TIANGONG SPACE STATION - SCI & TECH
News: China's
newest crew of astronauts takes control of Tiangong space station
What's in the news?
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China's new
three-astronaut crew arrived at the Tiangong space station last week. It's the
latest mission for a country with its sights set on the moon and beyond,
putting NASA on notice.
Tiangong Space Station:
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It is a Chinese space station being built in low Earth orbit as a part of the China
Manned Space Program.
Altitude - Between 340 and
450 kilometers above the Earth.
Operational years
- 10 years
China Manned Space Programme:
Human space
program with a “three-step” approach such as
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Launch manned spaceships
for basic human space technologies.
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Launch Space Labs for
R&D and long-term utilization.
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Construct China’s Space
Station for large-scale utilization
Importance for China:
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China is the third country to send astronauts and
build a space station, after the US and Russia.
Go back to basics:
India’s Space Station Program:
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India plans to launch its
own space station by 2030, of about
20tonnes (smaller than ISS) to conduct microgravity
experiments.
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It will accommodate
astronauts for up to 20 days in space (an extension of the Gaganyaan mission).