Share This

Showing posts with label Tiangong-2 space lab. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tiangong-2 space lab. Show all posts

Friday, April 21, 2017

China's first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 boosts space dream




https://youtu.be/ESBCkgUvW6A



https://youtu.be/9rtNDywglu4

China's first cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou-1, was launched successfully at 7:41 pm Beijing Time Thursday, a crucial step for the country to build a space station by approximately 2022.

Lifted by a Long March-7 Y2 carrier rocket, Tianzhou-1 roared into space from Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan Province on Thursday evening.

The cargo ship will dock with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab, provide fuel and other supplies, and conduct space experiments before falling back to Earth. The launch of Tianzhou-1 was a "zero-window" mission, which means it had to be launched at precisely 7:41:28 pm, with no room for error, China Central Television reported.

The cargo ship is 10.6 meters long and has a maximum diameter of 3.35 meters. Its maximum takeoff weight is 13.5 tons, allowing it to carry over 6 tons of supplies. Tianzhou-1 is larger and heavier than Tiangong-2, which is 10.4 meters in length and has a maximum diameter of 3.35 meters, weighing 8.6 tons, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

"Tianzhou-1's cargo usually includes space food, medicine, water and so on, for three people's use for 30 days, but this time it is a unmanned flight, so we put simulated cargo that weighs the same in the spacecraft," Huang Weifen, deputy chief designer of China's manned space project astronaut system, told the Global Times.

The biggest challenge of this mission is that new spacecraft, new rockets and the new launch site need to match each other, Xu said. When Tianzhou-1 completes its mission, it will make an automatic destructive re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.

"This shows that China's environmental awareness of space has improved, and this is a good attempt to reduce space junk. Tianzhou-1 will fall into the South Pacific under our control when its mission ends," Xu said.

Advanced technology

Bai Mingsheng, chief designer of the cargo ship, told Xinhua that the cargo aboard the spacecraft weighs almost the same as the ship, exceeding the load capacity of Russian cargo ships in active service. If the Tianzhou-1 mission is successful, China will become the third country besides Russia and the US to master the technique of refueling in space.

"In general, Tianzhou-1's technology is definitely in the first-class around the globe, at the same stage as Russia and the US. Although Europe and Japan also have their own cargo spacecraft and their payload capacity is bigger than Tianzhou-1, they heavily rely on US and Russian technological support in various aspects," Song Zhongping, a military expert who served in the Second Artillery Corps (now known as the PLA Rocket Force), told the Global Times on Thursday.

From launch to automatic destruction, China's Tianzhou-1 doesn't need to rely on any other country's facilities or technology, and compared to the US' Cygnus and Dragon, its payload capacity is bigger and technologically more reliable and advanced in general, Song said.

Space ambition

China aims to build a permanent space station that is expected to orbit for at least 10 years, and the maiden voyage of the cargo ship is important as it will be a courier to help maintain the space station. Without a cargo transportation system, the station would run out of power and basic necessities, causing it to fall back to Earth before the designated time, Xinhua reported.

Currently, the only space station is the International Space Station (ISS), which was mainly pushed by the US and Russia and was launched in 1998. It should reach the end of its mission in 2020, but the US and Russia might decide to extend its lifetime a little bit, Song said.

According to previous reports in the Global Times, in order to prevent China from sharing in advanced space technology, the US always refused any attempt from China to join the ISS program, despite efforts China made in 2000.

"But we are going to have our own space station very soon. After 2020, China's Tiangong will very likely become the only space station in service, and will provide services to more developing countries so more countries can benefit from humanity's achievements in space technology," Song said.

 Source: By Liu Yang in Wenchang and Yang Sheng in Beijing Source:Global Times Published: 2017/4/21 0:08:39

First cargo spacecraft boosts China's space dream




https://youtu.be/wjNT1p6Ayu8

WENCHANG, Hainan, April 20 (Xinhua) -- China has taken another step toward its goal of putting a space station into orbit around 2022, by sending its first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 into space on Thursday evening.

