China is on a great mission to make its space station Tiangong much better than it is up to now. They want their station’s operational capabilities up. Since November 2022, Tiangong, which is China’s orbital outpost, has entered into its full operation upon the installment of the science module named Mengtian. In low Earth orbit, it is now operative as its design is about three-module T-shaped spaces. Li Ming, chairman of CAST’s Science and Technology Committee, said there were future expansion plans when he recently spoke at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan.
He added, “In the future, we will try to upgrade our facilities.” This first phase of upgrading entails changing the Tianhe core module to add more modules. According to Li, the general purpose is to change the present T-shape configuration to a new cross shape. That is known as the Double-T shape. He thinks that this will serve for the installation of scientific experiment racks in greater quantities and larger extravehicular projects, thus enabling greater research activities on Tiangong.
Development of New Spacecraft
Upgrades also feature in the development of the Mengzhou spacecraft, with an example already under construction and due to support the launch of missions to the Moon and the Tiangong space station. This Li says, will carry up to three astronauts in a lunar mission and up to seven during operations from space.
Testing of the Mengzhou spacecraft started in 2020, with the first full mission planned for launch approximately 2027 on a new Long March 10 rocket configuration. There are two versions- one will be designed to orbit around the low earth orbit while the other, for the moon.
International Cooperation and Future
Li said the third and final upgrade will add CSST, also known as Xuntian. He described the Hubble-class telescope, which is planned to bolster global astronomy missions, having a large primary mirror and a huge field of view. It can map in great detail all of the night sky it will cover over ten years, he added.
China also wants to expand its international cooperation through its space program. “Now we are ready to welcome international astronauts to join the Chinese space station program, based on the principle of mutual respect, mutual benefit, inclusiveness, and equality,” Li said.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
