At the launch site, specialists will perform final installation work and test the Changzheng-7-uai-4 and Tianzhou-3 systems
BEIJING, August 16. /TASS/. The launch vehicle "Changzheng-7-uai-4 "(Long March-7 Y4) for the Chinese cargo spacecraft" Tianzhou-3 " has arrived at the Wenchang cosmodrome in the southern province of Hainan, China. This was announced on Monday by the Department of the Manned Space Flight Program of the People's Republic of China.
Chinese engineers conducted the necessary check of the state of the launch vehicle before its transportation to the Hainan cosmodrome. At the launch site, specialists will perform final installation work and test the Changzheng-7-uai-4 and Tianzhou-3 systems.
In parallel with the launch of the Tianzhou-3 space truck, China is also preparing to send the Shenzhou-13 spacecraft with a crew on board from the Jiuquan Cosmodrome (Gansu Province). Both of these launches are planned as part of the construction of the Chinese space station. At the current stage, the station consists of three elements: the base module "Tianhe", the cargo ship "Tianzhou-2" and "Shenzhou-12".
The Chinese station will be located at an altitude of 340 to 450 km and is expected to last more than ten years. It is designed for three astronauts (up to six for a short time when the crew changes). The mass of the T-shaped complex, which has three docking nodes and a gateway for entering space, will be 66 tons, the volume of compartments will reach 110 cubic meters. It is expected that the station will work in 2022 and, as promised by the Chinese authorities, will be available for international projects.
