China dispatched its first manned space mission in quite a while on Thursday, sending three science-disapproved of military pilots soaring to another circling station they’ll stretch around midafternoon.
As the astronauts left in their spacesuits, they were greeted by space authorities, other uniformed military officers, and a multitude of children clutching flowers and flags and singing patriotic songs. The three gave their farewell gestures to a gathering of people waving flags before boarding the elevator to the spaceship at the Jiuquan launch centre in northwest China.
As per Ji Qiming, right hand head of the China Manned Space Agency, the rocket used on Thursday is of an alternate kind, and the parts that will return are relied upon to catch fire well before they represent a danger.
About two minutes into the flight, the rocket released its boosters, followed by the coiling that encircled Shenzhou-12 at the rocket’s top. It split from the rocket’s upper portion after about 10 minutes, extended its solar panels, and entered orbit shortly after.
Since its first crewed trip in 2003, China has launched 14 people into space, making it only the third country after the former Soviet Union and the United States to accomplish it alone. Women went on two of those previous missions, and while this first station crew is all male, future station crews are likely to include women.
The mission is the third in a series of 11 planned until next year to complete the station’s expansion and send up workers and supplies. In three months, a new three-person crew and a cargo ship with supplies will be dispatched.
China is not a member of the International Space Station (ISS), owing to concerns raised by the United States over the Chinese program’s secrecy and close military ties. China, on the other hand, has been pushing up cooperation with Russia and a slew of other countries, and its station may be able to operate after the ISS has reached the end of its useful life.
The rocket that sent the Tianhe into orbit made an uncontrolled descent to Earth after it was launched in April, but China ignored warnings of the possible safety hazard. Discarded rocket stages usually return the atmosphere shortly after liftoff, over ocean, and do not enter orbit.
As per Ji Qiming, collaborator head of the China Manned Space Agency, the rocket used on Thursday is of an alternate sort, and the segments that will return are relied upon to catch fire some time before they represent a danger.
