China finally launched its second module, called Wentian, to the Tiangong space station early Sunday morning. Space News reported, “China added a new experiment module to its space station Sunday, following a high-profile launch from the country’s coastal spaceport.
The Wentian experiment module launched atop of a Long March 5B rocket at 2:22 a.m. Eastern from the Wenchang spaceport on the southern Chinese island of Hainan, with crowds watching on from nearby public beach areas.
Wentian used its own propulsion system to match orbit with Tianhe, the core module of China’s under-construction space station, and completed rendezvous and docking with a forward docking port at 3:13 p.m. Eastern, July 24, China’s human spaceflight agency confirmed.”
China’s purpose
The New York Times reported, “Space has immense prestige for the Chinese government, which sees each major launch as adding to its accumulation of space power, said Namrata Goswani, an author of “Scramble for the Skies: The Great Power Competition to Control the Resources of Outer Space.” Dr. Goswani added, “China is ahead when compared to the Russian space program in terms of its lunar and Mars program as well as military space organization,”
Space Fans
China’s space fans spread across the beach near the rocket launch area on Hainan Island were waiting to see the launch on rooftops at hotels along the beachfront. Zhang Jingyi, 26 said that, It was her 19th trip to “chase rockets,”.
Future Space Projects of China
According to The Verge, “In June, China sent the three-person Shenzhou 14 crew to Tiangong to prepare for Wentian’s arrival. Mengtian, the station’s third and final lab module, is set to launch on a Long March 5B in October. This will complete the Tiangong space station, forming a T-shaped structure once the final module has docked.” There are some problems found in the rocket that will be fixed before time.
