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Context

• China launched the final component — the Mengtian module — of its permanent space station- Tiangong Space Station.

 

Tiangong Space Station

• Tiangong is a space station being constructed by China in low Earth orbit between 340 and 450 km above the surface.
• Being China's first long-term space station, it is the goal of the "Third Step" of the China Manned Space Program.
• Once completed, The T-shaped Tiangong space station, will have a mass of about 460 tonnes on earth roughly one-fifth the mass of the International Space Station.

 

Mengtian

• Mengtian is the second of the two modules that will house science labs for carrying out experiments. The other lab module Wentian was sent in July 2022. Together, they will complete the two arms of China’s space station Tiangong, which means ‘Palace in the Sky’.
• Mengtian (literal meaning: Dreaming of the Heaven) was sent to the earth’s lower orbit, over 380 kilometres above the surface, aboard the Long March-5B Y4 carrier rocket. After docking on to the core module Tianhe within hours of lift-off, it will finish the T-shaped structure of the space station.

Modules of Tiangong Space Station

1. Tianhe – the core module of the Tiangong space station was launched on 29 April 2021. This module consists of three sections: a habitational quarter where taikonauts (Chinese astronauts) can live, a non-habitable service section, and a docking hub – somewhere for arriving spacecraft to join to.

 

1. Wentian – this additional module was launched on 24 July 2022. The first of two lab modules – it will also act as the backup of the core Tianhe module to control and manage the space station. Its airlock will serve as the main exit for future spacewalks, and it has a mechanical arm that will be used to help spacecraft relocate and redock.

 

1. Mentian – This second lab module will have an airlock of its own for transportation of equipment.

 

1. Xuntian Space Station Telescope – planned for launch in 2023, the two-metre mirrored telescope is expected to image up to 40% of the entire sky over ten years. It will orbit with the space station in a slightly different position, allowing it to periodically dock with Tiangong for refuelling and repair.

Read:

https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/wentian-lab-module

 

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/world/china-takes-final-step-towards-space-station-assembly-with-launch-of-mengtian-module-85697