Tiangong - Chinese Space Station

[slavvy]

New videos

I found the first video really interesting. Very nice sleeping berths, each one has a porthole.
Most fascinating are the elastic bands built in the clothes (starting about 10:00 in the first video).
Do NASA/ESA/Roskosmos have something like that?

[edzieba]

New videos

I found the first video really interesting. Very nice sleeping berths, each one has a porthole.
Most fascinating are the elastic bands built in the clothes (starting about 10:00 in the first video).
Do NASA/ESA/Roskosmos have something like that?

They look very similar to the "Pingvin" resistive exercise suit.

[Timber Micka]

I just found on Google this image from August 2021 of what appears to be a mockup of the fully assembled station.

[ddspaceman]

https://twitter.com/DongFangHour/status/1489558052596555779

[russianhalo117]

I just found on Google this image from August 2021 of what appears to be a mockup of the fully assembled station.

The modules are flight hardware given the protective remove before flight covers and streamers that say remove before flight. The engineering and ground test articles have grey metallic covers and flight spares also have red covers. Mockups generally do not receive such covers.

[Timber Micka]

I just found on Google this image from August 2021 of what appears to be a mockup of the fully assembled station.

The modules are flight hardware given the protective remove before flight covers and streamers that say remove before flight. The engineering and ground test articles have grey metallic covers and flight spares also have red covers. Mockups generally do not receive such covers.

Interesting. I had no idea they were doing these kinds of full-scale fit checks with flight hardware.

[edzieba]

I just found on Google this image from August 2021 of what appears to be a mockup of the fully assembled station.

The modules are flight hardware given the protective remove before flight covers and streamers that say remove before flight. The engineering and ground test articles have grey metallic covers and flight spares also have red covers. Mockups generally do not receive such covers.

China may not follow the same colour-coding conventions as others.

But regardless, the answer to "is it a ground test article or flight hardware?" is 'yes': The Tianhe module pictured is Tianhe-2, the backup to Tianhe-1 (so flight hardware), but is also being used as the ground test article - because if you need to build two anyway, may as well use it rather than warehousing it. There are tentative plans to launch it at a later date as part of a later phase Tiangong expansion.

[woods170]

I just found on Google this image from August 2021 of what appears to be a mockup of the fully assembled station.

The modules are flight hardware given the protective remove before flight covers and streamers that say remove before flight. The engineering and ground test articles have grey metallic covers and flight spares also have red covers. Mockups generally do not receive such covers.

China may not follow the same colour-coding conventions as others.

But regardless, the answer to "is it a ground test article or flight hardware?" is 'yes': The Tianhe module pictured is Tianhe-2, the backup to Tianhe-1 (so flight hardware), but is also being used as the ground test article - because if you need to build two anyway, may as well use it rather than warehousing it. There are tentative plans to launch it at a later date as part of a later phase Tiangong expansion.

China is taking a direct cue from the Soviet-Union (and later Russia) who did the exact same thing with the Almaz and Salyut space stations. As well as elements for the ISS (such as Rassvet and Nauka which were converted from ground test articles for SPP and the FGB).
Heck, even the USA did it. Space Shuttle Challenger was converted from the shuttle STA. It even happens with satellites. The IRAS IRX was converted from the development model. The ANS PFS was converted into the spare flight article in case the Scout launcher decided to have a bad day (which it did by the way but fortunately did not result in LOM, but that is another story).

[Finn Mac Doreahn]

The flight schedule covers to Shenzhou 15. Is anything yet known concerning the launch dates for Shenzhou 16,17,etc?

[russianhalo117]

I just found on Google this image from August 2021 of what appears to be a mockup of the fully assembled station.

The modules are flight hardware given the protective remove before flight covers and streamers that say remove before flight. The engineering and ground test articles have grey metallic covers and flight spares also have red covers. Mockups generally do not receive such covers.

China may not follow the same colour-coding conventions as others.

But regardless, the answer to "is it a ground test article or flight hardware?" is 'yes': The Tianhe module pictured is Tianhe-2, the backup to Tianhe-1 (so flight hardware), but is also being used as the ground test article - because if you need to build two anyway, may as well use it rather than warehousing it. There are tentative plans to launch it at a later date as part of a later phase Tiangong expansion.

They have on nearly every spacecraft to date they have manufactured that we have seen photos of. The red is an internationally agreed colour just like International Aerospace Orange and others.

[ddspaceman]

https://twitter.com/CNSAWatcher/status/1491585530420731904

[edzieba]

I just found on Google this image from August 2021 of what appears to be a mockup of the fully assembled station.

The modules are flight hardware given the protective remove before flight covers and streamers that say remove before flight. The engineering and ground test articles have grey metallic covers and flight spares also have red covers. Mockups generally do not receive such covers.

