China’s Advancements in Space: New Crew Sent to Tiangong Space Station

China’s Advancements in Space: New Crew Sent to Tiangong Space Station

Sub : Sci

Sec: Space sector

Why in News

China successfully launched a three-member crew to its Tiangong Space Station on Tuesday, marking a significant step in its competitive space program. As China continues to bolster its presence in space exploration, the mission reflects China’s ambition to establish itself as a space power, paralleling the U.S. and other nations.

Launch Details:

The Shenzhou-19 spaceship, carrying two male and one female astronaut, launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Tuesday. The mission relied on a Long March-2F rocket, the backbone of China’s crewed space launches, and successfully docked with the Tiangong Space Station shortly afterward.

Shenzhou 19 is part of China’s Shenzhou program, initiated in 1992, which supports its national human spaceflight ambitions and advances space exploration capabilities.

About Tiangong Space Station:

The Tiangong space station is a Chinese space station built in low Earth orbit between 340 and 450 kilometres 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

About Long March-2F rocket:

The Long March-2F rocket is China’s only crew-rated launch vehicle, specifically designed to carry astronauts to space.

It was first launched in 1999 and is part of the Long March rocket family, which supports China’s human spaceflight missions.

The Long March-2F has a height of approximately 62 meters and can carry a payload of up to 8.4 tons to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

It is powered by four liquid-fueled boosters and two stages, using nitrogen tetroxide and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) as propellants.

Future Prospects and Global Space Competition:

As China moves forward with its lunar and Mars missions, the U.S. remains a leading space power, with NASA planning its own lunar mission by 2026. China’s advancements underscore a growing global interest in space, pushing boundaries in exploration and international competition.