China will open its space station to other countries
China announced that the Tiengong (sky palace) Space Station, which it established in Earth orbit, will be open to visits and research projects by astronauts from United Nations (UN) member countries.
In his statement, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Vang Vinbin stated that 9 projects from 23 organizations from 17 countries have been selected to be carried out at the station so far.
Spokesperson Vang stated that they hope that the experiments and research projects to be carried out with the coordination of the UN Office of Outer Space Relations will start by the end of this year.
Emphasizing that China is ready for international cooperation with all countries committed to the principle of peaceful use of outer space, Vang said, “Foreign astronauts can visit the Chinese Space Station and work together to solve the mysteries of the universe and build the common future of humanity by making a positive contribution to Chinese astronauts.” said
CHINA’S PLAN TO BUILD A SPACE STATION
China is working to establish its own space station, as the United States forbids cooperation in space exploration and prevents its participation in the International Space Station (ISS) program.
The Tiengong station, which is planned to consist of a core module, two laboratory modules and a space telescope, will be approximately the same size as Russia’s now defunct Mir Space Station when completed.
The station’s core module, called Tienhi (celestial harmony), was launched on April 29, 2021.
Two laboratory modules that will complete the main skeleton of the station are scheduled to be sent into space in 2022. The “Vintien” (seeking the sky) module will be launched in July, and the “Mingtien” (dreaming the sky) module will be launched in October.
After the main skeleton is built, the space telescope called “Shuntien” (to travel the skies) will be added to the station as a separate module.
In order for the station to be completed by 2022, two manned expeditions on the Shincou (sacred ship) shuttle and two cargo voyages on the Tiencou (skyship) shuttle are planned at the end of the year.
