China’s Space Station Marks a Major Step in Their Space Advancement
A digital rendering of China’s Tiangong space station. Photo: China Manned Space Agency / Space News
13 hours after launching from Earth on Oct. 31, China’s Mengtian rocket module docked at the Tiangong space station to finish the station’s assembly. The docking of the rocket and subsequent maneuvers of the rocket’s module marked the completion of the third and final phase of Tiangong’s construction. Now, China eyes a new future in the final frontier.
The Mengtian module, launched from Hainan island in southern China, was stored aboard a Long March 5B rocket. The Long March line of rockets has served as China’s premier line of space-going rockets, carrying all three parts of the Tiangong station to space. The station is now manned by three astronauts: Chen Dong, Cai Xuzhe, and Liu Yang. In 2012, Liu became the first Chinese woman to travel to space.
The station will be used for at least 10 years, with Chinese officials expecting that at least 1,000 experiments will be conducted on the station over the coming decade. Some experiments on the station will mirror those conducted on the International Space Station, including plant growing experiments and experiments on the effects of prolonged life in space on health. While the Tiangong station will feature international cooperation, the United States will notably be absent due to rules prohibiting NASA from working with China on the station.
Nine experiments on the station will be collaborative international efforts. Scientists and astronauts from 17 countries will visit the station to work on these projects, which include experiments on DNA mutation in space and the birth of stars.
Though only 18 meters in length, the seemingly small Tiangong station marks a major step in China’s extraterrestrial advancements. Unlike the International Space Station, analysts believe the political goals of Tiangong will likely aim to show Chinese independence in the new space age. Chinese independence combined with American legal blocks is a departure from Cold War precedent, as Western and Soviet scientists sporadically collaborated on space ventures.
A Long March 5 rocket launches in July, 2022. Photo: China Daily / Reuters
On Earth, Chinese engineers have made important progress in the nation’s goal to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030 and the later goal of sending astronauts to Mars. The new Long March 9 will replace the Long March 5 in support of planetary ambitions beyond Earth.
American responses to Chinese space advancements have been largely negative. In late 2021, United States Space Force General David Thompson told the Halifax International Security Forum that “the threats are really growing and expanding every day.” Internal American military reports suggest that American primacy in space could be ceded to China by 2045 if current trends continue, caused by a combination of Chinese investment and ever-changing American goals for space exploration.
NASA, for its part, continues to focus on the Artemis I mission following the successful launch and deployment of the James Webb Space Telescope. NASA is aiming for a Nov. 14 launch for Artemis, despite the oncoming Subtropical Storm Nicole. An intensification of the storm could postpone launch plans, however, as NASA will wait until the target launch day to make an evaluation. The Artemis I launch was aborted twice in the late summer due to rocket failures. Artemis I will be uncrewed, with Artemis II set to take humans further from Earth than ever before. Artemis III, which is set to be launched in 2025, will be a manned mission landing on the Moon. NASA intends to land the first woman on the Moon on Artemis III.