A 3-man crew of astronauts will blast off in June for a three-month mission on China’s new area station, in accordance to an area official who was the nation’s first astronaut in orbit.
The plans for the station’s first crew had been confirmed to state tv by Yang Liwei, the manned area program’s deputy chief designer, as an automatic spacecraft was launched with gasoline and provides for the Tianhe station.
The Tianhe, or Heavenly Harmony, is the third and largest area station launched by China’s more and more formidable area program. Its core module was launched into orbit April 29.
The Shenzhou 12 capsule carrying the crew can be launched from the Jiuquan base in China’s northwest subsequent month, Yang mentioned in feedback broadcast Saturday by China Central Television.
They will observe spacewalks and conduct repairs and upkeep in addition to scientific operations.
Yang, who orbited Earth in 2003, gave no particulars of the astronauts’ identities or a flight date and mentioned the crew will come from this system’s two earliest teams of astronauts.
Asked whether or not girls can be in the crew, Yang mentioned, “on Shenzhou 12 we don’t have them, but missions after that all will have them.”
The Tianzhou-2 spacecraft that docked with Tianhe on Sunday carried 6.8 tons of cargo together with area fits, meals and gear for the astronauts and gasoline for the station, in accordance to the area program.
The area company plans a complete of 11 launches by way of the top of subsequent 12 months to ship two extra modules for the 70-ton station, provides and the crew.
Beijing doesn’t take part in the International Space Station, largely due to U.S. objections. Washington is cautious of the Chinese program’s secrecy and its army connections.
China has despatched 11 astronauts, together with two girls, into area starting with Yang’s flight in October 2003. The first feminine astronaut was Liu Yang in 2012.
All of China’s astronauts to date have been pilots from the ruling Communist Party’s army wing, the People’s Liberation Army.
Astronauts on the Tianhe will observe making spacewalks with two individuals exterior the hull at one time, in accordance to Yang. China’s first spacewalk was made in 2008 by Zhai Zhigang exterior the Shenzhou 7 capsule.
Also this month, the Chinese area program landed a probe, the Tianwen-1, on Mars carrying a rover, the Zhurong.
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