China has sent the final section of its Tiangong space station into space. After a 13-hour trip, the new section, known as Mengtian, docked(对接) with Tiangong space station on the early morning of November 1st, 2022, finally completing it. The new section was launched from Hainan Island in the south of China.
For years, China has been working hard to create its own space station. Last year, China began to launch three modules(舱) of Tiangong space station, one at a time. The main module, Tianhe, was launched in April 2021. It holds the power source and main controls for the station, as well as the astronauts' living area. In July 2022, China launched its first laboratory module, Wentian, which is the country's largest ever spacecraft.
The new module, Mengtian (meaning "dreaming of the heavens"), is also designed as a laboratory. It is about 18 meters long and has 8 special research areas for experiments(实验). Mengtian is set up so that experiments can also be run outside the module itself. Chinese astronauts can use special robotic arms to run experiments from inside Tiangong.
China's space program is working with the European Space Agency on some experiments on the Mengtian, China says that one day, foreign astronauts will also be able to visit Tiangong.
Tiangong space station is expected 19 last 10 to 15 years. Though the Mengtian module completes the station, China could add more modules in the future.
China's space program has grown greatly in recent years with a series of successes. In 2020, for example, its Chang'e 5 probe returned to the earth carrying moon rocks. Those were the first moon samples brought to the earth since the 1970s.
