The first Chinese astronauts have finally arrived in the first space module of China's space station, Tianhe. The Asian country expects that this crew will be successful when it comes to the 3-month mission.
This new China program is expected to allow the country to prepare for the launch of its two additional laboratory modules, which are expected to reach Tianhe space station by 2022. However, China's space agency hasn't released the exact launch date yet of the upcoming modules.
On the other hand, the astronauts used China's Shenzhou-12 craft, which is connected with the space station module about six hours after taking off from the Jiuquan launch center on the edge of the Gobi Desert.
The astronauts who arrived are commander Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming, and the newbie astronaut Tang Hongbo. They arrived at the Tianhe space station on Thursday, June 17.
First Chinese Astronauts' Plans
The arrival of the Chinese astronauts shows that China is now keeping up with other giant space agencies, such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, and other rising companies.
According to USA Today's latest report, the three astronauts opened the hatches when they arrived at the Chinese space station.
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After that, they floated into the Tianhe-1 core living module. The released footage also showed that they were already busy unpacking their tools and equipment.
"This represents the first time Chinese have entered their own space station," said the country's state broadcaster CCTV.
On the other hand, China explained that the first crew is responsible for conducting the essential experiments, maintenance, preparations, and equipment testing.
Their efforts will be very important for the arrival of the two new laboratory modules.
China's Space Ambitions
BBC reported that once China completes its Tianhe space station, it will accept foreign involvement of other countries. This will be comparable to what NASA is currently doing.
Once the collaborations take place, the Asian country will allow other space agencies to conduct scientific experiments. However, China hasn't yet disclosed the countries it would allow or invite.
For more news updates about Tianhe's innovations and other related stories, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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Written by: Griffin Davis
