China's Space Ambition 'Symbol'... Completion of Independent Space Station [Reading Science]

Final Module Launch on 31st, Second Space Station to be Created Upon Success
Revolutionary Milestone for Space Technology and Various Scientific Research
Joint Research Also Underway with Japan and 8 Other Countries

Chinese space station Tiangong

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] China's "space rise" symbol, the Tiangong space station, is soon to be completed. Following the International Space Station (ISS), it will become the second operational space laboratory, and experts expect it to be a groundbreaking milestone in China's space and science technology development.

According to the international academic journal Nature on the 29th, China's space authorities plan to launch the third and final module, Mengtian, for the construction of the Tiangong space station on the 31st. It will be used for laboratory purposes along with the Wentian module, which was launched as the second module in July. The Tianhe module, which serves as the living quarters for astronauts, was already launched in April last year. It is equipped with life support systems, a spacecraft control room, and various communication devices. In October of the same year, China sent three astronauts who stayed for three months. Currently, three astronauts are still residing there.

The main reason China is independently building the space station is that it is currently excluded from using the ISS by the United States. Additionally, utilizing the microgravity of low Earth orbit allows for the development and training of various space technologies such as docking, communication, and operation, as well as the secret development of advanced technologies related to semiconductor manufacturing, ultra-high-speed communication networks, and various manufacturing and medical fields. Previously, in 2011, China also launched its independent space station Tiangong-1 into low Earth orbit, but it fell and was destroyed in 2018.

China plans to install more than 20 small laboratories on the Tiangong space station. Various scientific experimental equipment such as centrifuges, low-temperature chambers capable of maintaining minus 80°C, high-temperature heaters, multiple lasers, and optical atomic clocks will be installed. It is designed to conduct scientific experiments similar to those performed on the ISS, which is jointly operated by about ten countries including the United States and Russia. Representative experiments include studying the effects of microgravity on human health, combustion experiments on various materials, and analysis of gas particle characteristics. There will also be three laboratories to study the effects of space radiation on plants and microorganisms. It will be capable of conducting over 1,000 scientific experiments for at least 10 years.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

More than 25 research projects are already underway in the modules up to the second phase. Zhang Wei, director of the Space Utilization Technology Engineering Center at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, explained to Nature, "Protein crystallization experiments and research on molten materials, along with studies on the effects of microgravity on plant cells and human bones and muscles, are being conducted." Chinese state media recently reported that astronauts who went to Tiangong exposed 12,000 types of seeds, including alfalfa (Zijugaejari), oats, and fungal strains, to spacecraft and microgravity for six months and successfully sprouted some of them after returning to Earth in April.

China plans to conduct experiments related to spacecraft docking practice, Earth environment monitoring, and space environment exploration at Tiangong. It will also provide laboratory access to other countries. Through consultations with the United Nations (UN), China has already agreed to conduct joint research projects at Tiangong with nine countries including Russia, Japan, India, and Mexico. Professor Paolo De Souza of Griffith University in Australia said, "The construction of the space station is an enormous achievement," and added, "It will open a new playground for Chinese scientists in science."

Meanwhile, concerns about the risk of rocket debris falling due to the launch of the Mengtian module have resurfaced. At the end of July, the first stage of the Long March 5B rocket, which carried the Wentian module, fell and attracted worldwide attention. Unlike rockets from other countries that separate the first stage before leaving the atmosphere and drop it into the sea, China separates the rocket body after it reaches Earth's orbit. It then orbits low Earth orbit for a while before unpredictably falling to Earth. Weighing around 10 tons, it is highly likely that debris will fall without being completely burned up upon re-entry into the atmosphere.