Astronauts install tools on spacewalk outside China's space station
Shenzhou 12 crewmates Liu Boming (top) and Tang Hongbo exit the Tianhe core module to perform the first spacewalk outside of China's space station on Saturday, July 3, 2021. (CCTV)
For the first time, two astronauts have worked outside of China's space station, completing only the second spacewalk in the history of the country's space program.
Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo began the six-hour and 46-minute extravehicular activity (EVA) on Saturday (July 3) at 8:11 p.m. EDT (0011 GMT or 8:11 a.m. Beijing Time on July 4). Liu was first to exit the space station's Tianhe ("Harmony of the Heavens") core module, followed by Tang about three hours later.
Wearing upgraded Chinese Feitian spacesuits, the two Shenzhou 12 crewmates outfitted the space station with tools needed to support future activities.
Liu, initially working alone, attached a foot restraint and platform to the end of the station's 33-foot-long (10-meter) robotic arm and then mounted the arm himself. Shenzhou 12 commander Nie Haisheng then tested the arm's controls, moving Liu from inside the Tianhe module.
Tang, tethered to the handrails running along the exterior of the space station, later joined Liu in extending a panoramic camera. They then continued working together to install other EVA equipment with the help of the robotic arm.
"After about 7 hours of exterior activities, the Shenzhou 12 crewmates working closely together successfully completed all the scheduled tasks during the spacewalk," China's Manned Space Agency announced at the end of the EVA.
Liu and Tang completed the spacewalk at 2:57 a.m. EDT (0657 GMT or 2:57 p.m. Beijing time) on Sunday.
A second spacewalk is planned for later in the Shenzhou 12 mission, which launched with Nie, Liu and Tang on June 16 and is scheduled to last three months. In addition to testing procedures, the EVAs are preparing the station to be expanded with the addition of two laboratory modules to be launched in 2022.
China's first-ever spacewalk was performed by Zhai Zhigang, commander of the Shenzhou 7 mission, in 2008. Liu was part of that mission's crew as well, and during the 22-minute outing, performed a stand-up EVA, popping his head out of the hatch while wearing a Russian Orlan spacesuit.
The Chinese Feitian ("flying to space") suits are similar in design to the Orlan, with the portable life support system also serving as a rear-entry hatch into the spacesuit. The Feitian's helmets are equipped with cameras, broadcasting a first-person view similar to NASA's extravehicular activity unit (EMU) spacesuit.
When not out on a spacewalk, the Shenzhou 12 crewmates have been configuring and testing the Tianhe core module's systems, conducting science experiments and participating in video downlinks, including talking live with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
When completed, the T-shaped Tiangong ("Heavenly Palace") space station will be China's first multi-module space station. In addition to hosting Chinese crews and research, China plans to invite international partners to visit and work aboard the orbiting outpost.
Shenzhou 12 astronaut Tang Honbo, wearing a Feitian spacesuit, floats inside the docking hub of the Tianhe core module waiting to exit China's space station during a July 3, 2021 spacewalk. (CCTV)
Shenzhou 12 spacewalker Liu Boming positions himself to mount the end of a robotic arm outside of China's space station on July 3, 2021. (CCTV)
Quelle: CS
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Update: 7.07.2021
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China Focus: Mechanical arm is Chinese astronauts' space helper
The mechanical arm installed on China's space station core module Tianhe has played an important role in assisting the astronauts with their extravehicular activities (EVAs) on Sunday.
The mechanical arm is designed to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the space station in orbit, to help the astronauts in EVAs, such as the assembly, construction, maintenance, and repair of the space station, and support space applications.
CRAWLING ARM
The 10.2-meter-long robotic arm installed on the Tianhe module can carry up to 25 tonnes of weight. It consists of seven joints, two limbs, two sets of extension gears, two sets of end cameras and end effectors (also known as end-of-arm tooling), one set of central controllers, and an elbow camera.