Atop a Long March-7 Y2 carrier rocket, Tianzhou-1 rose into the air from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province at 7:41 p.m.

China declared the launch a success after it entered designated orbit minutes later.

The cargo ship will dock with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab where two Chinese astronauts spent 30 days in the country's longest-ever manned space mission, provide fuel and other supplies to the latter, as well as conduct space experiments before falling back to Earth.

If the Tianzhou-1 mission is successful, China will become the third country besides Russia and the United States to master the technique of refueling in space.

China aims to build a permanent space station that is expected to orbit for at least 10 years, and the debut of the cargo ship is important as it acts as a courier to help maintain the space station.

Without a cargo transportation system, the station would run out of power and basic necessities, causing it to return to Earth before the designated time.

"The Tianzhou-1 mission includes the breakthrough of in-orbit refueling and other key technology needed to build a space station, laying a foundation for future space station operations," said Bai Mingsheng, chief designer of the cargo ship.

THREE DOCKINGS

Measuring 10.6 meters long and boasting a maximum diameter of 3.35 meters, the Tianzhou-1 cargo ship has a maximum takeoff weight of 13.5 tonnes, and could carry over 6 tonnes of supplies.

Tianzhou-1 is larger and heavier than Tiangong-2, which is 10.4 meters in length and has a maximum diameter of 3.35 meters, weighing 8.6 tonnes.

Bai said that supplies loaded on the cargo spacecraft are nearly as heavy as the ship's own weight, exceeding the loading capacity of Russian cargo ships in active service.

Tianzhou-1 will dock with Tiangong-2 three times, said Bai. After the first docking, aerospace engineers will test the controlling ability of the cargo spacecraft over the two spacecraft.

The second docking will be conducted from a different direction, which aims to test the ability of the cargo ship to dock with the space station from different directions.

In the last docking, Tianzhou-1 will use fast-docking technology. Previously, it took China about two days to dock, while fast docking will take about six hours, according to Bai.

Refueling is conducted during docking, a process that is much more complicated than refueling vehicles on land.

The refueling procedure will take 29 steps and last for several days each time.

This means the Tianzhou-1 will stay in space for about six months. It will fall into a designated sea area after fulfilling its tasks.

SUPPORTING SPACE STATION

Space cargo ships play a crucial role in the maintenance of a space station.

Cargo ships can send all kinds of supplies to the space station which can be an experiment field for developing technology in space.

Huang Weifen, a deputy chief designer of the Astronaut Center of China, said that supplies carried by Tianzhou-1 include goods that will meet the basic living and working needs of three astronauts for 30 days in space, including drinking water, oxygen bottles and nitrogen bottles.

Also onboard include facilities for microorganism tests, and sensors are installed to obtain data such as mechanics and temperature for the future design of the space suit outside a spacecraft.

"We hope to gather relevant data through this mission and accumulate experience for sending material for the future space station," she said.

VISION OF SPACE POWER

Although China has achieved many giant steps in space exploration, the country's space odyssey is far from over as it eyes building its own space station and far beyond that: landing on Mars.

In 1992, the central authority approved a three-step manned space program.

The first step, to send an astronaut into space and return safely, was fulfilled by Yang Liwei in Shenzhou-5 mission in 2013.

The second step was developing advanced space flight techniques and technologies including extra-vehicular activity and orbital docking.

The final step will be able to operate a permanent manned space station.

Chinese scientists said they plan to launch a core module of the country's first space station around 2018, followed by two experiment modules.

The station in the primary stage will be composed of three modules: core module, experiment module I and experiment module II. Each module will weigh more than 20 tonnes and together the three will be structured in the shape of T. The core module will be in the middle with an experiment module on each side.

During its operation, the space station could be linked to one additional cargo ship and two manned spacecraft at one time, and the maximum weight of the whole assembly could reach up to 90 tonnes.

Based on such design, scientists will keep updating capsules in accordance with scientific research and extend their abilities.

With the International Space Station set to retire in 2024, the Chinese space station will offer a promising alternative, and China will be the only country with a permanent space station.

