As the NASA-operated International Space Station (ISS) nears the end of its life cycle in the 2030s, China plans to increase the size of its space station from three to six modules in the coming years, according to a new report.
New expanded space station we will give Astronauts from other countries have a different platform for missions close to Earth It will be operational for more than 15 years. The Chinese space station is called Tiangong, the Chinese word for "heavenly palace," and consists of three modules.
All modules of this space station
Tiangong-1 was launched in September 2011 and was the first module of the Chinese space station. It hosted the Shenzhou 9 and Shenzhou 10 crewed missions and served as an experimental platform for rendezvous and docking tests with the Shenzhou spacecraft. Tiangong-1 was announced to be out of Chinese hands in March 2016 When it reentered Earth's atmosphere in April 2018, it immediately burned up.
Tiangong-2 was the second module of the Chinese space station, which was launched in September 2016. Many experiments were carried out, especially for Earth observations, scientific studies and technology demonstrations. Tiangong-2 was also used to launch the Tianzhou-1 cargo ship, as well as for manned missions. In July 2019, It was deliberately knocked out of orbit and returned to Earth's atmosphere.
Finally, in 2022, Tiangong-3 was launched, which was expected to be more capable and advanced than its predecessors, and to play an important role in the construction of the China Space Station (CSS).
Currently, the CSS can accommodate only three astronauts at an orbital altitude of 450 km. but, This situation may change with China's ambitious plans to double the station's capacity. These plans will increase the weight of the structure to 180 tons and allow it to house more astronauts, although it will still contain only 40% of the capacity of the International Space Station.
Pioneer in space exploration
However, since the latter could be deactivated by 2030, space agencies around the world may have no alternative but to use the Chinese station. Making the country a leader in space exploration.
Meanwhile, China has expressed its willingness to cooperate with other countries and organizations in scientific research and experimentation aboard the CSS. Some international experiences and cooperation agreements have already been establishedsoon, as the International Space Station prepares to stop working.
In addition, Chinese astronauts are expected to spend a lot of time living and working on the space station in the near future. CSS is expected You have a patrol crew It is constantly busy with members conducting cutting-edge research in various scientific disciplines.
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