China sends three "taikonauts" into space to conduct experiments on its space station
On Tuesday, China took a new step in conquering the cosmos. The Republic Popular has launched a three-person manned mission whose ultimate goal will dock at the Tiangong ("Heavenly Palace") space station and pick up to the three taikonauts ("astronauts" in Chinese) who passed by.
The launch of Shenzhou-16, the official name of the mission represents a new breakthrough in China's space program, which plans to send a mission Crewed to the moon in 2030, Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the inhabited space agency.
Exciting moment. #Shenzhou16 pic.twitter.com/56dgUdcvDg
— Hua Chunying (@SpokespersonCHN) May 30, 2023
This is the first crew change at the Chinese station since November. Past, when the Asian power completed the assembly of the third and last module -a laboratory- leaving the terminal ready for full Operation: a kind of scientific capsule in orbit at 400 kilometers of the Earth.
The news echoes the ancient space race between the Soviet Union and the United States, but with new players facing a tough Competition on many fronts.
Washington has rekindled interest in walking on the star in the In recent years and plans to send people back to the satellite in 2025, in addition to establish a permanent base on lunar soil; The aerospace giants from the private sector such as SpaceX (owned by tycoon Elon Musk) and Blue Origin (Jeff Bezos) play an important role in their programs.
#Shenzhou16 taikonauts have joined the #Shenzhou15 trio in a 2nd in-orbit crew rotation at #Tiangong space station. Check out their family photo. pic.twitter.com/rwgtNURRq2
— Hua Chunying (@SpokespersonCHN) May 30, 2023
Precisely, Musk valued the news of this Monday in the social network that It also has, Twitter: "The Chinese space program is much more advanced than what most people believe." A phrase that the official media of Beijing quickly picked up.
Tiangong Station is one of the stars of China's space program, which has made great leaps in the last two decades as the country has Uploaded to the table of superpowers: in 2003 it managed to become the third largest country in the world (after the United States). and the USSR, and many years after these two) sending a person to space.
Waiting for the official announcement of #Shenzhou16 docking at the nadir port of China Space Station pic.twitter.com/zE3UzJeDh1
— China 'N Asia Spaceflight 🚀🛰️🙏 (@CNSpaceflight) May 30, 2023
The Tiangong, in any case, has scientific purposes, according to the power Asian. The objective of this mission will be to conduct experiments and "obtain high-level scientific results" in the study of "quantum phenomena", "Precision High Frequency Spatiotemporal Systems", "Verification of general relativity" and "the origin of life," Lin Xiqiang said on Monday and was reported by state media.
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