With limbs and joints, the mechanical arm can work as a human arm with a shoulder, an elbow, and a wrist. By rotating each joint, it can grasp the equipment and operate at any angle and position.
"The end effector of the arm can dock with a target adapter installed on the outer surface of the spacecraft. By docking and separation of the end effector and target adapter, the arm can crawl and move on the surface of the space station," said Wang Youyu, a mechanical arm designer at the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).
In a computer illustrated video issued by the CAST, the arm, like an inchworm crawling with its head and rear, uses the two end effectors to move between the surface target adapters and reach multiple positions in the outer surface of the space station, where it can conveniently do its jobs.
In addition to working independently, the core module arm can also combine with the mechanical arms installed on the lab modules, which will likely be launched next year. The combined arm can reach a working diameter of 15 meters.
SPACE CONSTRUCTION
With a design life of 15 years, load capacity of 25 tonnes, and tip positioning accuracy of 45 millimeters, the mechanical arm installed on the Tianhe module can realize long-range, large-load operations and small-range, detailed operations.
The arm is designed for module transposition, astronauts' EVAs, extravehicular cargo handling, space station status inspection, and maintenance of large equipment, the CAST said.
For example, two lab modules will dock with the core module and form a T-shape complex. Restricted by the attitude control of the lab modules, they can't directly dock with the side docking ports of the core module.
Instead, each lab module has to dock with the front docking port of the core module, and then a smaller mechanical arm moves it to dock with the side port. The arm installed on the core module can also do the job as a backup.
Yang Hong, the chief designer of the space station at the CAST, said when a spacecraft is approaching to dock or in need of repair, maintenance, and supplies, the large-scale arm in the core module can help to secure the spacecraft and facilitate the procedure. The space station can be viewed as a homeport in space.
ASTRONAUT HELPER
The mechanical arm would reduce the burden of astronauts in extravehicular missions as much as possible, said Yang.
The end effector can dock with a foot restraint platform, where astronauts can stand. They can use the arm to send themselves to required locations.
"It can transfer the astronauts in a wide range so that they can easily reach the operation position during EVAs," he added.
The arm integrates mechanical engineering, mechanics, material, control, electronics, information, vision, and computer sciences technologies. With the ability of precise operation and visual recognition, it is capable of autonomous analysis and remotely controlled by astronauts.
Besides EVAs, the arm can also help astronauts transfer the solar wings of the core module and install the payloads on the outer surface of the station.
Equipped with cameras on the two ends and the elbow, it can also carry out extravehicular examinations for the astronauts.
"There are several areas on the station that need to be regularly checked by the robotic arm," said Hu Chengwei, another mechanical arm designer at the CAST.
"For instance, before the launch of the Tianzhou-2 cargo craft, we used it to monitor and evaluate the condition of the rear docking port of the core module in preparation for docking with Tianzhou-2," he added. Enditem
Quelle: Xinhua
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Update: 9.07.2021
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China Focus: Homemade spacesuits ensure safety of Chinese astronauts in space
China's self-developed spacesuits have ensured the safety of astronauts during their stay in the space station core module Tianhe and while performing extravehicular activities (EVAs) outside the module.
The space gears include intravehicular spacesuits and extravehicular spacesuits, according to different scenarios, said Zhang Wanxin, director of the astronaut suit project under the Astronaut Center of China (ACC).
Intravehicular spacesuits, which are for astronauts to wear inside the spacecraft, ensure ventilation and heat dissipation of the astronauts under normal circumstances and provide oxygen to ensure their safety once the spacecraft leaks, Zhang added.
The extravehicular suit, like a small aircraft, provides safe and effective environmental protection, environmental control and life support for astronauts when they work outside the spacecraft, he said, adding that extravehicular suits should not only meet the life support needs of astronauts but also allow them to complete extravehicular activities.
The new-generation homemade extravehicular spacesuit used in the extravehicular mission is about 2 meters in height and weighs more than 100 kilograms, with longer service life, higher reliability and better flexibility compared to the previous versions, according to Zhang.
