{"id":24450,"date":"2022-10-31T22:53:58","date_gmt":"2022-10-31T14:53:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/china-launches-mengtian-science-module-to-tiangong-space-station\/"},"modified":"2022-10-31T22:53:58","modified_gmt":"2022-10-31T14:53:58","slug":"china-launches-mengtian-science-module-to-tiangong-space-station","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/china-launches-mengtian-science-module-to-tiangong-space-station\/","title":{"rendered":"China launches Mengtian science module to Tiangong space station"},"content":{"rendered":"

China launched its second space station module of the year aboard a Chang Zheng 5B rocket Monday. The Mengtian<\/em> module lifted off at 07:37 UTC, and once docked will complete the initial phase of the construction for China\u2019s Tiangong space station.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The launch of the Mengtian<\/em> Laboratory Cabin Module, meaning \u201cDreaming of the Heavens,\u201d follows the successful addition of the Wentian<\/em> module to China\u2019s Tiangong station on July 24. Like Wentian<\/em> and the Tianhe<\/em> core module that was launched in April 2021, Mengtian<\/em> will ride into orbit aboard China\u2019s Chang Zheng 5B (CZ-5B) rocket, also known in English as the Long March 5B.<\/p>\n

With a mass of 23,000 kg, a length of 17.9 meters, and a diameter of 4.2 meters, Mengtian<\/em> will provide space for science experiments in zero gravity, an airlock for exposure to the vacuum of space, and a small robotic arm to support extravehicular payloads.<\/p>\n

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Mengtian during assembly. (Credit: CGTN)<\/p>\n

Mengtian<\/em> is divided into three compartments. The crew working compartment is a pressurized section containing storage racks for science instruments, as well as hosting the docking interface that will connect Mengtian<\/em> with the Tianhe<\/em> core module. The working compartment contains a wide range of instruments and science spaces, including:<\/p>\n

See Also<\/h4>\n
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  • Mengtian Launch Updates<\/li>\n
  • Tiangong Updates <\/li>\n
  • China Forum Section<\/li>\n
  • Click here to Join L2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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    • A fluid physics rack to study the behavior of fluids in zero-gravity<\/li>\n
    • A two-phase system rack<\/li>\n
    • A combustion science rack<\/li>\n
    • A high-temperature materials science rack<\/li>\n
    • An ultracold atom experiment rack<\/li>\n
    • A high-precision time-frequency system<\/li>\n
    • A maintenance and malfunction workstation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The ultracold atom experiment aims to achieve a temperature of 10 picokelvins, which would break the record of the lowest temperature ever achieved by humanity, and surpass a similar experiment that NASA has been conducting in the Cold Atom Lab onboard the International Space Station (ISS).<\/p>\n

      It is hoped that this experiment will lead to the development of a space-based cold atomic clock, based on hydrogen and rubidium. The goal is to produce the coldest atomic clock ever, which would allow for the most precise time measurement. It would not lose one second of time in hundreds of millions of years, according to Zhang Wei, director of the Space Utilization Development Center.<\/p>\n