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China unveils new ‘Heavenly Palace’ space station as ISS days numbered
ZHUHAI, China, Nov 6, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – China unveiled on Tuesday a replica
of its first permanently crewed space station, which would replace the
international community’s orbiting laboratory and symbolises the country’s
major ambitions beyond Earth.
The 17-metre (55-foot) core module was a star attraction at the biennial
Airshow China in the southern coastal city of Zhuhai, the country’s main
aerospace industry exhibition.
Outside, China’s J-10 fighter jet and J-20 stealth fighter wowed
spectators as they zoomed across Zhuhai’s sky. Back inside, the country
displayed its fleet of drones and other military hardware.
Crowds gathered around the cylindrical space station module representing
the living and working quarters of the Tiangong — or “Heavenly Palace” —
which will also have two other modules for scientific experiments and will be
equipped with solar panels.
Three astronauts will be permanently stationed in the 60-tonne orbiting
lab, which will enable the crew to conduct biological and microgravity
research.
Assembly is expected to be completed around 2022 and the station would
have a lifespan of around 10 years.
The International Space Station — a collaboration between the United
States, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan — has been in operation since 1998
but is due to be retired in 2024.
China will then have the only space station in orbit, though it will be
much smaller than the ISS which weighs 400 tonnes and is as large as a
football pitch.
– Billions spent –
The country announced in May that the lab would be open to “all countries”
to conduct science experiments.
“There is no doubt that China will use its station in a similar way as the
ISS partners are using their outpost: research, technology and as a stepping-
stone for deep-space exploration,” said Chen Lan, analyst at
GoTaikonauts.com, a website specialised in the Chinese space programme.
Research institutes, universities, and public and private companies have
been invited to propose projects. Some 40 plans from 27 countries and regions
have been received, according to state media.
The European Space Agency has sent astronauts to China to receive training
in order to be ready to work inside the Chinese space station once it is
launched.
“I’m sure over time China will be successful developing partnerships,”
said Bill Ostrove, space analyst with US-based Forecast International
consultancy.
“Many countries, and increasingly private companies and universities, have
space programmes, but cannot afford to build their own space station,” he
said.
“The ability to put payloads and experiments on a human spaceflight
platform is extremely valuable.”
Beijing is pouring billions into its military-run space programme, with
plans to send humans to the Moon in the near future.
Citing China as a threat, US President Donald Trump has launched plans to
create a new “Space Force” to give his country dominance over rivals in
space.
– Diverse space market –
But China’s space programme has encountered some glitches.
A space lab dubbed Tiangong-1 disintegrated as it plunged back to Earth in
early April, two years after it ceased functioning.
Chinese authorities denied that the lab — which was placed in orbit in
September 2011 as a testing ground for the permanent station — was out of
control.
A second lab, the Tiangong-2, was launched into orbit in 2016.
“Despite a lot of talk of the opposite, the United States remains the most
dominant power in space right now,” Ostrove said.
“The most likely scenario for the future is that China will emerge as one
of the major space powers,” he said.
But Russia, the European Space Agency, Japan and India will continue to
play “major roles” in space exploration, while private firms are becoming
increasingly important in the sector, Ostrove added.
“The space market is becoming more diverse,” he said, “so it will be
difficult for one or two countries or companies to dominate the field in the
way the US and Soviet Union did during the Cold War.”
BSS/AFP/BZC/1935HRS