So far, China has successfully launched 11 Shenzhou series spacecraft, including six manned spacecraft that lifted 11 astronauts into space.

The country strives to realize the third step of its lunar program in 2017: sending Chang'e-5 lunar probe onto the moon which will return with samples.

Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-20 21:17:45|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Related articles:

Graphics shows launch procedure of China's first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1

Graphics shows the launch procedure of China's first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 on April 20, 2017. (Xinhua/Ma Yan)

Scientists around the world are looking for the "keys" to enable humans to regrow tissues or organs lost due to illness or injury, just like gecko can regrow a tail.

Scientists will test a medicine to treat bone loss during the maiden voyage of China's first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1. The medicine has been specially developed for astronauts, but they hope it will benefit ordinary people too.

As astronauts continue to break records for time spent in space and manned Mars exploration is under discussion, scientists in China have begun a groundbreaking study to determine if humans can reproduce in space.

Viral video of robot workers highlights massive role AI will take in future


A video featuring hundreds of orange robots sorting packages, scuttling across a factory platform like an army of ants, went viral in China over the past week.

Related posts:

China's new generation carrier rocket blasts off in Wenchang, Hainan province 

 

China successfully launched Tiangong-2 space lab 

 

Tiangong-2 space lab draws global praise, with the world’s first “cold” atomic clock on board

Thursday, September 15, 2016

China successfully launched Tiangong-2 space lab


https://youtu.be/2Ia25ls46WM
https://youtu.be/goRzJM4PIEI
  • China's Tiangong-2 successfully launched

    Crossover: China's Tiangong-2 successfully launched. Tiangong-2 has just been successfully launched. Let's live cross to our reporter Han Peng again at the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center. Q: What's happening there now? ...
The Tiangong-2 stands with its carrier rocket on the launch pad at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwest China's Gansu Province, Sept. 9, 2016. China's second space lab Tiangong-2 is scheduled to be put into space between September 15 and 20, according to the office of China's manned space program. (Xinhua/Yang Zhiyuan) 


https://youtu.be/xMGcbXOkpTQ

The graphics shows China will launch the Tiangong-2 space lab from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert at 10:04 pm on Sep 15. (Xinhua/Qu Zhendong) JIUQUAN, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- China's Tiangong-2 space lab blasted off on Thursday, marking another milestone in its increasingly ambitious space program, which envisions a mission to Mars by the end of this decade and its own space station by around 2020.

In a cloud of smoke underneath a mid-autumn full moon, Tiangong-2 roared into the air at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gobi desert, on the back of a Long March-2F T2 rocket at 10:04 p.m. Beijing Time.

The Long March-2F T2 is a two-stage launch vehicle that uses four strap-on boosters during its first stage.

About 20 minutes later, the mission was declared a success.

Tiangong-2 separated from the rocket and entered the preset orbit 575 seconds after blast-off, a statement from the mission control read.

While in space, the 8.6-tonne Tiangong-2 will maneuver itself into an orbit about 380 kilometers above Earth for initial in-orbit tests. It will then transfer to a slightly higher orbit of about 393 kilometers above Earth's surface.

Later, the Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft will carry two astronauts into space to dock with the lab. The astronauts will work in the lab for 30 days before returning to Earth.

In April 2017, China's first space cargo ship Tianzhou-1, which literally means heavenly vessel, will be sent into orbit to dock with the space lab, providing fuel and other supplies.

Wu Ping, deputy director of China's manned space engineering office, said on Wednesday that experts will verify and evaluate key technologies involved with in-orbit refueling and equipment repairs, as well as those related to astronauts' long-term stay in space during the mission.

They will also use the lab, which is designed to operate for at least two years, to conduct space science experiments on a relatively large scale compared to China's previous efforts.

China's manned space program has entered a "new phase of application and development," Wu said.

DREAM LAB

Measuring 10.4 meters in length and up to 3.35 meters in diameter, the tube-like Tiangong-2 is hardly the size of a palace. But its name means heavenly palace in Chinese, and it symbolizes the dream that the Chinese have long envisioned in the sky.

