Tiangong space station
Chinese space station in low Earth orbit / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Tiangong (Chinese: 天宫; pinyin: Tiāngōng; lit. 'Sky Palace'),[5][6] officially the Tiangong space station[7] (Chinese: 天宫空间站; pinyin: Tiāngōng kōngjiānzhàn), is a permanently crewed space station constructed by China and operated by China Manned Space Agency.[8] Tiangong is a modular design, with modules docked together while in low Earth orbit, between 340 and 450 km (210 and 280 mi) above the surface. It is China's first long-term space station, part of the Tiangong program and the core of the "Third Step" of the China Manned Space Program; it has a pressurised volume of 340 m3 (12,000 cu ft), slightly over one third the size of the International Space Station. The space station aims to provide opportunities for space-based experiments and a platform for building capacity for scientific and technological innovation.[9]
Station statistics | |
---|---|
Crew | Maximum: 6[1] Currently aboard: 3 (Shenzhou 18) Expedition: 7 Commander: Ye Guangfu (PLAAC) |
Launch | 29 April 2021 (Tianhe) 24 July 2022 (Wentian) 31 October 2022 (Mengtian) ~2025 (Xuntian) |
Launch pad | Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site LC-1 |
Mission status | Operational |
Mass | ~ 100,000 kg |
Length | ~ 55.6 m[2] |
Diameter | ~ 39.0 m |
Pressurised volume | 340 m3 (12,000 cu ft) Habitable: 122 m3 (4,310 cu ft) |
Periapsis altitude | 386.4 km[3] |
Apoapsis altitude | 391.8 km[3] |
Orbital inclination | 41.47°[3] |
Typical orbit altitude | 389.1 km[3] |
Orbital speed | 7.67 km/s[3] |
Orbital period | 92.3 minutes[4] |
Days in orbit | 1101 days, 22 hours, 29 minutes (5 May 2024) |
Days occupied | 971 days, 8 hours and 8 minutes (5 May 2024) |
Statistics as of 25 April 2024 | |
Configuration | |
The construction of the station is based on the experience gained from its precursors, Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2.[10][11][12] The first module, the Tianhe ("Harmony of the Heavens") core module, was launched on 29 April 2021.[5][6] This was followed by multiple crewed and uncrewed missions and the addition of two laboratory cabin modules. The first, Wentian ("Quest for the Heavens"), launched on 24 July 2022; the second, Mengtian ("Dreaming of the Heavens"), launched on 31 October 2022.[10]