China aims to extend its space station from three to six modules in the coming years, providing astronauts from other countries with an alternative platform for near-Earth missions as the NASA-led International Space Station (ISS) nears the end of its existence.
The China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a unit of China’s main space contractor, announced the Chinese space station’s operational lifetime on Wednesday during the 74th International Astronautical Congress in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Tiangong, or Celestial Palace in Chinese, China’s self-built space station, has been fully operational since late 2022, accommodating a maximum of three astronauts at an orbital altitude of up to 450 km (280 miles).
Tiangong, even after its enlargement to six modules, is still just 40% of the mass of the ISS, which can hold a crew of seven astronauts. The ISS, which has been in orbit for more than two decades, is planned to be dismantled in 2030, about the same time China has said it expects to become a major space power.
As Tiangong became fully operational last year, Chinese state media stated that China would be no slouch as the ISS approached retirement, adding that several countries had asked to send their astronauts to the Chinese station.
However, in a setback to China’s space diplomacy ambitions, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced this year that it did not have the budgetary or political green light to participate in Tiangong, thereby canceling a years-long plan for a visit by European astronauts.
After being separated from the ISS, Tiangong has become a sign of China’s growing clout and confidence in its space endeavors, as well as a rival to the US in the sector. Any direct or indirect collaboration with NASA is prohibited by US law.
Russia, an ISS participant, has similar space diplomacy aspirations, implying that Moscow’s BRICS allies – Brazil, India, China, and South Africa – may build a module for their space station.
Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, announced last year that it planned to build a space station with six modules that could house up to four cosmonauts.
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