Though heavy, the extravehicular suits used bionic structures to facilitate the activities of astronauts. All the joints of the upper and lower limbs are equipped with airtight bearings so that the astronauts' hands and feet can move freely, according to the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO).
The spacesuit helmet is equipped with a camera, a light and a high-tech window, the CMSEO said, adding that the suit can contain water and food for long-duration extravehicular activities.
Every set of extravehicular spacesuit, which consists of 100 components, has gone through strict procedures in the process of development, production and final assembly, said Deng Xiaowei with the ACC.
A series of environmental tests, pressure performance tests, ergonomic verification and evaluation have also been carried out on the extravehicular spacesuits to ensure the astronauts' absolute safety, Deng said. Enditem
Quelle: Xinhua
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Update: 19.07.2021
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A month in China Space Station: What's been done so far?
It's been a month since the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft carried the three Chinese astronauts, or taikonauts, to China's space station. As one of the most important missions for the manned space program, the Shenzhou-12 is a display of China's latest space technology.
The China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) on Saturday published a timeline of Shenzhou-12's progress so far. And here's a translation of it.
All timestamps below are in Beijing Time.
6:32 a.m., June 17, 2021: Taikonauts set off
L-R: Tang Hongbo, Nie Haisheng and Liu Boming before the launch of the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, June 17, 2021. /CFP
After fierce training sessions – including underwater work wearing 200-kilogram spacesuits – the three taikonauts, namely Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo, have finally walked out of training center and boarded the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft.
"The most challenging task is not those training sessions. Instead, it's maintaining the passion of an explorer at heart," the CMSEO said.
Nearly three hours later: Rocket launched
A Long March-2F Y12 rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-12 spaceship with Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo on board, blasts off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in NW China, June 17, 2021. /CFP
A Long March-2F rocket carried the Shenzhou-12 to orbit from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. It took about 573 seconds for the rocket to put the spacecraft into space.
"It's been five years since the last taikonaut broke out of the atmosphere," the CMSEO said. "We are moving firmly to the goal we set."
3:54 p.m.: Shenzhou-12 docked with the China Space Station core module
The core module of the space station – Tianhe – was already waiting on the orbit. Serving as a connector of other space station modules, it was launched back in April.
Already connected to the station is the Tianzhou-2, a cargo ship filled with supplies needed by the taikonauts to survive, work and have fun.
6:48 p.m.: Taikonauts entered China's space station
Described by the CMSEO as a "milestone of a new age" for China's space exploration, the entrance means a lot for the Chinese people.
The three-person crew is expected to stay in the space station for three months, during which time they'll help set up the station and carry out some scientific research.
9:30 a.m., June 23: A video call from the president
Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first video call to the space station and extended his greetings to the taikonauts.
June 30: 'Happy birthday' from space
The three taikonauts sent birthday wishes to the Communist Party of China (CPC) from space, ahead of the CPC's centenary.
"Each success of the space program relates to the CPC's decisions, care and leadership," the CMSEO said.
A robot arm helped Liu Boming to and from one place to another on the outside of the space station.
CMSEO said China's space program will carry on with their endeavor in space.
Quelle: CGTN
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Update: 23.07.2021
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How Chinese astronauts maintain personal hygiene in space
Three Chinese astronauts have been living and working in China's space station core module Tianhe for more than a month.
The astronauts have the same personal hygiene needs as people on Earth, but see to them in different ways due to their microgravity environment.
A video released on June 23 shows how the astronauts start their day. Tang Hongbo uses face wipes to clean himself, squeezes toothpaste directly into his mouth, and swallows it after brushing his teeth.
Huang Weifen, the chief designer of China's manned space program astronaut system, said that it is impossible for astronauts to shower as they do on Earth. According to Huang, the astronauts heat wet towels to wipe their bodies.
As for washing their hair, they put on shower caps, massage their hair with rinse-free shampoo, and towel dry.
The astronauts underwent comprehensive training to live in space, said Huang, adding that they can shave and cut their hair.
