A photo shows the Mengtian space lab, the second lab component of China's Tiangong space station, arriving at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province. (SINA WEIBO ACCOUNT OF XINHUA)
The Mengtian space lab, the second lab component of China's Tiangong space station, recently arrived at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
The agency said in a brief news release on Tuesday morning that the craft was transported to Wenchang by ship and will be assembled and tested at the launch center.
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A photo shows a crane lifting the Mengtian space lab, the second lab component of China's Tiangong space station, onto a truck for transportation. (SINA WEIBO ACCOUNT OF XINHUA)
Preparations for the launch mission scheduled for October are underway at the center, the release said.
Mengtian is more than 17 meters long, has a diameter of over 4 meters and weighs more than 20 metric tons, according to designers at the China Academy of Space Technology.
Scientific equipment in the lab will be used for microgravity studies and to carry out experiments in fluid physics, materials science, combustion science and fundamental physics, designers said.
A photo shows a truck transporting the Mengtian space lab, the second lab component of China's Tiangong space station, to the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province. (SINA WEIBO ACCOUNT OF XINHUA)
Wentian, the first lab module of the Tiangong station, was launched on July 24 by a Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket from the Wenchang center.
The 23-ton vehicle is the largest and heaviest China has ever deployed in orbit and consists of three major parts — a crew working compartment, an airlock cabin and an unpressurized service module.
Tiangong now has four parts — the Tianhe core module, the Wentian lab, the Tianzhou 4 cargo ship and the Shenzhou XIV spacecraft. It is currently manned by three astronauts who arrived in early June.
A photo shows the Mengtian space lab, the second lab component of China's Tiangong space station, arriving at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province. (SINA WEIBO ACCOUNT OF XINHUA)
After Mengtian is connected with the Tiangong, the station will form a T-shaped structure and astronauts will have as much as 110 cubic meters in their usable space.
The Tianzhou 5 cargo craft and the Shenzhou XV crew are scheduled to arrive at the massive orbiting outpost toward the end of the year.
After Mengtian is connected with the Tiangong, the station will form a T-shaped structure and astronauts will have as much as 110 cubic meters in their usable space.
The Tianzhou 5 cargo craft and the Shenzhou XV crew are scheduled to arrive at the massive orbiting outpost toward the end of the year.