China successfully launches Wentian lab module, adds a second part to its three-module space station

China launched the Wentian lab module for the space station. Photo: Fan Wei/GT

Wentian lab module successfully launched. Graphics: GT

After moving into the core module of China’s Tianhe space station for more than a month, the crew of three Shenzhou-14 taikonauts are now just hours away from carrying out their first major mission in orbit, accepting the arrival of the Wentian laboratory module and adding it to the China Space Station three modules.

With coconut palms shaking on the coastline of the tropical island province of Hainan in South China, the giant Long March-5B Y3 heavy-lift rocket lifted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site at 2:22 p.m., and successfully delivered Wentian – the first lab module for the station. the country’s outer space – to a predetermined orbit.

After a flight of about eight minutes, the Wentian module separated from the rocket body and entered its designated orbit, marking the success of the launch mission, China’s Manned Space Agency said in a statement provided to Global Times Sunday.

Wentian is expected to have a semi-autonomous rendezvous and dock with the Tianhe space station’s core cabin in the forward port, and in a few hours, the Tianhe space station’s core module will for the first time receive a new spacecraft while the crew is in. on the ship.

Dubbed the “toughest friend” among all single space modules in active service in the world, the Wentian lab module is the second of the China Space Station’s three-module basic structure, following the first 16-meter-long Tianhe core module launched in April 2021.

China launched the Wentian lab module for the space station. Photo: Fan Wei/GT

The future expansion structure of the China Space Station, which according to China’s manned space authority, will weigh more than 180 tons. Now with Wentian docked to Tianhe, the combined weight of the space station has reached about 50 tons.

With the complete systems and functions equipped on Wentian, the lab module has been considered by some observers to be a “mini space station.” Could the all-in-module technology offer the possibility of adding new modules to the Chinese space station in the future to further expand its scale and functionality?

Liang Xiaofeng, Wentian’s chief electrical designer, told the Global Times that from a technical point of view, Wentian has paved the way for expansion, but the next plan will suit the whole project. “We have to analyze and sort out the needs for each plan, but we must have acquired the key technology [for module expansion] as a backup.”

The new modules to be added to the T-shape structure could be foreign spacecraft such as laboratory modules or manned spacecraft, Pang Zhihao, a senior space expert, told the Global Times.

Summarizing the functions of the lab module, the state-owned aerospace giant China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), the main contractor for the space station program, said in a statement sent to the Global Times that Wentian was primarily designed with the capabilities of integrated management and control of station assembly in mind, as well as the ability to dock, change position and park in the core cabin. It will also support taikonauts staying in orbit by providing special airlock cabins and emergency shelters to ensure their safety during extravehicular activities or spacewalk missions, and support various scientific experiments inside and outside the cabin.

To begin with, with Wentian docked into the space station combination, the living and work areas for taikonauts would instantly multiply. Also, the Wentian’s larger diameter airlock will facilitate the crew’s space missions, a change that is clearly for the better for the crew, among other things.

Wentian’s main platform functions the same as that of Tianhe, meaning that both will serve as backup to each other, and both are capable of meeting all the task requirements required for assembly, CASC said.

Weighing 23 tonnes at launch, the Wentian consists of three sections: a work cabin, an airlock cabin and a power source cabin, with a total length of 17.9 meters and a diameter of 4.2 meters.

Photo: Combination of China Wentian space station laboratory module and Long March-5B Y3 carrier rocket at Wenchang Space Launch Site on July 24, 2022 Photo: Tu Haichao

It weighs about the same as a Beijing subway carriage, even larger than the Tianhe core cabin which is 16.6 meters long and weighs 22.5 tons. Wentian is also heavier than other single-module spacecraft with flight functions that remain in active service, including those deployed on the International Space Station, according to CASC.

Wentian’s work cabin is by far the largest single enclosed cabin in China, including three sleeping areas and one sanitation area. Once docked, the space station will be able to accommodate six astronauts. That is, when the crew of the Shenzhou-15 mission met up with Shenzhou-14 for a rotation in space, Li Jinlin, chief designer of extravehicular clothing at the Astronaut System under China’s Manned Space Agency, told the Global Times.

The airlock cabin has a unique shape – square on the outside but round on the inside. It is an “upgraded version” of the one in the core module, expanding the “fitting space” for astronauts to change into spacesuits and prepare for their spacewalking missions, and the gate is one meter in diameter, allowing for a more comfortable egress and entry for astronauts, while also allows them to carry larger equipment outside the cabin.

Therefore, the Wentian airlock cabin will be the main entry and exit for extravehicular activities, while the previous one in Tianhe will serve as a backup.

Meanwhile, with two entrance and exit cabins, they will greatly improve reliability and further ensure the safety of taikonauts in case of an emergency during extravehicular work, Li said.

Wentian’s lab modules are explained in detail. Image: Deng Zijun/GT

Outside the airlock cab there are 22 extravehicular payload interfaces. In the next decade, experimental payloads sent to the space station will be accurately “plugged” into the appropriate interface via the help of a robotic arm, no longer requiring astronaut manual operation, CASC revealed to the Global Times.

Apart from 22 interfaces, Wentian’s lab also has eight experimental cabinets. It will mainly focus on the study of extraterrestrial life science, which can support the growth, development, genetics and aging of various species of plants, animals and microorganisms under space conditions, Lv Congmin, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and deputy chief designer space utilization system of China’s Manned Space Program, told the Global Times.

More than 10 research directions have been planned and more than 40 scientific projects have been established for Wentian, said Lv.

Mengtian’s other lab modules, which are scheduled to launch in October, will be oriented towards microgravity scientific research and equipped with experimental cabinets for fluid physics, materials science, combustion science, basic physics, and space technology experiments.

China launched the Wentian lab module for the space station. Photo: Huang Guochang

Another highlight of the Wentian lab module is a small five-meter-long robotic arm mounted outside the airlock cabin. With seven degrees of freedom, the device has greater precision and flexibility to “understand” small and medium-sized equipment, and is capable of performing more complex operations than the larger robot arm with the Tianhe module.

The weight and length of the small robotic arm is about half of the large one in the Tianhe core cabin, and the load capacity is about one-eighth of the large arm. When combined, they will have a total length of 15 meters, and will be able to “climb” the three modules of Tianhe, Wentian, and Mengtian in the future.

Despite its extra large size, the Wentian has a very long set of wings – flexible solar panels with multiple degrees of freedom. A full wingspan of more than 55 meters, longer than half a football field, set a new record for solar panels used for Chinese spacecraft. Each panel has an open area of ​​approximately 110 square meters.

The two solar panels will effectively collect more of the sun’s energy, generate an average of more than 430 kiloWatt hours per day and provide sufficient power for the operation of the space station. If placed on earth, daily electricity generation from solar panels is sufficient to support the electricity demand of an average Beijing household for a month and a half.

With the completion of the space station, one of the Tianhe solar panels will be moved to the back of Wentian, and at that time the core module will only focus on operating the station, while the lab module will be the “main force”. house.”

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