Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




DRAGON SPACE
Tiangong: Better Late Than Lost
by Morris Jones
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Sep 19, 2011


If that goes well, we can expect Shenzhou 9 to fly to Tiangong in early 2012, with astronauts aboard. Shenzhou 10 is expected to follow in late 2012. The Tiangong 1 module itself is expected to function for at least two years.

It seems that our long wait for the launch of China's space laboratory is almost over. Most discussions of the flight of Tiangong 1 suggest that it will certainly launch this month. We can now measure the countdown in days instead of months.

It's been a long struggle to get to this point. Tiangong was supposed to launch in 2010. The small module has gone through more than its fair share of delays and problems.

China hasn't given us access to the full story, but it seems almost certain that there have been technical problems with the laboratory, and possibly the re-design of some components. We know that Tiangong's latest problems have centered around its launch vehicle.

The recent failure of a Chinese satellite launch prompted a safety review of China's rocket fleet, delaying an impending launch of Tiangong by roughly a month.

We don't know if anything has been changed on Tiangong's booster, but at the very least, it's been given some more testing. The successful launch of another Chinese satellite has just provided a confidence booster, and more reason to go ahead with Tiangong soon.

It's been worth the wait. Tiangong is not just another satellite. It's a critical next-step in China's human spaceflight program. Without Tiangong in orbit, a string of missions planned for this year and 2012 simply cannot proceed.

Current plans call for the Shenzhou 8 spacecraft to be launched to dock with Tiangong later this year. This will be an unmanned launch that will test rendezvous and docking procedures, as well as providing a shakedown flight for the mass-production model of China's Shenzhou astronaut-launch spacecraft.

If that goes well, we can expect Shenzhou 9 to fly to Tiangong in early 2012, with astronauts aboard. Shenzhou 10 is expected to follow in late 2012. The Tiangong 1 module itself is expected to function for at least two years.

Delaying the launch by a few weeks is a small price to pay for achieving success, and it seems most likely that China will succeed with this launch.

The Tiangong space laboratory itself will probably work too. If we are lucky, there could be video and photography from the spacecraft in-orbit. There are two Earth Observation cameras on board Tiangong. Will we get a peek at what they are seeing?

With all this work in place, China needs to specify a launch date in public very soon. We're counting down. It's time to go.

Dr Morris Jones is an Australian space analyst. Email morrisjonesNOSPAMhotmail.com. Replace NOSPAM with @ to send email. Dr Jones will answer media inquiries.

.


Related Links
-
The Chinese Space Program - News, Policy and Technology
China News from SinoDaily.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








DRAGON SPACE
Tiangong 1 might be launched in late September
Beijing (XNA) Sep 07, 2011
Due to the launch failure of the experimental orbiter SJ-11-04, the Chinese unmanned space module Tiangong 1, the prototype of the Chinese space experiment station, which was scheduled to launch in late August, is now expected to launch in late September, according to the China Manned Space Engineering Office. An exact launch date will be set pending the investigation into the failed rocke ... read more


DRAGON SPACE
United Launch Alliance Launches GRAIL Spacecrafts To Moon

NASA launches twin spacecraft to study Moon's core

Second bid to launch NASA's Moon-bound spacecraft

NASA to launch Moon-bound twin spacecraft

DRAGON SPACE
Opportunity on verge of new discovery

Opportunity Studies Chester Lake Rock Outcrop

Opportunity Inspects Next Rock at Endeavour

Opportunity Continues Early Exploration Of Endeavour Crater Rim

DRAGON SPACE
Astronauts dive deep in practice for asteroid visit

Virgin aims for first space launch within 12 months

Statement on Importance of Supporting Planetary Exploration

NASA Offers Shuttle Tiles And Space Food To Schools And Universities

DRAGON SPACE
Tiangong: Better Late Than Lost

Tiangong 1 might be launched in late September

Chang'e-2 moon orbiter travels around L2 in outer space

China State media says Tiangong 1 to launch in early Sept

DRAGON SPACE
Private US capsule not to dock with ISS

Crew safely returns to Earth after crash

Russia postpones next manned launch to ISS

Russia announces launch of 2 spacecraft in Oct-Nov

DRAGON SPACE
Arianespace to launch up to four satellites for DIRECTV

Build-up is underway for the no. 1 Soyuz to be launched from French Guiana

Space Systems/Loral Delivers ViaSat-1 Broadband Satellite to Launch Base

Arianespace to launch BepiColombo spacecraft

DRAGON SPACE
Astronomers confirm first planet orbiting two stars

Astronomers find extreme weather on an alien world

Latest Exoplanet Haul Includes Super Earth At Habitat Zone Edge

Invisible World Discovered

DRAGON SPACE
Vesta an asteroid full of surprises

Latest Tumbling Satellite Fails to Warrant Space Intercept

Google opening smartphone wallets

US satellite may crash back to Earth Sept 23: NASA




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement