China's Space Station Construction Accelerates...Core Components Launched into Space

Parts launch and assembly until next year... 100t scale
Only space station after ISS retirement in 2025

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] China has successfully launched the core module of its independent space station into orbit, marking the beginning of full-scale space station construction. The Chinese government announced that it will transport and assemble additional parts and supplies by next year to complete the construction, and it is expected that when the International Space Station (ISS) retires in 2025, China's space station will be the only one remaining in Earth's orbit.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) in Hong Kong on the 29th, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced that at around 11:22 AM, a Long March 5B rocket carrying the space station module was successfully launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan Province, southern China. The first space station module launched that day, named 'Tianhe,' is the core module equipped with propulsion systems to maintain the station's orbit and living quarters for astronauts.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

CMSA plans to launch more than 11 additional modules and materials by the end of next year, assembling these modules in space to build the space station. Once assembly is complete, the space station is expected to weigh about 100 tons, roughly one-quarter the size of the ISS, which is jointly established and operated by countries including the United States and Russia. It is reported that three astronauts will be able to stay aboard Tianhe for six months to carry out missions.

Previously, China expressed its intention to participate in the ISS construction in 1992, but the United States rejected China's participation citing national security concerns, leading China to establish plans for an independent space station. As the ISS is expected to cease operations due to aging in 2025, China's space station is anticipated to be the only space station remaining in Earth's orbit after 2025.