On April 17, the new office of the State Council held a press conference on the progress of china's space station construction. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Pan Xu
With the smooth return of Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu, the Shenzhou 13 manned mission was successful, marking the successful completion of the key technology verification phase of the Chinese space station and will enter the construction stage.
What breakthroughs have been made in the key technology verification stage of the Chinese space station? What are the plans and arrangements for the construction phase? On April 17, the State Council New Office held a press conference on the progress of China's space station construction to introduce the relevant situation.
The key technology verification stage was successfully completed And the key technology of space station construction was completed
"Since 2020, the mainland has successfully implemented the first flight of the Long March 5B carrier rocket, the space station Tianhe core module, the Shenzhou XII and Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft, and the Tianzhou II and Tianzhou III cargo spacecraft, successfully completing the mission objectives of the key technology verification stage." Hao Chun, director of China's Manned Space Engineering Office, said.
Hao Chun introduced that during the key technology verification stage of the space station, the mainland has comprehensively broken through the key technologies of space station construction, including the life and work support technology of astronauts staying in orbit for a long time, the regenerative environmental control and life support technology, and the mechanical arm auxiliary module transposition technology, which has overcome technical difficulties for the construction of the follow-up space station.
"During the residency of Shenzhou 12 and Shenzhou 13, the regenerative life protection system of the Tianhe core module provides a good manned environment for astronauts to meet the material metabolism needs of astronauts in orbit; the large flexible solar cell wing and its power supply technology provide sufficient energy supply in tasks with large energy requirements such as outgoing activities, rendezvous and docking, and robotic arm transposition." Academician Yang Hong, chief designer of the space station system of China's manned space project and researcher of the China Academy of Space Technology, said.
The Shenzhou 13 flight crew flew for 183 days, successfully completed 2 outgoing activities, 2 space lectures, and more than 40 on-orbit experiments and test missions during the period of on-orbit residency, completed more than 80 on-orbit data collection and analysis work, and the three astronauts had a good physical and psychological state during the orbital flight.
"The successful implementation of the Shenzhou 13 mission has further verified the scientific effectiveness of the mainland astronaut selection and training technology, and also shows that the mainland has fully possessed the long-term flight and residence support capabilities of astronauts, laying a foundation for follow-up missions." Huang Weifen, chief designer of the astronaut system of China's manned spaceflight project and researcher of the China Astronaut Scientific Research and Training Center, said.
In addition, during the key technology verification stage of the space station, the mainland also improved the organization and command system of the mission, initially established a manned space operation management system with Chinese characteristics, and achieved high-level space science research results and significant comprehensive benefits.
In 2022, the space station will be completed in orbit, and a total of 6 missions are planned
At present, the mainland is organizing a system-wide comprehensive assessment of the key technical verification phase of the space station, and after meeting the requirements, it will be fully transferred to the space station construction stage. "In 2022, we will complete the on-orbit construction of the Chinese space station, with a total of 6 missions planned." Hao Chun said.
According to the mission arrangement, the Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft will be launched in May, the Shenzhou-14 manned spacecraft will be launched in June, the space station Wentian Experimental Module will be launched in July, and the space station's Dream Experiment Module will be launched in October. This will be followed by the launch of the Tianzhou-5 cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou-15 manned spacecraft.
According to reports, the two crews of Shenzhou 14 and Shenzhou 15 are composed of three astronauts, who will fly in orbit for 6 months, and will realize the rotation of on-orbit crews for the first time to achieve uninterrupted manned presence. The two crews of six astronauts will stay in orbit together for 5 to 10 days.
"According to the mission arrangement during the construction phase of the space station, the crew of astronauts for the two manned missions has been selected. At present, the physical and mental state of the Shenzhou 14 and Shenzhou 15 flight crews is very good, and they are actively carrying out relevant training and task preparation. Huang Weifen said.
"After the completion of the construction of the space station, the two experimental modules will be the main workplaces for astronauts in orbit, and space science experiments and technical experiments inside and outside the sealed cabins can be carried out in both experimental modules, and experiments in space science, space materials, space medicine and space exploration can be carried out." Yang Hong said that at present, the development of the Wentian Experimental Module and the Dream Experiment Module on the ground is progressing smoothly.
Promote the development of high-level applications to better serve the national economy and people's livelihood
"After the completion of the orbital construction of the space station this year, the project will move to the application and development stage of more than 10 years. The initial plan is to launch two manned spacecraft and two cargo spacecraft per year. Astronauts should stay in orbit for a long time, carry out space science experiments and technical experiments, and take care of and maintain the space station. Hao Chun said.
In order to further enhance the comprehensive capability and technical level of the project, the mainland will also develop a new generation of manned carrier rockets and a new generation of manned spacecraft. Among them, the return capsule of the new generation of manned launch vehicles and the new generation of manned spacecraft can be reused; the comprehensive capabilities of the new generation of manned spacecraft will also be greatly improved, which can carry 7 astronauts. In addition, larger-scale space research experiments and new technology experiments will be carried out.
"Manned spaceflight engineering is a great undertaking that is 'both tall and grounded.'" Hao Chun said that while realizing its own development, manned space projects can also drive the upgrading of related industries and promote economic and social development, which is closely related to the national economy and people's livelihood.
According to reports, manned spaceflight is the most complex system, the most intensive science and technology, and the most innovative and active scientific and technological activities. While scientific and technological achievements continue to emerge, they will be applied to various fields related to the national economy and people's livelihood. In the past 30 years since the development of China's manned space project, more than 4,000 technical achievements have been widely used in various industries of the national economy.
"In the future, the Chinese space station will also carry out a large number of scientific experiments and new technology verifications such as space life science, space materials science, and aerospace medicine, and is expected to achieve major achievements and breakthroughs in scientific exploration and applied research." At the same time, these technologies will be more transformed to serve socio-economic development and national economy and people's livelihood. Hao Chun said.
Reporters: Zhang Quan, Song Chen, Hu Zhe