Originally built as a backup to Tiangong-1, Tiangong-2 looks much like its predecessor launched in 2011, but its interior living quarters and life support system have been improved to allow longer astronaut stays.

It is designed to enable two astronauts to live in space for up to 30 days and to receive manned and cargo spaceships.

Once inside Tiangong-2, two astronauts arriving from the Shenzhou-11 spaceship will carry out key experiments related to in-orbit equipment repairs, aerospace medicine, space physics and biology, such as quantum key distribution, atomic space clocks and solar storm research.

"The number of experiments carried out by Tiangong-2 will be the highest of any manned space mission so far," said Lyu Congmin with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

According to Zhu Zongpeng, chief designer of China's space lab system, Tiangong-2's workload includes POLAR, a collaboration between Swiss, Polish and Chinese institutions to study gamma ray bursts, the most energetic events in the universe.

A cold atomic space clock, which scientists say only loses one second in about 30 million years, is expected to make future navigation more accurate.

Scientists will also conduct a space-Earth quantum key distribution and laser communications experiment, to facilitate space-to-ground quantum communication.

Also, piggybacking on the Tiangong-2 launch will be a robotic arm that can be used for in-orbit repairs. There will also be a micro satellite that will orbit close to the space lab and snap on to Tiangong-2 and the visiting Shenzhou-11 spacecraft crew.

Earlier reports said Tiangong-2 will also carry out three experiments created by the winners of a Hong Kong middle school design contest.

"Tiangong-2 has a designed life of two years, but it is expected to work much longer than that in space," said Zhu.

Both Zhu and Wu referred to Tiangong-2 as China's first space lab "in the strict sense."

Its predecessor Tiangong-1, which docked with the Shenzhou-8, Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 spaceships and undertook a series of experiments, was mainly used to verify technology involved in space docking and serve as a simple platform for a number of scientific experiments, Wu said.

"In comparison, Tiangong-2 will boast many more experiments," said Zhu.

Tiangong-1 ended its data service earlier this year and will, reportedly, burn up as it falls into Earth's atmosphere in the latter half of 2017.

Tiangong-2 will drop into the Pacific Ocean at the end of its mission, according to the manned space engineering office.

TRAILBLAZER

The successful launch of the Tiangong-2, along with the maiden flight of China's new generation carrier rocket Long March-7 in June, bodes well for the final phase of China's three-step manned space program.

The first step, to send an astronaut into space and return safely, was fulfilled by Yang Liwei in the Shenzhou-5 mission in 2003.

The second step is developing advanced space flight techniques and technologies including extra-vehicular activity and orbital docking. This phase also includes the launch of two space laboratories - effectively mini space-stations that can be manned on a temporary basis.

Finally, the third step will be to assemble and operate a permanent manned space station.

It is expected that the space station will consist of three parts -- a core module attached to two space labs, each weighing about 20 tonnes.

According to Zhou Jianping, chief engineer of China's manned space program, one important target of Tiangong-2 is to verify technology involved in the construction of the space station.

"It has the basic technological capacity of a space station," Zhou said.

"Once the space lab mission comes to an end, China will start building our own space station," he said, adding this could start in as early as 2017.

Construction of the space station is planned for completion by around 2020.

It will enter into service around 2022, with an initial designed life of at least 10 years, Zhu Zongpeng told Xinhua. By then, astronauts could be stationed in orbit for missions that last more than one year, he added.

The Chinese space station will be much smaller than the current International Space Station (ISS), which weigh 420 tonnes, but it can be expanded for "scientific research and international cooperation," Zhou said.

With the ISS set to retire in 2024, the Chinese station will offer a promising alternative, and China will be the only country with a permanent space station.

According to Zhou, the Chinese space station will be more "economically efficient and informationized" than the ISS. It will be able to house a maximum of six astronauts at the same time and manned missions will become routine once the space station enters service.

Starting from scratch, China's ever-expanding multi-billion-dollar space program is increasingly becoming a source of national pride and a marker of technological expertise in the global community.

