China is preparing to launch the Shenzhou-19 manned mission, which will transport a group of astronauts to the Tiangong space station, where they will carry out experiments on building habitats on the Moon.
This weekend the authorities carried out a simulated launch which included a verification of the operation of the launch tower, the rocket and the spacecraft, in a test that included from the initial preparations to the separation of the rocket and the spacecraft, reported the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, in the northwest China, in a statement on Sunday.
The Shenzhou-19 crew, whose identities have not yet been revealed, also carried out Tests to verify communication and coordination between ground equipment, spacecraft and rocket..
An innovative component of the Shenzhou-19 mission will be the Delivery of bricks made with simulated lunar soil material.which will be transported to the Chinese space station on the Tianzhou-8 cargo mission, scheduled for the coming weeks.
Once the bricks are received at the space station, the astronauts will evaluate the impact of space conditions on the construction materials, in an attempt to advance the development of habitable structures on the lunar surface, said expert Kang Guohua, quoted by the official newspaper Global Times.
Kang said that he The tests represent a “significant advance” in China’s plans for future space colonies and deep space exploration, in an effort to establish a lasting presence on the Moon.
China, the only country that has so far landed on the far side of the Moon, plans to build a scientific exploration base with Russia and other countries at the Moon’s south pole.
Shenzhou-19 must carry the new Tiangong crew, which since April includes three astronauts who arrived at the station as part of the previous mission, Shenzhou-18.
HE Tiangong will operate for about ten years and will become the world’s only space station starting in 2024 if the International Space Station, a US-led initiative that China is banned from accessing due to its space program’s military ties, retires this year, as expected. I expected.
China invested heavily in its space program and managed to land the Chang’e 4 probe on the far side of the Moon – the first time it had done so – and became the third country, after the United States and the former Soviet Union, to reach Mars.
Source: Observadora
