China launches crewed mission to complete space station construction

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By Zhou Zhou, Quan Xiaoshu, Liu Yiwei (Xinhua) 08:11, June 06, 2022

* China on Sunday launched the crewed spaceship Shenzhou-14, sending three astronauts to its space station combination for a six-month mission.

* The trio will cooperate with the ground team to complete the assembly and construction of the Tiangong space station, developing it from a single-module structure into a national space laboratory with three modules -- the core module Tianhe and two lab modules Wentian and Mengtian.

* This is the 23rd flight mission since the approval and launch of the country's manned space program, and the third crewed mission for China's space station project.

A see-off ceremony for three Chinese astronauts of the Shenzhou-14 crewed space mission is held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, June 5, 2022. Chinese astronauts Chen Dong (R), Liu Yang (C) and Cai Xuzhe will stay in space for about six months. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) -- China on Sunday launched the crewed spaceship Shenzhou-14, sending three astronauts to its space station combination for a six-month mission.

The trio will cooperate with the ground team to complete the assembly and construction of the Tiangong space station, developing it from a single-module structure into a national space laboratory with three modules -- the core module Tianhe and two lab modules Wentian and Mengtian.

The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, was lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 10:44 a.m., according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

About 577 seconds after the launch, Shenzhou-14 separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. The crew members are in good shape and the launch is a complete success, the CMSA declared.

This is the 23rd flight mission since the approval and launch of the country's manned space program, and the third crewed mission for China's space station project.

The crewed spaceship Shenzhou-14, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, is launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, June 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

At 5:42 p.m., the spaceship conducted a fast automated rendezvous and docking with the combination of the Tianhe module, the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft and the Tianzhou-4 cargo craft.

After a series of preparations, Chen Dong, the commander of the crew, opened the hatch of the Tianhe core module. By 8:50 p.m. (Beijing Time), astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe had entered Tianhe one by one.

The crew will work with the ground team to complete the rendezvous, docking and transposition of the two lab modules with the core module, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, at a press conference Saturday.

The Tianhe core module was launched in April 2021, and the Wentian lab module is set to be launched in July and Mengtian in October.

The Shenzhou-14 crew will also witness, during their stay in orbit, the Tianzhou-5 cargo craft and Shenzhou-15 crewed spaceship dock with the core module. Then, they will live and work together with the Shenzhou-15 crew for multiple days before returning to Earth.

The crewed spaceship Shenzhou-14, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, is launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, June 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Lian Zhen)

MECHANICAL ARMS

One of the noteworthy tasks for the Shenzhou-14 crew is to test and operate the large and small mechanical arms.

The core module is mounted with a 10-meter-long big mechanical arm, and the Wentian lab module with a small one.

The weight and length of the small mechanical arm are about half of that of the large one, but it is quite flexible and can perform operations with greater precision.

During the Shenzhou-14 mission, the crew will, for the first time, be aided by the small mechanical arm to get out of the space station, Huang Weifen, chief designer of the China manned space program's astronaut system, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.

The small arm can also be captured by the large one to form a combined arm that is capable of performing extravehicular operations with better accuracy at a larger range.

Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on June 5, 2022 shows China's Shenzhou-14 crewed spaceship docking with the radial port of the space station core module Tianhe. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

VERSATILE LAB

China's Tiangong space station is designed to be a versatile space lab, capable of accommodating 25 experiment cabinets for scientific exploration.