BLUF
China has begun building its first advanced space station and last month launched the Tianhe, a core module of this station.Summary
With April's successful launch of the Tianhe* core module of the Chinese Space Station (CSS), China has demonstrated its aspirations to become a significant contender in space. Launching from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Centre in Hainan, southern China, Tianhe is the starter phase of China's first long-duration outpost for astronauts in space. The Chinese timetable to complete the construction of the station is late 2022. Tianhe's launch is the first of 11 planned assembly missions—four of which will involve astronauts—to deliver and connect multiple CSS modules. Former NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao—who tracks Chinese progress in human spaceflight—says we should not discount china's achievements in space. He said: 'The first reason any country gets into this business is for national prestige. China wants to be the leader in space exploration and all areas of science. So expect the capabilities of their station to be significant.'
*Tianhe means 'Heavenly River', an archaic Chinese name for the Milky Way.
