China Unveils New 'Heavenly Palace' Space Station As ISS Days Numbered
Faizan Hashmi Published November 06, 2018 | 05:21 PM
China unveiled on Tuesday a replica of its first permanently crewed space station, which would replace the international community's orbiting laboratory and symbolises the country's major ambitions beyond Earth
Zhuhai, China, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Nov, 2018 ) :China unveiled on Tuesday a replica of its first permanently crewed space station, which would replace the international community's orbiting laboratory and symbolises the country's major ambitions beyond Earth.
The 17-metre (55-foot) core module was a star attraction at the biennial Airshow China in the southern coastal city of Zhuhai, the country's main aerospace industry exhibition.
The model represented the living and working space of the Tiangong -- or "Heavenly Palace" -- which will also have two other modules for scientific experiments and will be equipped with solar panels.
Three astronauts will be permanently stationed in the 60-tonne orbiting lab, which will enable the crew to conduct biological and microgravity research.
Assembly is expected to be completed around 2022 and the station would have a lifespan of around 10 years.
The International Space Station -- a collaboration between the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan -- has been in operation since 1998 but is due to be retired in 2024.
China will then have the only space station in orbit, though it will be much smaller than the ISS which weighs 400 tonnes and is as large as a football pitch.
The country announced in May that the lab would be open to "all countries" to conduct science experiments.
Research institutes, universities, and public and private companies have been invited to propose projects. It has received 40 plans from 27 countries and regions, according to state media.
The European Space Agency has sent astronauts to China to receive training in order to be ready to work inside the Chinese space station once it is launched.
China is pouring billions into its military-run space programme, with plans to send humans to the Moon in the near future.
But it has encountered some glitches.
A space lab dubbed Tiangong-1 disintegrated as it plunged back to Earth in early April, two years after it ceased functioning.
Chinese authorities denied that the lab -- which was placed in orbit in September 2011 as a testing ground for the permanent station -- was out of control.
A second lab, the Tiangong-2, was launched into orbit in 2016.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Tennis: ATP Barcelona Open results - 1st update
Swiatek's perfect 10 in Stuttgart as Vondrousova stuns Sabalenka
Arandu's roads closed due to flooding
Oil tanker catches fire in Islamabad’s Blue Area
Pakistan committed to ensure safety of foreign nationals: FO
Tennis: WTA Stuttgart results - 1st update
Four passengers injured as train hit an empty vehicle
Over- speeding bus crushed to death two bike riders
Turkey's Freedom Flotilla ready to set sail for Gaza
French teen dies from heart failure after knife attack near school
Iranians appear unfazed by Isfahan blasts
UAF celebrates Int'l Chinese Language Day
More Stories From World
-
Oil, gas drilling blocked in Alaska wilds as Biden seeks green cred
3 minutes ago -
Man sets self on fire outside Trump trial
3 minutes ago -
Turkey's Freedom Flotilla ready to set sail for Gaza
1 hour ago -
French teen dies from heart failure after knife attack near school
1 hour ago -
Iranians appear unfazed by Isfahan blasts
2 hours ago -
Ecuador mayor killed ahead of anti-crime referendum: police
2 hours ago
-
Croatia top court bars president from becoming next PM
2 hours ago -
Lacking storm drains, Dubai sees persistent flooding
3 hours ago -
West Bank villagers vigilant but vulnerable after settler attacks
3 hours ago -
Calls for calm after reported Israeli strike on Iran
3 hours ago -
Iran blasts rattle global markets
3 hours ago -
Photography is 'mirror on society': Sebastiao Salgado
2 hours ago