Asia

China Launches Wentian Laboratory Module to Tiangong Space Station

The rocket carrying China’s second module for its Tiangong space station lifts off from Wenchang spaceport in southern China on July 24, 2022.
BEIJING (Sputnik) - The Long March-5B carrier rocket with the Wentian laboratory module for China's Tiangong orbital station was launched on Sunday from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on Hainan as broadcast by China Central Television.
Sputnik
The launch took place at 14:22 local time (06:22 GMT).
The laboratory module Wentian consists of three parts: the working compartment, the airlock compartment, and the resource compartment. As of now, Wentian, which is 17.9 meters (55.7 feet) long, has a maximum diameter of 4.2 meters and a launch weight of 23 tons, is the largest spacecraft launched by China.
The Mengtian research module is also expected to dock to the Tiangong station this year.
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