China has released panoramic images showing the full structure of its Tiangong space station for the first time.
They show the complete 90-tonne, T-shaped station, its gigantic solar panels and main robotic arm, along with other details, and a stunning view of Earth in the background.
The space agency said there had been few opportunities for Chinese astronauts to capture a full image of the Tiangong through its viewing windows since construction began in 2021.
But on October 30, after undocking from the Tiangong, the Shenzhou 16 spacecraft made a special trip past the space station for the crew to take photographs from a few hundred metres above the structure.
The photos released on Tuesday were taken by Gui Haichao, the first Chinese researcher and civilian astronaut to enter space.
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China’s Shenzhou 16 mission sends its first civilian astronaut into space
China’s Shenzhou 16 mission sends its first civilian astronaut into space
They show the symmetry of the space station, with its core module Tianhe at the centre and two laboratory modules, Mengtian and Wentian, docked at either side, each with a pair of solar panels spanning 55 metres (180 feet). The three modules were launched separately and assembled in orbit.
The images also show the Shenzhou 17 spacecraft and Tianzhou 6 cargo ship docked at the front and rear of the Tianhe module.
The space station’s 10-metre robotic arm is pictured at the Wentian module, having apparently left its base on the Tianhe. Slots for exposure experiments on the Mengtian module are also visible in the high-resolution photographs.
China’s space station is about 20 per cent of the weight of the International Space Station, the largest man-made structure in space which is currently in a slightly higher orbit than the Tiangong. But the Tiangong still has more than half the capacity for experiments of the International Space Station and a more spacious environment for astronauts to live and work in.
China’s next space mission set to reveal secrets from the far side of the moon
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Senior Chinese space officials have said the country plans to expand the Tiangong from a three-module, T-shaped structure to a six-module, cross-shaped one in coming years.
The expanded space station is expected to weigh around 180 tonnes and double its capabilities in low-Earth orbit, Zhang Qiao from the China Academy of Space Technology said during a space conference in Baku, Azerbaijan in October.
The Tiangong is currently in a development phase that is expected to continue for at least 10 years.
Meanwhile, the International Space Station’s operations have been extended until 2030. Nasa has said it could cost US$1 billion to destroy the ISS.