"My barber is right beside me," said Nie Haisheng in an interview before the three astronauts traveled to space, pointing to Tang Hongbo.
Nie said they would cut each other's hair in space and had practiced many times. The hair clippers are attached to something like a vacuum cleaner, which produces negative pressure and can suck in the hair that is cut.
Liu Weibo, the deputy chief designer of the astronaut system, said that the three astronauts don't do laundry in space and use disposable clothing instead.
Chinese scientists have devised a system to recycle water from the urine, breath and sweat produced by astronauts in space, which could save up to 100 million yuan (about 15.5 million U.S. dollars) in a period of six months with three astronauts in orbit.
"The most valuable thing in orbit is water," Liu told reporters.
He noted that water, which is contaminated with detergent as well as skin debris and dirt washed from the body, will be challenging to recycle.
Liu said they have calculated and verified that disposable clothing that is regularly changed and discarded costs much less than doing laundry with water.
Liu said the astronauts change their clothes according to their needs. He said that underwear is the most frequently changed item of clothing, that sweatshirts and socks are changed less frequently, and that working uniforms are changed every month. Enditem
Quelle: Xinhua
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Update: 25.07.2021
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China’s space station is preparing to host 1,000 scientific experiments
Researchers around the world are eagerly awaiting the completion of Tiangong, to study topics from dark matter and gravitational waves to the growth of cancer and pathogenic bacteria.
Chinese astronaut Nie Haisheng works inside the Tianhe module.Credit: Jin Liwang/Xinhua/eyevine
China launched the core of its space station in April, and sent three astronauts up in June. But although it probably won’t be complete until late 2022, there is already a long queue of experiments from across the world waiting to go up. Scientists in China told Nature that the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has tentatively approved more than 1,000 experiments, several of which have already been launched.
Before April, the International Space Station (ISS) was the only space laboratory in orbit, and many researchers say Tiangong (or ‘heavenly palace’) is a welcome addition for astronomical and Earth observation, and for studying how microgravity and cosmic radiation affect phenomena such as bacterial growth and fluid mixing.
However, others argue that crewed space stations are costly, and serve more of a political than a scientific purpose.
“Increased scientific access to space is of scientific benefit globally, no matter who builds and operates platforms,” says Julie Robinson, chief scientist for human exploration and operations at NASA Headquarters, in Washington DC.
“We need more space stations, because one space station is definitely not enough,” adds Agnieszka Pollo, an astrophysicist at the National Centre for Nuclear Research in Warsaw, who is part of a team sending an experiment to study γ-ray bursts.
Open to the world
The ISS was launched in 1998, as a partnership between space agencies from the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada (see ‘Variations on a theme’). It has housed more than 3,000 experiments since then, but China is barred from it because of US rules that prohibit NASA from using funds for collaboration with China.
Although most experiments slated for Tiangong will involve Chinese researchers, China says that its space station will be open to collaboration from all countries, including the United States.
In June 2019, the CMSA and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), which promotes collaboration in space, selected nine experiments — in addition to the 1,000 that China has tentatively approved — to go up once the space station is complete. Simonetta Di Pippo, director of UNOOSA in Vienna, says these involve 23 institutions in 17 nations.
China previously launched two small space labs — Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2. These hosted more than 100 experiments, circling Earth for a number of years, but are no longer in orbit.
The space station offers brand new facilities, and China is encouraging experiments not attempted in space before, says Tricia Larose, a medical researcher at the University of Oslo, who is leading a project planned for 2026. “They’re saying, yes, build your hardware, make it brand new, do something that has never been done before, and send it up to us.”
Although most projects approved so far are led by Chinese researchers, many have international collaborators, says Zhang Shuang-Nan, an astrophysicist at the Chinese Academy of Science’s (CAS’s) Institute of High Energy Physics in Beijing, who advises the CMSA.
