Beijing. April 29. INTERFAX-The Changzheng-5B heavy launch vehicle successfully launched the Tianhe base module of the future Chinese space station into low-Earth orbit on Thursday, the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) said.
The launch of the rocket with the base module of the station was carried out from the Wenchang cosmodrome on Hainan Island at 11:25 Beijing time (06:25 Moscow time).
After about seven minutes, the Tianhe module was launched into orbit.
Launch of the main module (weighing 22.5 tons and with a volume of 50 square meters) into orbit at a height of 370 km. meters) with a control center, a living compartment and a gateway is the first stage of the creation of an orbital station. In total, it will take 11 launches and a little more than a year to complete its construction.
In particular, two laboratory modules will be launched into orbit, which will be docked to the base module. Four cargo ships and four manned spacecraft will be launched. It is expected that in May, the cargo ship "Tianzhou-2" will go to the station, and in June, the manned "Shenzhou-12" will fly with three taikonauts (astronauts) on board to assemble and connect the delivered equipment.
The total weight of the station after its completion in 2022 will be about 100 tons. It will be several times smaller than the International Space Station.
