China’s Shenzhou-14 mission successfully docked with the country’s Tiangong Space Station on Sunday. The spacecraft, with its three-man crew, arrived at the Tianhe crew module at 17:42 local time after launching from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert earlier in the day, CNN said. This achievement marks the beginning of a six-month stay at the station for the astronauts of the mission, which China will attempt to make significant progress towards the completion of Tiangong.
The country hopes to complete the installation of the station by the end of the year. Next month will launch the first of two lab modules that will expand Tiangong’s capabilities, followed by a second launch in October. The modules will allow Chinese astronauts to conduct microgravity and life science research. After the country completed its first tandem spacewalk last year, the crew of Shenzhou-14 will conduct multiple EVAs to prepare the station for expansion. Among the three astronauts is Liu Yang, who became the first Chinese woman to go into space almost a decade ago during the country’s Shenzhou-9 mission.
The entire T-shaped structure will form approximately one-fifth the size of the international space station, with long-term accommodation for three astronauts when completed. China is exploring the possibility of allowing commercial spaceflights to visit Tiangong, Reuters reported. He also invited international space agencies to visit the station.
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