China successfully launches first module of planned space station | CNN (2023)

FAQs

Why did China launch their own space station? ›

Science and a steppingstone. The main function of the Tiangong station is to perform research on life in space.

JIUQUAN SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER — Thirty years ago, the Chinese government initiated a secret plan for its space program, including a key goal of building a space station by 2020.

Three men were aboard the Shenzhou 15 when it lifted off: Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu. China has sent women into orbit on previous trips, but chose its oldest and most experienced team of astronauts to get the just-completed space station up and running in the next six months.

Shenzhou-15 was the last of 11 missions, including three previous crewed missions, needed to assemble the "Celestial Palace", as the multi-module station is known in Chinese. The first mission was launched in April 2021.

China has completed construction of the Tiangong space station, which will play an important role in their ambitious plans for space activity in coming years. Three taikonauts rode aboard the Shenzhou 15 mission on their way to China's new Tiangong space station.

China has been banned from the ISS since 2011. That's when Congress, citing human rights abuses and national security concerns, prohibited NASA from collaborating with China unless specifically allowed by law.

Extend human presence deeper into space and to the Moon for sustainable long-term exploration and utilization. Address national challenges and catalyze economic growth. Optimize capabilities and operations.

With this successful mission, China has become just the third nation to operate a permanent space station. China's space station is an achievement that solidifies the country's position alongside the U.S. and Russia as one of the world's top three space powers.

The technological roots of the Chinese space program trace back to the 1950s, when, with the help of the newly allied Soviet Union, China began development of its first ballistic missile and rocket programs in response to the perceived American (and, later, Soviet) threats.

Previous scholarship places the rocket's origins in China during the Sung dynasty (A.D. 960-1279). The first known use of the military rocket occurred in 1232 when the Chinese used fei huo tsiang (flying fire lances) against Mongols besieging the city of Kai-fung-fu.

How many modules are in the Chinese space station? ›

The Chinese space station has three modules—the Tianhe core module (“heavenly river” crew module and the laboratory cabin modules Wentian (“quest for heavens”) and Mengtian (“dreaming of heaven”). Tianhe was the first module of the space station to be launched and was launched into orbit on April 29, 2021.

China has 14 new satellites in orbit following its fifth launch of 2023. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China on Saturday (Jan. 14) at 10:14 p.m. EST (0314 GMT or 11:14 a.m. Beijing time on Jan. 15).

China sends second Shiyan-10 test satellite sent into orbit with its final launch of 2022. HELSINKI — China has conducted its 64th and final launch of the year, sending the Shiyan-10 (02) into orbit from Xichang spaceport.

Shenzhou 5 (Chinese: 神舟五号; pinyin: shénzhōu wǔ hào, see § Etymology) was the first human spaceflight mission of the Chinese space program, launched on 15 October 2003. The Shenzhou spacecraft was launched on a Long March 2F launch vehicle.

Yang Liwei (Chinese: 杨利伟; born 21 June 1965) is a major general, former military pilot, and former taikonaut at the People's Liberation Army. In October 2003, Yang became the first person sent into space by the Chinese space program.

The ISS is not owned by one single nation and is a "co-operative programme" between Europe, the United States, Russia, Canada and Japan, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).

China's original, basic plan for Tiangong is to keep the space station occupied and operational for at least 10 years. A co-orbiting survey space telescope named Xuntian is expected to join Tiangong in orbit no earlier than late 2023.

China launched its first space station module in 2021 and completed the three-module outpost in late 2022.

The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station in low Earth orbit. The project involves five space agencies: those include the United States' NASA, Russia's Roscosmos, Japan's JAXA, Europe's ESA, and Canada's CSA.

China's Shenzhou 15 astronauts take their 1st spacewalk outside Tiangong space station (video) Two Chinese astronauts headed outside of the Tiangong space station on Thursday (Feb. 9) for a seven-hour-long spacewalk, the first of the ongoing Shenzhou 15 mission.

Can China send people to space? ›

China may launch a new vessel capable of carrying its first crewed mission to the moon as early as 2027, according to the head of the country's biggest space contractor.

Apollo 8 was among the most famous of America's space missions – the first manned spacecraft to leave Earth's gravity and reach the moon. The mission conducted a number of tests that were crucial to the lunar landing the following year.

