China's Wentian lab module docks with Tianhe core module combination
Wentian, the first lab module of China's space station, has successfully docked with the combination of the Tianhe core module, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
The Wentian module, launched on Sunday afternoon, docked with the front port of Tianhe at 3:13 a.m. Monday (Beijing Time), after it entered the planned orbit and completed state setting.
The whole process took approximately 13 hours, the CMSA said.
"This is the first time we practised the in-orbit docking between large modules, and also the first semi-autonomous fast-docking. In general, the whole process was under very accurate control and accomplished successfully," said Zou Xuemei, chief engineer of Wentian lab module mission at Beijing Aerospace Control Center.
It is the first time that China's two 20-tonne-level spacecrafts conducted rendezvous and docking in orbit, and also the first time that space rendezvous and docking were carried out during the astronauts' in-orbit stay in the space station, the CMSA said.
Later, the Shenzhou-14 astronauts will enter Wentian as scheduled, the CMSA said.
Like the Tianhe, the Wentian lab module with a length of 17.9 meters is also equipped with living facilities for the astronauts, including three sleeping areas, a toilet and a kitchen. It has an airlock cabin which will become the main exit-entry point for extravehicular activities (EVAs) once active, replacing the role now played by the Tianhe docking hub.
Its main role is hosting experiment racks for science experiments, while also providing backups to the life support and control functions of Tianhe.
The new crew facilities will allow China to perform a first crew handover. This will take place when the current Shenzhou-14 crew greet three new astronauts aboard Shenzhou-15 in December. Tiangong will then host six astronauts for a period of days.
It is the first laboratory module added to the under-construction space station, after the 16.6-meter-long core module Tianhe was launched in April 2021.
At present, China's space station complex is composed of the core module Tianhe, Tianzhou-4 cargo craft and Shenzhou-14 crewed spaceship.
China's space station will be expanded from the foundational core module Tianhe into a basic T-shaped three-module structure by the end of this year, with Tianhe in the centre and the two lab modules Wentian and Mengtian on each side of it. Mengtian, the final component of the space station, is scheduled to arrive in October.
