Core capsule of space station launched

Future arrangements

Construction of the space station marks the beginning of the third stage of China's manned space program, which was approved by the government in 1992.

The program's first two stages had concluded successfully with six manned spaceflights and two experimental space lab missions.

After the core capsule was launched, astronauts on the Shenzhou XII and XIII missions and two cargo ships will be launched within a few months to prepare the module for docking with other parts of the station.

Next year, Tiangong's two space labs, two manned missions and two robotic cargo flights will be made to continue construction of the station.

The entire station is expected to become fully operational around the end of 2022 and is set to work for about 15 years, mission planners have said.

Once completed, the facility will be capable of docking with multiple crewed and cargo spaceships at the same time and will also be able to link with foreign spacecraft if they have a Chinese-standard docking hatch.

Upon its completion, the station will be manned regularly by groups of three astronauts in periods lasting several months. During hand-overs to new three-astronaut groups, the station will accommodate up to six astronauts.

In addition to its own components, the station will also be accompanied by an optical telescope that will be lifted after the station's completion to fly together with it, according to mission planners.

Currently, astronauts taking part in the coming four manned spaceflights are undergoing intensive training and preparation, Ji Qiming, a senior mission manager at the China Manned Space Agency, said at a news conference on Thursday afternoon at the Wenchang center.

The Tianzhou 2 cargo ship was transported to the Wenchang facility in mid-April, and the Shenzhou XII manned spacecraft arrived in the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China at the same time.

Comfortable environment

Yang Hong, the core capsule's chief designer at the China Academy of Space Technology, said the Tianhe allows for astronauts' long-term stay and their extravehicular activities, which will be needed for them to assemble the station, examine its external condition or repair broken parts.

About 50 cubic meters are available inside the vehicle for occupants' living and work activities－much more room than in the previous Chinese manned spacecraft. Once the two space labs are connected with the capsule to complete the Tiangong station, astronauts will have as much as 110 cubic meters in their usable space, he said.

By comparison, the usable space in the Shenzhou-series crewed spaceship is about 7 cubic meters.

Yang added that outside the capsule are large mechanical arms that will assist astronauts in assembling, operating and maintaining the station.

Zhang Hao, a senior designer at the academy who took part in the capsule's development, said that compared with previous Chinese manned spaceships, the capsule features better living conditions for astronauts.

"There are separate quarters for working, sleeping, personal hygiene, dining, healthcare and physical exercises," Zhang said. "Each astronaut will have their own bed and will share a dedicated washroom, which appears in a Chinese spacecraft for the first time. We installed many appliances inside the craft to make their stay easier, such as an air conditioner, microwave oven, refrigerator, water dispenser and treadmill."

Each astronaut will have a specially designed mobile phone capable of not only making calls between astronauts and with people on the ground, but also remotely controlling the capsule's internal apparatus, according to Zhang.

Luo Bin, a senior designer at the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology who participated in the program, said solar panels are one of the capsule's technical highlights.

"The panels were made of highly flexible materials," Luo said. "That means that even though their overall area is as much as 134 square meters, once they are folded, the thickness is similar to that of an ordinary book."