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China completes 1st in-orbit spacecraft transposition with space station's robotic arm
By Global Times Published: Jan 06, 2022 11:41 AM Updated: Jan 06, 2022 11:42 AM
China has conducted a successful transposition test of its space station's cargo craft Tianzhou-2 using home-developed robotic arm early Thursday morning.
It was the first time the robotic arm operated a large space vehicle for relocation, which verified the feasibility and effectiveness of such a maneuver, China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on Thursday.
The transposition process took 47 minutes. After grabbing the Tianzhou-2 cargo spaceship that detached from the Tianhe core cabin at 6:12 am, the robotic arm steadily moved the craft in a counterclockwise plane direction until it eventually docked again with the core module and completed locking.
The Thursday test has preliminarily validated the feasibility and effectiveness of the robotic arm's transposition capability, verified relevant technologies, and laid a solid foundation for the busy schedules of space station construction in the new year.
China eyes 40-plus launch missions in 2022, which will include six major space-station-bound flights - two cargo ships, two manned ships and two experimental modules -- the state-owned space giant China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) said on Tuesday.
They will conduct in-orbit rendezvous and docking operations, space walks, and spacecraft returning missions this year, wrapping up the construction work of China's Tiangong space station.
China scored 55 orbital launches in super 2021, topping the US to become the first in the world.
Of the 55 orbital launches, 48 were from the CASC and all of them were successful, sending more than 100 spacecraft into space, and bringing a complete victory to the most ambitious aerospace year of China.
The world saw a total of 145 space launches in 2021, of which 55 were from China, 51 from the US, and 25 from Russia.
Global Times
By Global Times Published: Jan 06, 2022 11:41 AM Updated: Jan 06, 2022 11:42 AM
China has conducted a successful transposition test of its space station's cargo craft Tianzhou-2 using home-developed robotic arm early Thursday morning.
It was the first time the robotic arm operated a large space vehicle for relocation, which verified the feasibility and effectiveness of such a maneuver, China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on Thursday.
The transposition process took 47 minutes. After grabbing the Tianzhou-2 cargo spaceship that detached from the Tianhe core cabin at 6:12 am, the robotic arm steadily moved the craft in a counterclockwise plane direction until it eventually docked again with the core module and completed locking.
The Thursday test has preliminarily validated the feasibility and effectiveness of the robotic arm's transposition capability, verified relevant technologies, and laid a solid foundation for the busy schedules of space station construction in the new year.
China eyes 40-plus launch missions in 2022, which will include six major space-station-bound flights - two cargo ships, two manned ships and two experimental modules -- the state-owned space giant China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) said on Tuesday.
They will conduct in-orbit rendezvous and docking operations, space walks, and spacecraft returning missions this year, wrapping up the construction work of China's Tiangong space station.
China scored 55 orbital launches in super 2021, topping the US to become the first in the world.
Of the 55 orbital launches, 48 were from the CASC and all of them were successful, sending more than 100 spacecraft into space, and bringing a complete victory to the most ambitious aerospace year of China.
The world saw a total of 145 space launches in 2021, of which 55 were from China, 51 from the US, and 25 from Russia.
Global Times
