China’s Shenzhou 18 astronauts have taken outing from conducting experiments and upkeep duties to take a better have a look at planet Earth.
The Shenzhou 18 mission launched from Jiuquan spaceport on April 26, sending mission commander Ye Guangfu and crewmembers Li Cong and Li Guangsu to China’s Tiangong area station. Now, because the crewmembers close to the top of their six-month-long keep in orbit, they’ve taken a have a look at the place they got here from.
“Good day, I am astronaut Ye Guangfu. Immediately, please observe my digital camera as we’re taking a chicken’s eye view of Dongfeng Area Metropolis,” Ye stated (in Chinese language) in a video from orbit aired lately by state broadcaster CCTV. “What you see now could be the Jiuquan Satellite tv for pc Launch Middle, established in October 1958. It’s the earliest and the most important complete area launch heart in China and the one crew area launch web site within the nation.”
Ye Guangfu additionally zoomed in on, and launched, Wenchang spaceport. “Wenchang Satellite tv for pc Launch Middle is situated within the east of Hainan Island. That is the primary open launch web site in China and one of many few low-latitude launch websites on the earth,” Ye stated.
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Wenchang opened in 2014 to permit China to launch new, bigger rockets, just like the Lengthy March 5 and Lengthy March 7. Not like earlier Chinese language rockets, which use poisonous, hypergolic propellants, these are primarily fueled by liquid hydrogen and kerosene, respectively.
The Lengthy March 5B was used to launch the modules for Tiangong in 2021 and 2022. The Lengthy March 7, in the meantime, is used to ship cargo missions to the area station.
Wenchang’s position in China’s area program is about to develop within the coming years. A brand new launch pad is being constructed at Wenchang to facilitate launches of the in-development Lengthy March 10 rocket. That highly effective automobile can be able to launching crew, together with sending astronauts to the moon — one thing China goals to realize earlier than 2030.
The Shenzhou 18 crew are closing in on six months in orbit, which means they are going to quickly be returning to Earth. The crew will, nevertheless, keep in area till the incoming Shenzhou 19 astronauts arrive aboard Tiangong. Shenzhou 19’s launch date has but to be introduced, however China doesn’t present a lot discover forward of crewed launches. When the Shenzhou 18 trio do return, they are going to land in a delegated landing zone close to Dongfeng.
