Tiangong 3
Encyclopedia
Tiangong-3 will be a Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 space station
Space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...

 module, part of the Tiangong space station program. The China National Space Agency is expected to launch Tiangong-3 around 2015, following the launch of the Tiangong-2 laboratory module in 2013. Tiangong-3's design will form the basis of a full-size, multi-module space station, which is expected to launch in the early 2020s.

Development

In 2008, the China Manned Space Engineering Office
China Manned Space Engineering Office
The China Manned Space Engineering Office provides engineering and administrative functions for the human spaceflight effort of the People's Republic of China. CMSEO is a special department within the General Armaments Department of the People’s Liberation Army...

 published a brief description of Tiangong-2 and Tiangong-3, indicating that several manned spaceships would be launched in the late 2010s to dock with Tiangong-3. The first Tiangong module, Tiangong-1, was launched in September 2011, and docked with the unmanned Shenzhou 8
Shenzhou 8
Shenzhou 8 was an unmanned flight of China's Shenzhou program, launched on October 31, 2011 UTC, or November 1 in China, by a modified Long March 2F rocket which lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center....

 spacecraft in November 2011, marking China's first orbital docking.

Specifications

Tiangong-3's 22-metric-ton core module will be around 18.1 metres (59.4 ft) long and will have a maximum diameter of 4.2 metres (13.8 ft). It is expected to provide:
  • Unaided 40-day habitability for three astronauts.
  • Testing for regenerative life-support technology, and verification of methods of orbital replenishment of propellant and air.
  • A multi-docking berthing mechanism, allowing up to four spacecraft to dock with it simultaneously.

Structure and assembly

Tiangong-3 is a 'third generation' or modular space station project. Other examples of modular station projects include the Soviet/Russian Mir
Mir
Mir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. Assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996, Mir was the first modular space station and had a greater mass than that of any previous spacecraft, holding the record for the...

, the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...

 (ISS) and the planned Russian OPSEK. The 'monolithic' first-generation space stations, such as the Soviet Salyut program and NASA's Skylab
Skylab
Skylab was a space station launched and operated by NASA, the space agency of the United States. Skylab orbited the Earth from 1973 to 1979, and included a workshop, a solar observatory, and other systems. It was launched unmanned by a modified Saturn V rocket, with a mass of...

 stations, were not designed for resupply, possessing only one docking port. Second-generation station projects, such as Tiangong-2, feature a second docking port, allowing for resupply and multiple crewed missions. Modular stations allow new modules to be added or removed from the existing structure over time, saving considerable costs and allowing greater flexibility.

Additional modules will dock to the axial port of Tiangong-3's core module. Using a mechanical arm, similar in function to the Lyappa arm
Lyappa arm
The Lyappa arm was a robotic arm used during the assembly of the Soviet/Russian space station Mir. Each of the Kvant-2, Kristall, Spektr and Priroda modules was equipped with one of these arms, which, after the module had docked to the core module's forward port, grapples one of two fixtures...

 on the Mir space station, modules will then be moved to the radial ports of the docking node.

Future modular orbital station

Tiangong-3's design will form the basis of a larger, multi-module space station, which China plans to launch in the 2020-2022 timeframe. When complete, it will have a total mass of approximately 60000 kilograms (132,277.4 lb), and will support three astronauts for long-term habitation. The space station will have a design lifetime of up to ten years. The components and service craft of this station will be largely based on former Tiangong modules, and will include:
  • A Core Cabin Module (CCM) – based on the Tiangong-3 design and analogous to the Russia
    Russia
    Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

    n Mir Core Module
    Mir Core Module
    Mir , DOS-7, was the first module of the Soviet/Russian Mir space station complex, in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001. Generally referred to as either the core module or base block, the module was launched on 20 February 1986 on a Proton-K rocket from LC-200/39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome...

    , the 18.1-meter-long CCM will have a maximum diameter of 4.2 meters and a launch weight of up to 22 tons. It will be launched first, to serve as a docking hub for future modules and resupply spacecraft.
  • Two Laboratory Cabin Modules (LCM-1 and LCM-2) – based on Tiangong-2, the two laboratory modules will each be 14.4 meters long, with the same maximum diameter and launch weight as the core module. They will be used to perform scientific research in microgravity.
  • A robotic resupply craft – based on the original Tiangong-1 module, the automated cargo spacecraft will have a diameter of 3.35 meters and a launch weight of around 13 tons. It will be used to transport supplies and lab facilities to the space station.
  • A manned Shenzhou spacecraft will be used to transport crewmembers to and from the space station.


In 2011, Wang Wenbao, the director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, asked the public to submit suggestions for names and symbols to adorn the space station and its cargo ship. He stated that "the crewed space program should have a more vivid symbol and that the future space station should carry a resounding and encouraging name", insisting that "the public should be involved in the names and symbols as this major project will enhance national prestige, and strengthen the national sense of cohesion and pride".

See also

  • Chinese space program
    Chinese space program
    The space program of the People's Republic of China is directed by the China National Space Administration . Its technological roots can be traced back to the late 1950s, when the People's Republic began a rudimentary ballistic missile program in response to perceived American threats...

  • Project 921-2
    Project 921-2
    Tiangong is a space station program of the People's Republic of China, with the goal of creating a third generation space station, comparable to MIR. This program is autonomous and unconnected to any other international space-active countries...

  • Tiangong-1, the first Tiangong module, launched in September 2011
  • Tiangong-2, Tiangong-3's immediate predecessor
  • International Space Station
    International Space Station
    The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...

  • Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
    Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
    Chinese Lunar Exploration Program , also known as the Chang'e program, is a program of robotic and human missions to the Moon undertaken by the China National Space Administration , the space agency of the People's Republic of China...

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