China Launches Second Space Station Module

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

• China launched the second of three modules to its permanent space station, in one of the final missions needed to complete the orbiting outpost by year’s end.
• A Long March-5B Y3 rocket, carrying the Wentian lab module.
• The 23-tonne Wentian (“Quest for the Heavens”) laboratory module launching on the back of China’s most powerful rocket, the Long March 5B,from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre on the southern island of Hainan.
• The Wentian lab module, 17.9 m long, will provide space for experiments, along with the other lab module yet to be launched — Mengtian (“Dreaming of the Heavens”).
• It will also serve as short-term living quarters for astronauts during crew rotations on the station, which is designed for long-term accommodation of just three astronauts.
• Mengtian is expected to be launched in October and, like Wentian, is to dock with Tianhe, forming a T-shaped structure.
• The construction of China’s space station called Tiangong is expected to be completed this year.
• It will then evolve from a single-module structure into a national space laboratory with three modules — the core module, Tianhe, and two lab modules, Wentian and Mengtian.
• Once ready, China’s low-flying space station will be the only country to own a space station. The International Space Station (ISS) of Russia is a collaborative project of several countries.
• China Space Station (CSS) is also expected to be a competitor to the ISS built by Russia.
• Once ready, China’s low-flying space station will be the only country to own a space station.
• As the International Space Station (ISS) is a collaborative project of several countries.
• China Space Station (CSS) is also expected to be a competitor to the ISS built by Russia.