China has completed the basic construction of its T-Shaped Tiangong Space Station following the launch of the Mengtian module on Monday, Oct. 31.
Mengtian, the final of the three-module space station, docked at its port on Tiangong 13 hours after its launch from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia's Gobi Desert.
From the port where it docked, the Mengtian module made a 90-degree turn to the left side berth on the space station's docking hub on Thursday, Nov. 3. The Wentian module arrived at the Chinese space station in late September, docking on the starboard docking port.
The T-shaped Chinese orbital post has three modules, namely: the Tianhe core modules and the experiment modules of Wentian and Mengtian.
The completion of the Tiangong Space Station brought the low-Earth orbit's population to two.
Major Space Power
The Thursday space event was a big step for China becoming a major space power. At the same time, it showcased China's growing space program.
China's space plans include building a Moon base where it will conduct lunar explorations and, from there, hopes to send orbiters and landers to Mars in years to come.
The completed T-shaped space station, according to space law professor Fabio Tronchetti of Beihang University in Beijing, is important for China to achieve its ambitious space program.
Neighbors
Tiangong's neighbor, the International Space Station (ISS), will cease its low-Earth orbit a few years from now. That will leave the Chinese orbiting station alone in space, he said.
China sent two Tiangong prototypes in orbit from 2011 until 2019. These two experimental prototypes had already ceased their orbit.
ISS, a multinational space station, is expected to retire by 2030. The space station, which is way larger than Tiangong, is a common platform of the United States, Russia, and the European Space Agency (ESA).
Tiangong became ISS's new neighbor after Russia's Mir space station was decommissioned in 2001.
Occupants
Present occupants of the Chinese space station are the three astronauts of the Shenzhou 14-manned mission.
The three astronauts - Chen Dong, Cai Xuzhe, and Liu Yang - entered the third module at 3:12 p.m. Beijing time on Thursday after the successful port maneuver.
"The dream has come true," Chen announced after they successfully entered Mengtian, one of the two laboratory modules of the Chinese space station.
The space station, according to Liu, the first Chinese woman in space in 2012, is called the space orbiter mankind's home in heaven.
Long March 7 Rocket
The crew of the Shenzhou 15 mission is expected to join the Shenzhou 14 astronauts in space before the end of 2022.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) is preparing the Long March 7 rocket at the Wenchang space facility.
CNSA said the rocket would blast off the Tianzhou 5 cargo as a supply mission to support the six-month expedition of Shenzhou 15.
Although CNSA has yet to announce the details, the launch is expected to take place in Inner Mongolia's space launch center on Nov. 12.
