First astronauts enter China’s Tiangong space station after successful docking operation
- The three took up residence in the core module hours after the Shenzhou 12 launch craft lifted off from the Gobi Desert
- ‘It feels great’ was the message from veteran commander Nie Haisheng as the crew reached earth’s near-orbit
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Chinese astronauts explore space station that will be their home for three months
The first Chinese astronauts entered the country’s Tiangong space station on Thursday afternoon, hours after lifting off.
The three entered the core module that will be their home for the next three months after the Shenzhou 12 launch craft successfully completed the docking manoeuvre at around 4pm.
The astronauts did perform some procedures manually, but most of the flight – including the final approach – was handled by computers.
The use of autopilot has cut the docking process from two days to just a few hours, signalling a significant improvement in China’s space technology. The fast-docking technology will also help evacuate astronauts from space in the event of emergency.
Construction work on the space station’s core module has only just started, but it will grow rapidly in the coming months as more modules, cargo and crew arrive. The work should be finished next year.
Tiangong, which means Heavenly Palace, will become the largest infrastructure built and maintained by a single country in near-earth orbit and has been touted as a beacon of China’s space programme.