China: three astronauts left for the Tiangong space station

Three Chinese astronauts left this Sunday for the space station under construction Tiangong, where it will stay for six months to significantly expand the installation.

According to images from state broadcaster CCTV, the Shenzhou-14 spacecraft was propelled by a Long March 2F rocket, which took off at 10:44 local time from the Jiuquan Launch Center in the Gobi Desert in northwest China.

A quarter of an hour later, a space agency official in charge of manned space flights (CMSA) announced the “success” of the launch.

The three astronauts, including a woman, take the place of the crew of the Shenzhou-13 mission, which returned to Earth in mid-April after spending a semester on the space station.

Called Tiangong (“Heavenly Palace”), also known by its acronym CSS (English for Chinese Space Station), the structure should be fully operational by the end of the year.

The main challenge for the Shenzhou-14 crew will be the receipt and installation of two laboratory modules, which are to be docked at the station and are expected to be shipped in July and October.

Once these last two modules are installed, the Tiangong station will have a definitive T shape and will be considerably larger, similar in size to the former Russian-Soviet Mir station. Its life must be at least 10 years.

Shenzhou-14’s crew includes Liu Yang, 43, who was the first Chinese woman in space (2012). Her teammates are Chen Dong (43), commander of the mission, and Cai Xuzhe (46), who is making her first flight into space after 12 years of preparation.

Towards the end of their stay, before returning to Earth, the three Shenzhou-14 astronauts will spend a few days with their three companions on the future Shenzhou-15 mission.

With information from AFP

GRB