After launching its first manned mission in 2003, China staged a spacewalk in 2008, and sent Tiangong-1 into space in 2011.

It succeeded in a manned docking in space in 2012, becoming the third country to do so after the United States and Russia, and landed its Yutu rover on the moon a year later.

Now China is preparing Tianhe-1, a core space station module, which may be lifted by the powerful Chinese rocket Long March-5 in 2018. Additionally, Chinese scientists are making a Hubble-like telescope to orbit near the planned space station.

China also aims to send the Chang'e-5 probe to the moon and return with lunar samples in the second half of 2017, and to land a probe on Mars by 2021.

Source:Xinhua

Tiangong-2 experiments: Scientists to test new technologies in space

Full coverage: China Tiangong-2 Space Lab Launch

Chinese scientists are planning to use the country's new space laboratory to conduct over a dozen advanced experiments in space.

They are going to use the world's first in-space cold atomic clock to measure time more accurately, and increase the precision of navigation systems here on earth.

Scientists will also test a quantum communication system that relays encrypted information between the space lab and stations on the ground -- that will be impossible for third parties to hack. 

A materials lab on the Tiangong-2 will take advantage of zero-gravity conditions to test 18 new-age composite materials that will be used in future products.


Technical upgrades and innovations

Well for the latest on the Tiangong-2 mission and China's ongoing space program, we are joined now in the studio by my colleague, Wu Haojun.

Q1. So what is so special about the Tiangong-2 mission that sets it apart from China's previous space endeavours?

Well, not to dismiss work done previously but Tiangong-2 really is China's VERY FIRST space laboratory in a literal sense. Tiangong-2 of course builds on the work of the similarly designed space module Tiangong-1, which was sent into orbit five years ago. But scientists are quick to point out that Tiangong-2 is not simply a duplicate of Tiangong-1. For example, Tiangong-2 has upgraded living quarters and life support systems meaning astronauts can stay in orbit for longer periods.

And that's not all. The space lab is also equipped with robotic arms that can conduct maintenance work outside the lab - so in outer space - in place of the astronauts themselves. And in this digital age of smartphones and selfies. Tiangong-2 doesn't want to be left behind. The space lab will be accompanied by a small Banxing-2 satellite, which will capture images of the lab in orbit and monitor the space around it for potential hazards such as floating debris.

And last but not least, Tiangong-2 will be used primarily to conduct those all-important space science experiments and this time on a comparitively larger scale. These include a quantum communications experiment, in-orbit propellant resupply and a microwave radiometer for tracking ocean dynamics to name just a few.

Q2. The launch of Tiangong-2 starts a new chapter in China's space program...so what's next?

Well this is definitely just the beginning of a series of space endeavours already planned to take place in the near future. The launch of Tiangong 2 will be followed by a crewed spaceflight mission, Shenzhou 11, set to take place next month and that will be followed by an experimental cargo resupply mission, Tianzhou 1, in the first half of 2017. Now these recent plans are just the tip of the iceberg for China's long-term space ambitions. According to the country's Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, China is expected to have more than 200 spacecraft in orbit by 2020 and perform on average around 30 launches per year.

China's robotic or unmanned mission to Mars is due to begin around 2020. However, the ultimate goal is to assemble and operate a 60-ton space station by around 2022. As you can see everything has already been planned out.The key as with everything now is execution and for Chinese space scientists that means taking things one launch at a time.



Related posts:


Aug 16, 2016 ... Combined photo shows China launching the world's first quantum satellite on top of a Long March-2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch ...



DBS, the Beidou Navigation Satellite System from China 
Jun 17, 2016 ... In 2020, the BDS might offer different positioning accuracy choices and could ... China space station will be completed by 2020, the super "eye".

Mar 1, 2016 ... China space station will be completed by 2020, the super "eye" to speed up space rendezvous ... The "eye" is China's newly developed third-generation rendezvous and docking CCD optical imaging sensor. It will be used on China's ... China's Space Age Grows Up As U.S. Space Race ..

May 6, 2011 ... See how China's first space station, called Tiangong (. Source: SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration