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Mahesh

01/11/22 12:50 PM IST

China launches final module to space station

In News 
  • China recently launched the last of the three modules that will comprise its space station, set to be the second permanently inhabited outpost in low-earth orbit after the NASA-led International Space Station.
Key Details 
  • The uncrewed Mengtian, or "Dreaming of the Heavens", module was launched atop China's most powerful rocket, the Long March 5B,from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in the southern island province of Hainan.
  • In April 2021, China began construction of its space station with the launch of the Tianhe module, the main living quarters for astronauts. 
  • The 23-tonne Mengtian, also a laboratory module, is expected to dock with an axial port at one end of Tianhe. 
  • The completion of the Chinese space station, designed for a lifespan of at least 10 years, will be a milestone in China's ambitions in low-rarth orbit, with NASA's aging ISS potentially ceasing operation by the end of the decade.
  • The Chinese-built "Celestial Palace", as the space station is known at home, will also be an emblem of China's growing clout and self-sufficiency in its space endeavours. 
About Tiangong space station
  • The Tiangong space station is currently being constructed by China and operated by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) in the low Earth Orbit between 340 and 450 km above the surface.
  • The mass of this space station is around one-fifth of the mass of the International Space Station.
  • Its size is almost equivalent to the decommissioned Russian Mir Space Station.
  • It has a core module named Tianhe (Harmony of the Heavens) and two laboratory cabin modules Wentian (Quest for the Heavens) and Mengtian.
Source- Live Mint

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