China Launches First Manned Spacecraft to Its Own Space Station... "3-Month Stay Planned"

Plan to Complete Own Space Station by Next Year
Will Likely Become the World's Only Station from 2025 After ISS Retirement

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] China announced that it will launch a manned spacecraft for the first time to its self-constructed space station currently under construction. The three astronauts who will stay at the space station through this spacecraft are expected to remain inside the space station module for about three months and engage in construction work on the space station.

According to Chinese local media such as Global Times on the 17th, China plans to launch the Shenzhou 12 manned spacecraft from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province, northwest China. The spacecraft is scheduled to dock with Tianhe, the core module of the space station currently being built by the Chinese government. This is the first time China is sending astronauts to stay in Tianhe.

According to China Central Television (CCTV), the three astronauts aboard Shenzhou 12 are Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming, and Tang Hongbo. The three astronauts aboard Shenzhou 12 are expected to stay in Tianhe for three months, during which they will carry out repairs and maintenance of the spacecraft as well as construction work on the space station. Earlier, in April and May, China launched the Tianzhou 2 cargo spacecraft carrying crew supplies along with Tianhe, and it has successfully docked with Tianhe.

After the three-month stay, the Shenzhou 12 crew will return to the Dongfeng landing site in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China by spacecraft. In addition to Shenzhou 12, the Chinese government plans to sequentially launch the Tianzhou 3 cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft, aiming to complete its own space station by the end of next year.

The space station under construction by China is approximately 37 meters long and weighs about 90 tons, which is about one-third the size of the International Space Station (ISS) jointly operated by the United States, Russia, and others. The ISS is currently expected to operate until 2024, so if China’s space station is completed as scheduled next year, it is anticipated that from 2025 onward, only China’s own space station will remain in Earth’s orbit for the time being.