‘The playrooms of scientists’
The first section of Tiangong to arrive was a core module known as Tianhe (‘harmony of the heavens’). In late May, a cargo ship named Tianzhou-2 (‘heavenly ship’) was sent up and docked, delivering fuel, space suits and experimental equipment. In June, three Chinese astronauts — or ‘taikonauts’ — aboard Shenzhou-12 (‘divine vessel’) also docked, entering the 17-metre-long chamber that will be their home for the next three months.
Over the next year or more, the CMSA will send another eight missions to Tiangong. Two will deliver the Wentian (‘quest for heavens’) and Mengtian (‘dreaming of heavens’) modules, which will mainly house scientific experiments (see ‘China’s first space station’).
Image credit: Adrian Mann/Stocktrek Images/Alamy
These will be “the playrooms of scientists”, says Paulo de Souza, a physicist at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, who develops sensors used in space.
The space station will have more than 20 experimental racks, which are mini-labs with closed, pressurized environments, says Yang Yang, director of international cooperation at the CAS Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization in Beijing. Outside, there will be 67 connection points for research hardware facing Earth or the sky, says Yang, and a powerful central computer will process data from experiments before beaming them back to Earth.
Organoids and dark matter
The experiments being sent up to the new space station encompass numerous fields. Zhang is the principal investigator for HERD (High Energy Cosmic-Radiation Detection facility), which is a partnership involving Italy, Switzerland, Spain and Germany, slated for 2027. This particle detector will study dark matter and cosmic rays, and will cost some 1 billion to 2 billion yuan (US$155 million to $310 million), says Zhang.
Zhang and Pollo are also involved in POLAR-2, which will study the polarization of γ-rays emitted from large and distant explosions, with the goal of clarifying the properties of γ-ray bursts, and possibly even gravitational waves.
Larose plans to send up 3D blobs of healthy and cancerous intestinal tissue, known as organoids. She wants to find out whether the very-low-gravity environment will slow or stop the growth of the cancerous cells, which might lead to new therapies.
'Taikonuat' Liu Boming performs Chinese second ever spacewalk after arriving at Tiangong in June.Credit: Jin Liwang/Xinhua/eyevine
Other projects from scientists in India and Mexico will study ultraviolet emissions from nebulae and infrared data from Earth to study meteorological conditions and what drives intense storms.
Despite many of the projects being partnerships between Chinese and Western scientists, geopolitical tensions have made collaborations more difficult, notes Larose. She says Norway has yet to sign a bilateral agreement with China that would give her project the green light. Merlin Kole, an astrophysicist at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, who is also working on POLAR-2, adds that stricter adherence to export regulations means there is added bureaucracy around sending electronic hardware to China.
But Di Pippo says that tensions have so far had no impact on the progress of projects selected by UNOOSA, adding that the agency is discussing with the CMSA to send more experiments to Tiangong by the end of next year.
Scientific bang for buck
Some scientists have argued that crewed space stations are a waste of money — the cost of Tiangong has not been made public, but the ISS cost some €100 billion (US$118 billion) to build and maintain for its first decade.
“You’d get a much bigger scientific bang for the buck with robotic missions,” says Gregory Kulacki, an analyst on China security issues for the Union of Concerned Scientists, an advocacy group headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “Within China, as within the United States, there has been a tension between scientists who want to do the best science they possibly can, and who prefer robotic missions, and governments who want to use human space-flight programmes largely for political purposes.”
But other researchers point out that although satellites offer an alternative for some observations, for many experiments, particularly those requiring microgravity, crewed space stations are essential. They provide a home for long-term observations, data-processing capacity and access for astronauts who can perform maintenance tasks and run experiments.
Furthermore, as well as housing experiments from researchers, Tiangong is intended to test human space-travel technologies to support China’s space-exploration goals, says Zhang.
With current ISS funding only running to sometime between 2024 and 2028, it’s also possible that Tiangong will eventually become Earth’s only space station in operation.
