3 weeks ago
China's abstraction agency is making last preparations to nonstop a caller unit to its abstraction position connected Thursday arsenic portion of its eager programme that intends to put group connected nan satellite by 2030.
The three-member unit of nan Shenzhou-18 spacecraft will relieve nan existent squad who person been manning China’s Tiangong abstraction station since past October.
China built its ain abstraction position aft being excluded from nan International Space Station, mostly owed to nan United States’ concerns complete nan People’s Liberation Army’s — nan Chinese Communist Party’s subject arm’s — engagement successful nan program. This year, nan position is slated for 2 cargo spacecraft missions and 2 parented spaceflight missions.
CHINA SENDS THREE ASTRONAUTS TO TIANGONG SPACE STATION AHEAD OF TRIP TO THE MOON
In a property convention connected Wednesday, nan China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) introduced nan 3 astronauts: Commander Ye Guangfu, 43, a seasoned astronaut who was portion of nan Shenzhou-13 ngo successful 2021; and astronauts Li Cong, 34, and Li Guangsu, 36, who will spell to abstraction for nan first time.
Chinese astronauts hole for nan Shenzhou-18 ngo while nan crew, including Li Guangsu (left), Ye Guangfu (center) and Li Cong (right), speak astatine a property convention astatine nan iuquan Satellite Launch Center successful northwest China connected Wednesday, April 24. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
The Shenzhou-18 unit will walk astir six months connected nan abstraction station. They will behaviour scientific tests, instal abstraction debris protection instrumentality connected nan abstraction station, transportation retired payload experiments, and popularize subject education, among different things, according to Lin Xiqiang, lawman head of nan CMSA.
Lin besides said China was moving toward yet offering entree to its abstraction position to overseas astronauts and abstraction tourists.
"We will accelerate nan investigation and promotion of nan information of overseas astronauts and abstraction visitors successful flights pinch China’s abstraction station," he said. "We decidedly expect to spot astronauts of different identities connected China’s abstraction station."
The unit is group for lift-off astatine 1259 GMT from nan Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center connected nan separator of nan Gobi Desert successful nan country’s northwest.
China conducted its first parented abstraction ngo successful 2003, becoming nan 3rd state aft nan erstwhile Soviet Union and nan U.S. to put a personification into abstraction utilizing its ain resources.
The U.S. abstraction programme is believed to still clasp a important separator complete China’s owed to its spending, proviso chains and capabilities. However, China has surgery retired successful immoderate areas, bringing samples backmost from nan lunar aboveground for nan first clip successful decades and landing a rover connected nan little explored acold broadside of nan moon.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The U.S. — nan only state to person antecedently put astronauts connected nan moon — intends to put a unit backmost connected nan lunar aboveground by nan extremity of 2025 arsenic portion of a renewed committedness to crewed missions, aided by backstage assemblage players specified arsenic SpaceX and Blue Origin.
Only 4 countries, nan U.S., Russia, China and India, person landed spacecraft connected nan moon.
