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| It will be a couple of days before Shenzhou 8 is in a position to attempt the docking |
China has
taken the next step in its quest to become a major space power with the launch
of the unmanned Shenzhou 8 vehicle.
The
spacecraft rode a Long March 2F rocket into orbit where it will attempt to
rendezvous and dock with the Tiangong-1 lab, launched in September.
It would be
the first time China has joined two space vehicles together.
The
capability is required if the country is to carry through its plan to build a
space station by about 2020.
The Long
March carrier rocket lifted away from the Jiuquan spaceport in the Gobi Desert
at 05:58, Tuesday (21:58 GMT Monday). TV cameras relayed the ascent to orbit.
Shenzhou
separated from the rocket's upper-stage about nine minutes into the flight.
Confirmation that its solar panels had been deployed was received a short while
after.
It will be
a couple of days before Shenzhou is in a position to attempt the docking, which
will occur some 340km above the Earth.
The
vehicles will be using a radar-based system to compute their proximity to each
other and guide their final approach and contact.
The pair
will then spend 12 days circling the globe before they separate and attempt a
re-docking. Finally, Shenzhou 8 will detach and its re-entry capsule will head
back to Earth.
This will
allow experiments carried into orbit to be recovered for analysis. The German
space agency has supplied an experimental box containing fish, plants, worms,
bacteria and even human cancer cells for a series of biological studies.
- Tiangong-1 was launched in September on a Long March 2F rocket
- The unmanned laboratory unit was put in a 350km-high orbit
- Shenzhou 8 will will try to rendezvous and dock with Tiangong-1
- The project will test key technologies such as life-support systems
- China aims to start building a 60-tonne space station by about 2020
Assuming
the venture goes well, two manned missions (Shenzhou 9 and 10) are likely to
try to make similar dockings in 2012.
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| Shenzhou 8 carries experiments developed with the German space agency |
Chinese
astronauts - yuhangyuans - are expected to live aboard the conjoined vehicles
for up to two weeks. There is speculation in the Chinese media that one of
these missions could also include the country's first female yuhangyuan.
The 10.5m-long
Tiangong-1 module was launched on 29 September and has been operating well,
according to Chinese officials.
Its orbit
has been lowered slightly and the vehicle turned 180 degrees in preparation for
its upcoming union with Shenzhou 8.
Beijing
sees the Tiangong and Shenzhou dockings as the next phase in its step-by-step
approach to acquiring the skills of human spaceflight operations.
It is a
learning curve China hopes will eventually lead to the construction of a space
station, starting at the end of the decade.
At about 60
tonnes in mass, this future station would be considerably smaller than the
400-tonne international platform operated by the US, Russia, Europe, Canada and
Japan, but its mere presence in the sky would nonetheless represent a
remarkable achievement.
 |
| Tiangong-1 was launched in September |
Concept
drawings describe a core module weighing some 20-22 tonnes, flanked by two
slightly smaller laboratory vessels.
Officials
say it would be supplied by freighters in exactly the same way that robotic
cargo ships keep the International Space Station (ISS) today stocked with fuel,
food, water, air, and spare parts.
China is
investing billions of dollars in its space programme. It has a strong space
science effort under way, with two orbiting satellites having already been
launched to the Moon and a third mission expected to put a rover on the lunar
surface.
Next week
should see its first Mars orbiter - Yinghuo-1 - begin its journey to the Red
Planet.
The Asian
country is also deploying its own satellite-navigation system known as
BeiDou-Compass.
Bigger
rockets are coming, too. The Long March 5 will be capable of putting more than
20 tonnes in a low-Earth orbit. This lifting muscle, again, will be necessary
for the construction of a space station.
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