China may not follow the same colour-coding conventions as others.

But regardless, the answer to "is it a ground test article or flight hardware?" is 'yes': The Tianhe module pictured is Tianhe-2, the backup to Tianhe-1 (so flight hardware), but is also being used as the ground test article - because if you need to build two anyway, may as well use it rather than warehousing it. There are tentative plans to launch it at a later date as part of a later phase Tiangong expansion.

They have on nearly every spacecraft to date they have manufactured that we have seen photos of. The red is an internationally agreed colour just like International Aerospace Orange and others.

Spacecraft covers are not nearly as universal as in commercial aviation. For example, the Ariane covers, plugs and tags are a rather nice purple rather than red!

[Timber Micka]

https://twitter.com/CNSAWatcher/status/1492415784769007617

[starbase]

Completed CSS operation milestones:

2021
Apr. 29 at 3:23 UTC - launch of Tianhe on CZ-5B
May 29 at 12:55 UTC - launch of Tianzhou 2 on CZ-7
May 29 at 21:01 UTC - docking of Tianzhou 2 with aft port of Tianhe (+propellant transfer)
June 17 at 1:22 UTC - launch of Shenzhou 12 [Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo] on CZ-2F/G
June 17 at 7:54 UTC - docking of Shenzhou 12 [Nie, Liu, Tang] with forward port of Tianhe
July 4 at 0:11–6:57 UTC - spacewalk (EVA-1) from Tianhe airlock (test of new space suits, installation of foot restraints, work platform and exterior panoramic camera, emergency return to airlock training) [Liu, Tang]
Aug. 20 at 0:38–6:33 UTC spacewalk (EVA-2) from Tianhe airlock (installation of external pump assembly, panoramic camera activation, foot restraints & extravehicular working platform installation on the robotic arm) [Nie, Liu]
Sep. 16 at 0:56 UTC - undocking of Shenzhou 12 from forward port of Tianhe (+rendezvous test at nadir port) [Nie, Liu, Tang]
Sep. 17 at 4:45–4:48–5:34 UTC - jettison of OM & deorbit burn & landing of Shenzhou 12 [Nie, Liu, Tang]
Sep. 18 at 2:25~6:25 UTC - undocking of Tianzhou 2 from aft port of Tianhe and docking with forward port of Tianhe (+propellant transfer testing)
Sep. 20 at 7:10 UTC - launch of Tianzhou 3 on CZ-7
Sep. 20 at 14:08 UTC - docking of Tianzhou 3 with aft port of Tianhe
Oct. 15 at 16:23 UTC - launch of Shenzhou 13 on CZ-2F/G [Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, Ye Guangfu]
Oct. 15 at 23:48 UTC - docking of Shenzhou 13 with nadir port of Tianhe [Zhai, Wang, Ye]
Nov. 7 at 10:51–17:16 UTC spacewalk (EVA-3) from Tianhe airlock (testing of new spacesuit, installation of robotic arm adapter/end effector) [Zhai, Wang]
Dec. 26  at 10:44–16:55 UTC spacewalk (EVA-4) from Tianhe airlock (deployment of external camera platform C, object translation movement testing) [Zhai, Ye]

2022
Jan. 5 at 22:12–22:59 UTC - robotic arm relocation testing of Tianzhou 2 (near port side port)
Jan. 7 at 21:56–23:55 UTC - undocking & docking of Tianzhou 2 at forward port of Tianhe (manual docking test)
Mar. 27 at 7:59 UTC - undocking of Tianzhou 2 from forward port of Tianhe for EOM
Mar. 31 at 10:40 UTC - reentry of Tianzhou 2 over the South Pacific
Apr. 14 at 16:44 UTC - undocking of Shenzhou 13 from nadir port of Tianhe [Zhai, Wang, Ye]
Apr. 16 at 1:07–1:09~1:31–1:56 UTC - jettison of OM & deorbit burn & jettison of PM & landing of Shenzhou 13 [Zhai, Wang, Ye]
Apr. 19 at 21:02–01:06 UTC - undocking of Tianzhou 3 from aft port & docking at forward port of Tianhe

Guesstimated current timeline of upcoming CSS operations:

