China will send the future Chinese space station's first module, dubbed Tianhe (Heavenly Harmony), into space. The Long Walk 5B carrier missile has been placed in Tianhe and placed to be launched into space on Wenchang launch ramps.
Tianhe, which has a 20-ton mass, is the central element of the station in question. From here, the station's navigation (direction of travel, height correction) and orbit problems will be checked.
The module, which is 16,6 meters tall and 4,2 meters in diameter, will also serve as the living space of Chinese taikonotes. This station was sized for a crew of three astronauts to live inside for up to 6 months. The first crew will be dispatched with Shenzhou-10, which is currently scheduled for June 12th.
This manned spaceflight will be the first manned flight since the Shenzhou-2016 launched in 11. The crew will consist of Nie Haisheng - who will make its third flight - and Deng Qingmin and Ye Guangfu - who will make their third flight.
This station, which will weigh approximately 66 tons, will consist of at least 3 modules. A 2,4 meter diameter telescope similar to the Hubble telescope with a slightly larger (2 meters) mirror is also envisaged. This telescope will fly slightly behind the station and end up with it for maintenance. It is aimed to launch into space in 2024.
Source: China International Radio
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