China will launch its manned spacecraft in mid-June to perform a space docking, it has been reported. <\/p>\n
The move is seen as a step ahead in achieving a 60-tonne permanent space station by 2020. Earlier, the Communist nation was turned away from the International Space Station, a 16-nation partnership, apparently at the insistence of the US. <\/p>\n
The Shenzhou-9 spacecraft and its carrier rocket have already been moved to the launch platform at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China, reports the country's state media. <\/p>\n
It would be China's first manned mission since September 2008 and the spacecraft would be docking manually with the Tiangong-1 module (Heavenly Body) presently orbiting the earth. <\/p>\n
Tiangong-1 is the first space station module launched by China. <\/p>\n
The crew of Shenzhou-9 spacecraft may include female astronauts, another first in the country's space programme, Xinhua reported, quoting Niu Hongguang, deputy commander-in-chief of the manned space programme. <\/p>\n
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After docking with the Tiangong-1, two of the crew would move to the space station temporarily and conduct experiments while the third one would stay back in the spacecraft. <\/p>\n
Tiangong-1or Heavenly Body, China's space station module. Image Courtesy: Nesnad\/Wikimedia Commons <\/p>\n
Space docking technology requires delicate maneuvering that brings together two high speed vessels in the orbit. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Originally posted here: <\/p>\n
China's Manned Spacecraft to Dock with its Space Station Module in June<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" China will launch its manned spacecraft in mid-June to perform a space docking, it has been reported. The move is seen as a step ahead in achieving a 60-tonne permanent space station by 2020. Earlier, the Communist nation was turned away from the International Space Station, a 16-nation partnership, apparently at the insistence of the US. Continue reading