Tiangong is projected to operate for at least a decade, and China already has plans to launch other spacecraft to work in tandem with it. The China Survey Space Telescope, or Xuntian (‘survey the heavens’), is a two-metre optical telescope that will rival NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and periodically dock with Tiangong for refuelling and maintenance. Set to launch in 2023, it will have a larger field of view for peering into the deep Universe than does Hubble.
Quelle: nature
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Update: 30.07.2021
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How Chinese astronauts stay healthy in space
Three Chinese astronauts have been living and working in China's space station core module Tianhe for more than a month. They are scheduled to stay in space for three months.
The astronauts have been exercising, maintaining healthy diets and undergoing regular check-ups to reduce the effects of living in a microgravity environment.
Scientists have found that microgravity weakens both muscle and bone, and the weakening of muscle can accelerate the weakening of bone.
In Tianhe's exercise area, the three astronauts can use a treadmill, spin bike and resistance bands to burn calories and practice strength training.
Li Yinghui, deputy chief designer of China's manned space program astronaut system, said the three astronauts have personalized daily exercise schedules according to their physical conditions.
Li said that they currently undertake moderate-intensity exercises every day, at levels requiring approximately 60 to 80 percent of the astronauts' maximum strength.
The intensity will gradually increase as their time in space progresses, Li noted. "It is only in this way that they can resist the physiological effects of microgravity."
Liu Weibo, deputy chief designer of the astronaut system, said the astronauts will also use a device called a neuromuscular electrical stimulator to stimulate the nerves in their muscles, restoring function and strength and preventing muscle atrophy. Experts on the ground can adjust the device according to the status of the astronauts.
According to Liu, dozens of pieces of medical equipment are available in a checkup cabinet. The astronauts have regular physical checkups every four to five weeks, including ultrasound examinations and complete blood counts.
A healthy diet has also been designed for the astronauts. They can choose from more than 120 variations of high-quality and appetizing space food, including staple foods, non-staples, meat and vegetables.
On June 17, China launched crewed spacecraft Shenzhou-12, sending the three astronauts to its space station core module Tianhe for a three-month mission. Enditem
Quelle: Xinhua
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Update: 7.08.2021
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China’s space station emerges as competitor to commercial ventures
The CEO of Nanoracks, a company that hosts payloads on and launches satellites from the International Space Station, said he lost a customer to China's space station. Credit: China Manned Space Agency
WASHINGTON — Companies involved with commercial activities on the International Space Station or planning their own space stations may face a new competitor in China’s new space station.
During a presentation at the ISS Research and Development Conference Aug. 4, Jeff Manber, chief executive of Nanoracks, said his company has already lost business to China and its space station.
“I lost a customer, my first customer that I lost going to the Chinese space station,” he said. “We’re in a competition now.”
He did not identify the customer or what they had planned to do. Nanoracks has several lines of business on the ISS today, from hosting experiments and external payloads to using the station as a platform for launching small satellites.
Chinese officials have said they are open to cooperating with other countries regarding use of the station. Ji Qiming, assistant director of the China Manned Space Agency, told China Daily in June that it had selected nine scientific projects from 17 countries to fly on the station, and was working with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs to identify others. That could also include flying astronauts from other countries to the station.
Manber said that was a reminder for the need of U.S. leadership to attract international users of the ISS. “There should be no question that these are important ways that we keep not only that soft leadership, American leadership, but how we learn and how capital flows,” he said. “If we don’t, we open the door to other to come in and take leadership.”
“We’re doubling down on the International Space Station, and yet at the same time we’re beginning to look at a new era of commercial space stations,” he said. “We have to start planning as to what happens as the ISS begins to retire at the end of this decade.”
That “doubling down” on the ISS includes Bishop, a commercial airlock module that Nanoracks developed and installed on the station last December, allowing the company to launch more satellites and install external payloads. He cautioned, though, that NASA might be focusing too much on new hardware as it seeks to support commercialization efforts.
