China unveils new space station ambitions
720 views · Published 12 November 2018 · 6:37 · Indexed 21 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(7 Nov 2018) LEADIN: China has unveiled a life-sized replica of what it hopes will be the next permenently-staffed space station. Space exploration is one of the main attractions at China's International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition. STORYLINE: China wants to boldly go.. revealing a life-sized replica of what it anticipates will be the country's first permanently-staffed space station. The core module of the station, the Tianhe 1, features three bedrooms, a bathroom and a sitting room. However, for now, officials want to keep the interior under wraps. The replica, built by Beijing-based, state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), could one day replace the International Space Station (ISS). "We need long-term stays for experiments, so it is necessary to build such a space station," says Wang Xin, Deputy Commander of Space Station System, 5th Academy under China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. "We should develop our manned space flight abilities, to go from near earth space to deeper, further space, for the better, peaceful use of space." Tianhe 1 is the star attraction at China's International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai. The week-long event is China's biggest international aviation and aerospace trade show and has been held every two years since 1996. It has evolved from China's first space station, the experimental Tiangong 1, which was launched in 2011, and the Tiangong 2, launched in 2016. Two crews of Chinese astronauts lived on Tiangong 1 while testing docking procedures and other operations. Its last crew departed in 2013 and contact with it was cut in 2016. It gradually orbited closer and closer to Earth, eventually hurtling back and mostly burning up on re-entry into the atmosphere over the central South Pacific earlier this year. For future additions to the Tianhe permanent space station, China is developing a new generation of its Long March rockets, models of which are also on display. Deng Xinyu, rocket designer in China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology says: "In previous manned space missions, we could only launch 8 ton manned spacecraft. The astronauts were only in the orbit for a week or a month. After the completion of this new generation of rockets, we can build our Chinese space station and do months or years-long stays to work on space experiments." Also on display are models of China's latest Beidou high resolution satellites. It began launching its third generation of the Beidou satellites in 2015, which can photograph and monitor the whole world instead of just Asia, as the second generation was capable of. The latest Beidou satellites are finding wider and wider use in China. "With the construction of the Beidou system and the development of its service capabilities, its satellites have found widespread applications in transportation, hydrological monitoring, marine fisheries, earthquake prevention and disaster reduction, fire prevention, weather forecasting, etc. It's gradually integrated itself into all aspects of human life," says Yang Yi, satellite designer at 5th Academy, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The military background of China's space program has at times been a barrier to greater cooperation with those run by other countries. U.S. Congress in 2011 excluded China from the 420-ton International Space Station, a project that is now beginning to wind down. A mission to land a rover on Mars and bring back samples is set to launch in 2020, while China also plans to become the first country to soft-land a probe on the far side of the moon. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/14a5eac36af2f7141f0a119be302918d
