful launch of the first element of the country’s space station early Thursday, laying the keystone to a permanently-inhabited orbiting habitat that could welcome its first astronauts this summer.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/04/29/assembly-of-chinese-space-station-begins-with-successful-core-module-launch/

[Orionid]

Huge rocket looks set for uncontrolled reentry following Chinese space station launch
by Andrew Jones — April 30, 2021 [SN]

Long March 5B core stage likely to reenter the Earth's atmosphere in the coming days.

HELSINKI — China launched the first module for its space station into orbit late Wednesday, but the mission launcher also reached orbit and is slowly and unpredictably heading back to Earth.

Source: https://spacenews.com/huge-rocket-looks-set-for-uncontrolled-reentry-following-chinese-space-station-launch/

[Orionid]

Chinese rocket stage predicted to reenter atmosphere around May 8
by Andrew Jones — May 4, 2021 [SN]


Rollout of the first Long March 5B to the pad at Wenchang, South China in April 2020. Credit: CASC

HELSINKI — A large rocket stage which launched China’s first space station last week is likely to reenter the atmosphere around May 8 according to early space tracking predictions.

U.S. Department of Defense Spokesperson Mike Howard in a statement May 4 said that “U.S. Space Command is aware of and tracking the location of the Chinese Long March 5B in space, but its exact entry point into the Earth’s atmosphere cannot be pinpointed until within hours of its reentry, which is expected around May 8.”   

Source: https://spacenews.com/chinese-rocket-stage-predicted-to-reenter-atmosphere-around-may-8/

[Orionid]

Long March 5B falls into Indian Ocean after world follows rocket reentry
by Andrew Jones — May 9, 2021 [SN]


The second Long March 5B rocket launches the core module of China's space station, on April 28, 2021. Credit: CASC

HELSINKI — Debris from a large Chinese rocket stage fell into the Indian Ocean late May 8 Eastern as people around the world watched for signs of the fiery reentry event in the skies.

Remnants from the roughly 30-meter-long, five-meter-wide empty core stage of the Long March 5B fell into the Indian Ocean  at 10:24 p.m. Eastern close to longitude 72.47 degrees east and latitude 2.65 degrees north, China’s human spaceflight agency, CMSEO, announced.

Data from the U.S. Space Force’s 18th Space Control Squadron space tracking later confirmed reentry occurred at approximately 10:15 p.m. Eastern over the Arabian Peninsula, adding that “It is unknown if the debris impacted land or water.

https://spacenews.com/long-march-5b-falls-into-indian-ocean-after-world-follows-rocket-reentry/

[Orionid]

China rolls out rocket for Tianzhou-2 space station supply mission
by Andrew Jones — May 17, 2021


Rollout of the third Long March 7 rocket carrying the Tianzhou-2 spacecraft at Wenchang May 15 Eastern. Credit: CMSA

Cargo mission is a precursor to the June crewed Shenzhou-12 mission to China's Tianhe space station module.

HELSINKI — China is set to launch the Tianzhou-2 space station cargo mission this week after rollout of a Long March 7 rocket at Wenchang spaceport.

Rollout took place late May 15 Eastern (May 16 local time) at the coastal Wenchang satellite launch center.  Final checks, rehearsals and pre-launch preparations will take place ahead of an instantaneous launch window expected around May 20 local time.

Source: https://spacenews.com/china-rolls-out-rocket-for-tianzhou-2-space-station-supply-mission/

[Orionid]

Tianzhou-2 docks with China’s space station module
by Andrew Jones — May 29, 2021 [SN]


A Long March 7 carrying the Tianzhou-2 spacecraft lifts off from Wenchang ahead of an orbital docking with Tianhe. Credit: CASC

Tianzhou-2 docking with Tianhe paves way for June crewed mission.

HELSINKI — China’s Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft docked with the Tianhe space station module in low Earth orbit Saturday, eight hours after launch from Wenchang spaceport.

The uncrewed Tianzhou-2 spacecraft completed automated rendezvous and docking maneuvers with Tianhe at 5:01 p.m. Eastern May 29.

Tianzhou-2 is tasked with delivering propellant and supplies ahead of a first crewed mission to Tianhe in June.

Source: https://spacenews.com/tianzhou-2-docks-with-chinas-space-station-module/

[Orionid]

Cargo ship docks with Chinese space station
May 31, 2021 Stephen Clark [SFN]


In this long exposure photo, a Long March 7 rocket climbs into the sky over the Wenchang spaceport on Hainan Island with the Tianzhou 2 cargo ship. Credit: Xinhua

China’s robotic Tianzhou 2 cargo ship launched Saturday on top of a Long March 7 rocket and docked with the core module of the country’s space station eight hours later, delivering fuel, crew supplies, extravehicular spacesuits, and other gear in preparation for the arrival of three astronauts in June.

The resupply mission is the second of a series of 11 launches planned by China through 2022 to assemble and outfit the space station. The Tianhe core module launched April 28 on a heavy-lift Long March 5B rocket to begin construction of the Chinese orbital complex.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/05/31/cargo-ship-docks-with-chinese-space-station/

[Orionid]

Long March 2F rocket rolls out to launch pad for China’s next human spaceflight
June 9, 2021 Stephen Clark [SFN]


China’s Shenzhou 12 spacecraft, perched on top of its Long March 2F rocket, rolls to a launch pad at the Jiuquan space base in northwestern China. Credit: CASC

The Long March 2F rocket and Shenzhou 12 spaceship set to ferry three Chinese astronauts to the country’s new space station later this month rolled out to a launch pad Wednesday at a remote military-operated spaceport in northwestern China.

The launcher and crew capsule emerged from an assembly building at the Jiuquan space base in the Gobi Desert, riding a mobile platform along rail tracks to cover the one-mile (1.6-kilometer) distance to the launch pad.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/06/09/long-march-2f-rocket-rolls-out-to-launch-pad-for-chinas-next-human-spaceflight/

[Orionid]

Shenzhou-12 docks with Tianhe space station module
by Andrew Jones — June 17, 2021 [SN]


A view of the Sun on the horizon from Tianhe ahead of the Shenzhou-12 docking. Credit: BACC/CCTV/screenshot

HELSINKI — The Shenzhou-12 spacecraft docked with China’s space station module hours after launch from Jiuquan late Wednesday, marking the first crewed visit to the facility.

Shenzhou-12 and its crew of three launched on a Long March 2F from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 9:22 p.m. Eastern Wednesday.

https://spacenews.com/shenzhou-12-docks-with-tianhe-space-station-module/

[Orionid]

Chinese astronauts enter Tiangong space station for first time
June 17, 2021 Stephen Clark [SFN]


Chinese astronaut Tang Hongbo (left), commander Nie Haisheng (center), and astronaut Liu Boming (right) inside the Tianhe core module of China’s space station. Credit: CCTV

Three Chinese astronauts floated into the country’s new Tiangong space station Thursday, becoming the first people to board China’s outpost in orbit after a successful launch from a military base in the Gobi Desert to start a three-month mission.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/06/17/chinese-astronauts-enter-tiangong-space-station-for-first-time/