“NASA has not met new hardware that it doesn’t like,” he said. “Everybody’s fascinated with the hardware and they’re not focused on the demand side.” That approach, he said, can reduce use of existing hardware and thus their economic returns for the companies and their investors. “If the investors don’t see good returns, they’re not as interested in promoting other ideas on the demand side.”
Eventually, Manber said he expects the ISS to be replaced by several commercial platforms, optimized for specific applications ranging from tourism to research. Those facilities will be designed from the beginning for commercial use, something that is not the case of the ISS today.
“The ISS was a political station as well as a technical marvel, but the rules and regulations that have to be in place do limit the market of what you can do,” he said. “I believe there will be market niches that allows you to specialize and encourage in-space transportation and development.”
Quelle: SN
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Update: 15.08.2021
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Startup wants to develop cargo services for Chinese space station
Liftoff of Galactic Energy’s first Ceres-1 rocket in 2020. A Ceres-1 will launch a retrievable satellite for Interspace Explore in 2022. Credit: OurSpace
HELSINKI — A Chinese startup is aiming to developing spacecraft capable of supplying China’s space station, with a first small demonstration launch set for 2022.
Beijing-based InterSpace Explore signed a deal Aug. 4 with Chinese private launch firm Galactic Energy for launch of the Zengzhang-1 demonstration returnable satellite on a Ceres-1 solid rocket in 2022.
A day later Interspace Explore, full name Beijing Interstellar Development Technology Co., Ltd., raised tens of millions of Chinese yuan (¥6.48 per dollar) from investment firm Innoangel Fund.
The Zenghang-1 (Growth-1) satellite will have a launch mass of around 350 kilograms and return a payload of more than 100 kilograms, according to Chinese media reports.
Interspace Explore founder Fu Shiming, a former employee of state-owned spacecraft maker China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and a member of the Tiangong-2 space lab project, said at a press conference that spacecraft are essential to human use of space resources and hold huge commercial and military value.
Fu added that the development of spacecraft by private enterprises can supplement the domestic space economy and provide efficient solutions for space resource utilization.
The firm’s current research and development focus is on low-cost small cargo spacecraft. Fu also identifies potential customers in pharmaceutical and space breeding companies.
The cooperation agreement with Galactic Energy came a day after the failure of the iSpace Hyperbola-1 solid rocket. Galactic Energy plans two Ceres-1 launches in the coming months.
Chinese commercial cargo
The development is an apparent response to a January call for proposals issued by China’s human spaceflight agency, CMSA, soliciting low-cost cargo transportation solutions for the Chinese space station. The announcement was the first indication that the national space station project would be opened to involvement of commercial companies. The move can be seen as similar to earlier NASA commercial cargo initiatives.
The main requirements for cargo delivery include a payload capacity of 1-4 tons, the possibility for removing and deorbiting station waste to prevent space debris, and transportation costs to be inline with international levels. For returning cargo to Earth, requirements are for a payload 100-300 kilograms with the returning spacecraft to be easily tracked and recovered.
The scheme aims to supplement the large Tianzhou cargo delivery system and build a “flexible, efficient, diverse, and low-cost cargo transportation system.”
The large, 13,000-kilogram Tianzhou spacecraft are the only spacecraft China has for delivering cargo and propellant into low Earth orbit for its space station. A Long March 7 rocket is currently on its way to Wenchang, Hainan island to launch the Tianzhou-3 mission in mid-late September ahead of the Shenzhou-13 crewed mission.
Space Pioneer, a Chinese launch startup, noted space station supply missions as an ambition in closing a funding round last month.
China has a range of experience including retrievable Fanhui Shi reconnaissance satellites which utilized impregnated oak to survive reentry. The country also successfully delivered lunar samples to Earth with Chang’e-5 last December.
CAST has been developing a returnable spacecraft named Space Workshop, previously slated for launch in 2020-2021. In 2016 China launched the Shijian-10 retrievable satellite which facilitated a range of experiments in space life science and more.
China’s national strategy of military-civilian fusion is understood to help facilitate the transfer of technologies for commercial use and has been a factor in the rapid development of China’s nascent commercial space sector.
