China to double size of space station, touts alternative to NASA-led ISS
Beijing, China Reuters China plans to expand its space station to six modules from three in coming years, offering astronauts from other nations an alternative platform for near-Earth missions as the NASA-led International Space Station nears the end of its lifespan. The operational lifetime of the Chinese space station will be more than 15 years, […]
Chinese astronauts return to earth after “successful” six-month mission
Updated: 5pm (AEST) Beijing, China Reuters Three Chinese astronauts landed back on earth on Sunday on board the re-entry capsule of the Shenzhou-14 spacecraft, state broadcaster CCTV reported, bringing to an end a six-month mission on China’s space station. The three astronauts – commander Chen Dong and teammates Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe – who […]
Chinese astronauts blast off to space station as construction enters high gear
Beijing, China Reuters China sent three astronauts on Sunday on a six-month long mission to oversee a pivotal period of construction of its space station, whose final modules are due to be launched in the coming months. The space station, when completed by the year-end, will lay a significant milestone in China’s three-decades long manned […]
Chinese astronauts land on Earth after China’s longest crewed space mission
Shanghai, China Reuters Three Chinese astronauts returned to earth on Saturday after 183 days in space, state television reported, completing the country’s longest crewed space mission to date. The astronauts landed nine hours after they left a key module of China’s first space station. Rescue workers carry Chinese astronaut Zhai Zhigang out of a return […]
Chinese astronauts board space station module in historic mission
Jiuquan, China Reuters Three Chinese astronauts this week flew to an unfinished space station in China’s first crewed mission since 2016, expanding the country’s already growing near-Earth presence and challenging US leadership in orbital space. The astronauts rode to Tianhe – the module that will be the living quarters of China’s completed space station – […]