China launches final space station module ‘Mengtian’

Subject: Science and Technology

Context:

Recently China launched its final space station module ‘Mengtian’ through the Long March-5BY4 carrier rocket.

What is “Mengtian” module:

The name “Mengtian” means “dreaming of the heavens”.
It is the third and final module Tiangong space station
The module is expected to be operational for 10 years or more.
It is the second of the two modules that will host science labs required for conducting research.
Mengtian weighs in at about 23 tons, is 17.9 meters long and has a diameter of 4.2 meters.
This module will be docked on the core module Tianhe and will complete the T-shaped structure of the space station along with the other module Wentian.
Mengtian will have workstations supporting experiments related to microgravity scientific studies and frontier scientific projects focusing on fluid physics, combustion and materials science and space technologies.
It will provide a pressurized environment required for conducting scientific experiments in freefall or zero gravity, which could not be undertaken on Earth for more than a few minutes.
It will also support experiments on exposure to the space environment, cosmic rays, vacuum and solar winds.

What is the Tiangong Space Station:

The Tiangong space station is a Chinese space station built in low Earth orbit between 340 and 450 kilometers above the earth.
It is part of China Manned Space Program and is the country’s first long-term space station.
The three modules of the Tiangong Space Station are
- The Tianhe means “Harmony of the Heavens” is the core module.
- Wentian means “Quest for the Heavens” is a laboratory cabin module.
- Mengtian means “Dreaming of the Heavens” is a laboratory module.
With the fully functioning of the Space station China will become only the third country in history to have put both astronauts into space and to build a space station, after Russia and the US.
It is one-fifth the mass of the International Space Station