Quelle: SN
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Update: 17.08.2021
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Rocket arrives for second Chinese space station cargo mission
A Long March 7 carrying the Tianzhou-2 spacecraft lifts off from Wenchang ahead of an orbital docking with Tianhe. Tianzhou-3 will launch in September. Credit: CASC
Supply mission will be fourth of 11 launches needed to construct the Chinese space station.
HELSINKI — China is preparing to launch its second space station cargo supply mission in mid to late September following delivery of a Long March 7 rocket to Wenchang spaceport.
The fourth new-generation Long March 7 arrived at Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, Hainan island, Monday, Aug. 16 after being transported by ship from Tianjin in north China, China’s human spaceflight agency announced.
The rocket will launch the roughly 13,000-kilogram Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft into low Earth orbit to dock with Tianhe, the core module for China’s space station.
The mission is likely to launch around mid September, though China has not officially released a planned date of launch.
The Tianzhou-3 mission will provide supplies for the upcoming Shenzhou-13 crewed mission which is currently planned to launch in October.
Preparations for that mission at Jiuquan, northeast China. The Long March 2F rocket for the mission has been readied in advance for use in the case of emergencies.
China launched Tianhe from Wenchang in late April. The Tianzhou-2 spacecraft docked with Tianhe May 29 before the arrival June 17 of the first crew aboard the ongoing Shenzhou-12 mission.
Tianzhou-3 will be the fourth of 11 missions set out for the construction phase of the Chinese Space Station.
The 16.6-meter-long, 4.2-meter-diameter Tianhe (“harmony of the heavens”) will be joined in orbit by two further modules, named Mengtian and Wentian, in 2022. The pair are designed to host an array of experiments in areas including astronomy, space medicine, space life science, biotechnology, microgravity fluid physics, microgravity combustion and space technologies.
The modules will host domestic and international science payloads. CubeSats can also be deployed from the orbital facility. The chief executive of Nanoracks said earlier this month the company had already lost business to China and its space station.
Tianhe provides regenerative life support and the main living quarters for astronauts as well as propulsion to maintain orbital altitude.
The Shenzhou-12 crew of Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo have been aboard Tianhe for 60 days, far surpassing the previous national record for human spaceflight mission duration of 33 days set by Shenzhou-11 in 2016.
The crew completed a first spacewalk July 4, installing foot restraints and an extravehicular working platform on Tianhe’s robotic arm and raising a panoramic camera. A further extravehicular activity is planned before the crew return to Earth in September.
The Shenzhou-12 mission is also carrying out a series of 14 space medical experiments, including use of a human system research cabinet aboard Tianhe. The crew conducted a magnetic levitationexperiment earlier this month.
The Long March 7 is one of a number of new-generation kerolox and hydrolox rockets developed by China over the past decade. These include the Long March 5, 6, 7 and 8 series of rockets.
The launcher is powered by 120-ton-thrust YF-100 and 18-ton-thrust YF-115 engines burning kerosene and LOX on the first, second and booster stages.
Tianzhou cargo spacecraft have a mass of up to 13.5 tons and differing pressurized and unpressurized variants. Tianzhou-1 was launched in April 2017 to test technologies crucial to establishing and maintaining a space station.
As well as cargo, experiments, supplies and spacesuits, Tianzhou-2 carried 1.95 tons of propellant into orbit for transfer to the 22.5-ton Tianhe module for maintaining orbit.
A Beijing startup announced this month it is developing spacecraft which it hopes can provide flexible and cost-effective cargo services to and from the Chinese space station. The development follows a January call for proposals from China’s human spaceflight agency.
The Chinese space station is expected to operate in orbit for at least ten years. It will be joined in orbit by the Xuntian optical module, a co-orbiting Hubble-class space telescope. The space telescope will have a 2-meter-aperture comparable to Hubble but feature a field of view 300 times greater, allowing 40 percent of the sky to be surveyed across a decade.
