Propeller has been added to the third and final module of China's space station in preparation for its launch into orbit later this month, according to a report by Space.com.
The Mengtian experiment module has already undergone assembly and testing since it landed at the Wenchang spaceport on the southern island of Hainan in August.
According to a statement from the China Manned Space Agency, the module was now fueled before its launch into space on October 9.
(Photo : CNS/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - The rocket carrying Chinas second module for its Tiangong space station lifts off from Wenchang spaceport in southern China on July 24, 2022. - China on July 24 launched the second of three modules needed to complete its new space station, state media reported, the latest step in Beijing's ambitious space programme.
The propellant will be used by Mengtian to assist it in locating and docking with the two Tiangong space station modules that are currently in orbit. China sent the Wentian experiment module into orbit in July of this year and the Tianhe core module in April of last year.
Mengtian, which translates to "Dreaming of the Heavens," is a structure that is 58.7 feet (17.9 meters) long and weighs around 48,500 pounds (22 tons). It was built primarily to house a variety of science racks and experiments.
The new module will be moved using a specially designed powered mechanical device from a forward docking port to a lateral port after docking at Tiangong, in a move similar to that carried out with the Wentian module on September 30.
The space station's orbital outpost will be finished once they carried out this activity.
Read Also: China: Wentian Module Docks on Tiangong Space Station-Focusing on Research, More Room for Sleep
Space Lab Modules
After the launch and installation of the Mengtian module, the two space lab modules will provide a pressurized environment for astronauts and researchers to conduct tests in free fall or zero gravity that are not possible to carry out on Earth.
They will also enable testing to be carried out outside the module to investigate the effects of cosmic rays and solar radiation on the materials that will be used under challenging operating conditions.
Two astronauts operating on the space station, mission commander Chen Dong and crew member Liu Yang, completed a six-hour spacewalk on September 1 to set up emergency protocols and get the Wentian module ready for the procedure.
The space crew used the Wentian lab module's airlock cabin to leave the space station for the first time.
They traveled to the space station in early June with their teammate Cai Xuzhe and will stay there for six months. They will be joined by three additional astronauts when the Shenzhou 15 mission lifts off later this year, bringing the crew total to six for the first time.
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
