China’s steady space progress takes another leap

With the Shenzhou-12 launch and arrival of astronauts to the Tianhe core module, Beijing’s space ambitions are on target.

This week, China launched the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft with three astronauts on a Long March-2F Y12 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia. It was the first batch of astronauts to arrive at the 22-ton Tianhe (“Harmony in Heaven”) core module that was launched into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in April, now awaiting in-orbit assembly and construction to complete China’s Tiangong space station by 2022. 

The Tianhe will serve as the management and control center and can host three astronauts for a period of three to six months, the longest stay by Chinese astronauts in LEO if accomplished successfully. The earlier longest stay by Chinese astronauts in LEO was 33 days on the Tiangong 2. The Tianhe is the largest spacecraft China has built and launched to space to date. By 2022, the two auxiliary lab modules, the Wentian (“Quest for Heavens”) and Mengtian (“Dreaming of Heavens”) will be attached to the Tianhe, the total weight of which will be 66 tons. When spacecraft dock with the Tianhe during cargo missions and crew transfers, the weight will increase to 100 tons. The Tiangong space station is designed to last for 10 years, but it could be extended to about 15 years with repairs and refits. Given the International Space Station (ISS) is funded through to 2024 and faces questions of retirement over future funding questions, the Chinese space station may be the only option for a human presence and scientific experiments in LEO after 2024.