Tag: Tiangong 2
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Chinese space station testbed ends mission with controlled re-entry
A prototype space lab module for China’s planned space station re-entered the atmosphere over the South Pacific Ocean Friday to end a nearly three-year mission that included a visit from Chinese astronauts and an in-orbit refueling demonstration. The 34.1-foot-long (10.4-meter) Tiangong 2 module plunged into Earth’s atmosphere at 1306 GMT (9:06 a.m. EDT) Friday…
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China set to deorbit disused Tiangong 2 space lab
This view of the Tiangong 2 and Shenzhou 11 docked complex was captured Oct. 23, 2016, and downlinked to Earth on Tuesday by the Banxing 2 microsatellite. In this photo, Shenzhou 11 is at the top of the image, and Tiangong 2 is at the bottom of the frame. Credit: CCTV China’s Tiangong 2 space…
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Chinese space station freighter concludes refueling demo mission
Artist’s concept of the Tianzhou 1 freighter (left) and the Tiangong 2 space lab (right) docked together in orbit. Credit: China Manned Space Engineering Office China’s Tianzhou 1 freighter, a pathfinder for regular resupply and refueling trips to the country’s planned space station, wrapped up a series of successful propellant transfer tests with the orbiting…
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China’s space station plan bolstered by year of successes
Artist’s concept of China’s planned space station. Credit: CMSA A series of achievements in China’s space program over the last 12 months have set the stage to start construction of the country’s first space station in 2019, a year later than previously scheduled, officials said Friday. “Since 2016, we have successfully launched the Long March…
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China’s space station plan bolstered by year of successes
Artist’s concept of China’s planned space station. Credit: CMSA A series of achievements in China’s space program over the last 12 months have set the stage to start construction of the country’s first space station in 2019, a year later than previously scheduled, officials said Friday. “Since 2016, we have successfully launched the Long March…
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Tianzhou 1 freighter achieves China’s first in-space refueling demo
Animation of the Tiangong 2 space lab (left) and Tianzhou spacecraft (right) docked in orbit. Credit: CCTV The robotic Tianzhou 1 refueling freighter launched last week has successfully completed the first in-orbit propellant transfer with China’s Tiangong 2 space lab, a major accomplishment as the country’s engineers hope to finish assembly of a large space…
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China’s Tianzhou 1 cargo carrier docks with space lab in orbit
Less than two days after launching from southern China, the Tianzhou 1 supply ship glided to an automated linkup with the Chinese Tiangong 2 space laboratory around 240 miles (385 kilometers) above Earth on Saturday, ready for several months of technical demonstrations to prepare for assembly of a space station in the next few years.…
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First supply ship for Chinese space station lifts off on test flight
The Tianzhou 1 cargo craft launched aboard a Long March 7 rocket Thursday. Credit: Xinhua A Long March 7 rocket lifted off Thursday with Tianzhou 1, an unpiloted refueling freighter heading for China’s Tiangong 2 mini-space station to conduct several months of robotic demonstrations, practicing for the assembly and maintenance of a future permanently-staffed orbital…
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China’s first robotic resupply freighter transferred to launch pad
A Chinese Long March 7 rocket rolled out to its launch pad at the Wenchang space center on China’s Hainan Island on Monday. Credit: Xinhua/Ju Zhenhua Chinese engineers rolled out a Long March 7 rocket to a seaside launch complex on Hainan Island in the South China Sea on Monday, aiming to fire a robotic…
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Two Chinese astronauts back on Earth
China’s spacecraft recovery team works around the Shenzhou 11 landing capsule Friday after its touchdown in Inner Mongolia. Credit: Xinhua Two Chinese astronauts closed out a month in space Friday with a parachute-assisted landing in northern China’s remote Inner Mongolia territory, a day after the crew departed the Tiangong 2 space lab to begin the…