May 10 - launch of Tianzhou 4 on CZ-7
May 11 (NET) - docking of Tianzhou 4 with aft port of Tianhe
May/June (NET) - undocking of Tianzhou 3 from forward port of Tianhe for EOM & reentry
June 5 - launch of Shenzhou 14 on CZ-2F/G
June 6 (NET) - docking of Shenzhou 14 with nadir port of Tianhe
July 23 - launch of Wentian on CZ-5B
July 24 (NET) - docking of Wentian at forward port of Tianhe
July? (NET) - undocking of Tianzhou 4 from aft port of Tianhe for EOM & reentry
July? (NET) - robotic relocation of Wentian from forward to starboard on Tianhe
October - launch of Mengtian on CZ-5B
October - docking of Mengtian at forward port of Tianhe
October? - robotic relocation of Mengtian from forward to port on Tianhe
November - launch of Tianzhou 5 on CZ-7
November - docking of Tianzhou 5 with aft port of Tianhe
November/December - launch of Shenzhou 15 on CZ-2F/G
November/December - docking of Shenzhou 15 with forward port of Tianhe
December - undocking from nadir port & landing of Shenzhou 14
December? (NET) - undocking of Tianzhou 5 from aft port of Tianhe for EOM & reentry

Corrections & input welcome!

Edit Mar. 25
Edit Mar. 28
Edit Mar. 31
Edit Apr. 14
Edit Apr. 19
Edit Apr. 20

[Conexion Espacial]

Cross-Post:

CMSA confirmed that the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft re-entered Earth today at 10:40 UTC over the Pacific Ocean.https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/I_aK41Uva8paR-vOUNiZsg

[Conexion Espacial]

The Tianzhou-5 cargo spacecraft will carry on board five CubeSats which will be launched from the Chinese Space Station.
https://twitter.com/CNSpaceflight/status/1509162706959417348

[Rondaz]

The three Shenzhou-13 astronauts--Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu--are tidying up Tianhe ahead of their return home (perhaps later this week). [CMSA]..

https://twitter.com/AJ_FI/status/1513507763724468226

[Conexion Espacial]

Core module of China's space station achieves anticipated goal

Tianhe, the core module of China's space station, has completed its verification of key technologies and achieved its expected goal.


Yang Hong, chief designer of the space station system of the China Manned Space Program at the China Academy of Space Technology, made the remarks at a press conference in Beijing on Sunday.


Yang said the core module has been in orbit for almost one year, and all missions have been carried out smoothly and according to plan, including rendezvous and docking with two manned spacecraft and two cargo spacecraft, as well as the three-month stay of the Shenzhou-12 crew and the six-month stay of the Shenzhou-13 crew.


Missions including extravehicular activities and manual remote operations were carried out in the past year.


Key technologies related to physical and chemical recycling and life support, large complex control, as well as large flexible solar cell wings and driving, have been verified.


Evaluation results show that Tianhe's current functions perform better than their design, Yang said.


Tianhe's recycling and life-support system has provided a good environment for astronauts' metabolism needs in orbit, Yang said.


Moisture discharged by astronauts is collected as condensed water, and urine is recycled and processed into drinking water and oxygen. Tianhe's water recycling efficiency is higher than 95 percent.


The amount of drinking water and oxygen that needs to be carried by cargo spacecraft has been greatly reduced thanks to the technology.


Large-scale flexible solar cell wings have been providing energy for the core module and its complex. The assessment showed that the solar cell wings have a power generation capacity approaching 10 kilowatt, beyond the expectations of their design.


Four extravehicular activities conducted by the Shenzhou-12 and Shenzhou-13 crews covered the operations, installation and maintenance of electronics, machines, pipelines and other typical equipment outside the cabin, and laid a solid foundation for astronauts to install and maintain extravehicular facilities during long-term operational periods after the completion of the space station, Yang said.


The robot arm played an important role in the whole key technology verification process and performed excellently. Its joint motion ability and terminal positioning accuracy met its design expectations. Its stiffness proved to be capable of lifting and transferring large loads, Yang said.


Since 2020, China has successfully carried out six flight missions, including the space station core module Tianhe, the Shenzhou-12 and Shenzhou-13 manned spacecraft, and the Tianzhou-2 and Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft, Hao Chun, director of the China Manned Space Agency, said at the press conference.


All six missions achieved success and completed their goal of verifying key technologies, Hao said.


According to schedule, China will complete the in-orbit construction of its space station by 2022. A total of six missions are planned for this year, including the launch of the Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft in May, the Shenzhou-14 manned spacecraft in June, the lab module Wentian in July, and the lab module Mengtian in October.


The three modules will form a T shape to complete the in-orbit construction of China's space station, followed by the launch of the Tianzhou-5 cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou-15 manned spacecraft, Hao said.

[Satori]

From Xinhua,

Two lab modules to be central work area on China's space station.

The Wentian and Mengtian lab modules will be sent into space this year, and will become the central working area for astronauts in orbit after China's space station construction is completed, according to a press conference on Sunday.

[ddspaceman]

https://twitter.com/globaltimesnews/status/1516607204379738118