BEIJING: China plans to start building its space station in the next few weeks, with three manned space flights planned probably by June.
The Shenzhou 12 (Divine Ship) spacecraft for three crew members and a Long March 2F rocket arrived at the Jiuquan spaceport in north-west China for final assembly, state media reported on Thursday. Exactly when the manned flight is to take off was not disclosed.
Observers expect the launch of the core module of the planned Tianhe (Heavenly Harmony) space station before the end of April. The rocket has already been taken to the Wenchang spaceport on the southern Chinese island of Hainan.
Similarly, the cargo spacecraft Tianzhou 2 (Heavenly Ship) is waiting in Hainan for launch, which could subsequently take place in May.
A total of 11 missions are planned by 2022 to assemble the space station.
It would be the second permanent outpost in space after the International Space Station (ISS). If the ISS were to cease service as planned in 2024, China would be the only nation to operate a space station.
The core module weighs around 22 tonnes. The entire station would eventually consist of three modules and weigh 66 tonnes. Tianhe would thus be smaller than the ISS, which weighs 240 tonnes. — dpa
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