China launches second area station module, Wentian

China on Sunday launched the second of three modules to its everlasting area station, in one of many ultimate missions wanted to finish the orbiting outpost by 12 months’s finish.

A dwell feed on state broadcaster CCTV confirmed the 23-tonne Wentian (“Quest for the Heavens”) laboratory module launching on the again of China’s strongest rocket, the Long March 5B, at 2:22 p.m. (0622 GMT) from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on the southern island of Hainan.

Space company employees, seen on the dwell feed observing the progress of the launch from a management room, cheered and applauded when the Wentian separated from the rocket about 10 minutes after the launch.

The launch was “a complete success”, CCTV reported shortly after.

China started setting up the area station in April 2021 with the launch of the Tianhe module, the principle residing quarters, within the first of 11 crewed and uncrewed missions within the endeavor.

The Wentian lab module, 17.9 metres (59 ft) lengthy, shall be the place astronauts can perform scientific experiments, together with the opposite lab module but to be launched – Mengtian (“Dreaming of the Heavens”).

Wentian options an airlock cabin that’s to be the principle exit-entry level for extravehicular actions when the station is accomplished.

It may also function short-term residing quarters for astronauts throughout crew rotations on the station, designed for long-term lodging of simply three astronauts.

Mengtian is predicted to be launched in October and, like Wentian, is to dock with Tianhe, forming a T-shaped construction.

The completion of the construction, a few fifth of the International Space Station (ISS) by mass, is a supply of satisfaction amongst atypical Chinese individuals and can cap President Xi Jinping’s 10 years as chief of China’s ruling Communist Party.

On board the area station are Shenzhou-14 mission commander Chen Dong and workforce mates Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe. They are slated to return to Earth in December with the arrival of the Shenzhou-15 crew.