The direct benefits of exploration include the generation of scientific knowledge, the diffusion of innovation and creation of markets, the inspiration of people around the world, and agreements forged between the countries engaged in exploration.

China is seeking to enhance its capacity for scientific and technological innovation by building a large modular space station. Chinese leaders also hope that research conducted on the Chinese Space Station (CSS) will support their long-term goals for space exploration, including missions to the Moon and Mars.

Main Points. Like during the Cold War, a new space race would spur scientific advancement and collaboration that transforms life on Earth and beyond. Competition with China would compel the United States to invest in its alliances, both with industry and other nations.

“China's long-term vision for and investment in space has paid dividends in recent years, with notable achievements, including the first-ever landing on the far side of the moon, a successful rover landing on Mars and the development of space infrastructure for communications, Earth observation and navigation and ...

Beijing's goal is to become a space power and surpass the United States. China is investing in modern satellite constellations for intelligence and surveillance, high-data rate communications, positioning navigation and timing, and weather forecasting.

It is exactly 75 years since Dr Robert H. Goddard successfully launched the first liquid-fueled rocket on 16 March 1926.

The dating of the invention of the first rocket, otherwise known as the gunpowder propelled fire arrow, is disputed. The History of Song attributes the invention to two different people at different times, Feng Zhisheng in 969 and Tang Fu in 1000.

Is China about to launch a rocket? ›

HELSINKI — China's state-owned and commercial space sector actors are planning a total of more than 70 launches across 2023 as the country's space activities continue to expand.

In October 2022, CMSA prepared to launch the third and final module, Mengtian, to complete the construction for the Tiangong space station. On 31 October 2022, Mengtian module was launched from the Wenchang space center, and docked with the station 13 hours later.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, China's Space Station is the first of its kind to be open to all UN member states and a number of science experiment projects from 17 countries including Switzerland, Poland, Germany and Italy have been included in selected projects for China's space station as of November.

4.772 miles/s

Tiangong / Speed on orbit

Of the 4,852 active artificial satellites orbiting the Earth as of January 1, 2022, 2,944 belong to the United States. This is by far the largest number of any single country, with their nearest competitor, China, accounting for only 499.

For example, the report notes that eight Shiyan satellites were successfully launched to low Earth orbit in 2022 with unknown missions. “The Shiyan ('Test') satellites are a cover name for various Chinese government satellites,” the report explains.

BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- For China's space sector, 2022 was a year of substantial progress and remarkable new records. China completed more than 60 space launches this year, a record high. Among these missions, 53 were conducted by the Long March carrier rockets, the country's backbone launch vehicles.

China's main space contractor and Long March rocket maker, CASC, announced (opens in new tab)on Jan. 18 that it is planning more than 60 launches this year, after carrying out 54 missions throughout 2022.

Tiangong is a space station that the Chinese Manned Space Agency (CMSA) is building in low Earth orbit. In May 2021, China launched Tianhe, the first of the orbiting space station's three modules, and the country aims to finish building the station by the end of 2022.

In 1997 China selected 12 military test pilots, all men, for its first group of taikonaut trainees; the first of these to go up in space, Yang Liwei, made a 14-orbit flight in October 2003 on Shenzhou 5.

What country sent it to space first? ›

1, Moscow, USSR, 1958.

As of 2022, sixteen Chinese nationals have traveled in space.

China plans to launch a pair of crewed missions to its new space station this year, with supplies also heading to orbit on a Tianzhou cargo ship.

Tiangong only has three modules, compared with the ISS's 16 modules. This means there's a lot more room for the crew to live and work on the ISS, which typically has a crew of 6, but can theoretically accommodate as many as 13 astronauts onboard. However, the ISS took more than 10 years and 30 missions to assemble.

The overarching ambition is to make China one of the world's main aerospace powers by 2030 and become a fully comprehensive space power by 2045.

1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA. At the top of the list stands the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and for all the right reasons. NASA is a United States government agency responsible for science and technology in relation to air and space.

Chinese scientists recently announced their discovery of a new lunar mineral among samples collected from the moon during a mission two years ago, adding to the body of knowledge of the Earth's satellite that had been the focus of earlier space exploration.

What is China's space program called? ›

China National Space Administration (CNSA), Chinese Guojia Hangtianju, Chinese government organization founded in 1993 to manage national space activities. The organization is composed of four departments: General Planning; System Engineering; Science, Technology, and Quality Control; and Foreign Affairs.