According to South China Morning Post, this ship would be so big that it
would cover miles! The National Natural Science Foundation of China has
asked scientists in the country to think about the most optimal way to put
such a craft into orbit. This project, funded to the tune of $ 2.3 million
by the foundation, aims to facilitate space exploration in the country and
the future use of space resources.
This design phase is expected to last at least five years, during which time
researchers will be responsible for minimizing the weight of the spacecraft
in order to reduce the number of launches and construction costs. The
machine will indeed be so immense that it can obviously not be launched in
one go. It is also a question of ensuring the controllability of structures
to limit attitude drift, deformation and vibrations during the assembly
process of the various modules.
It is therefore an ambitious new step for China, whose space program has
progressed enormously in recent years: after being the first nation to land
a spacecraft on the far side of the moon in January 2019 (the Chang’e 4
probe), in December 2020 it became the third country to bring back lunar
samples on Earth (via the Chang’e 5 probe), then recently successfully
landed his Zhurong rover on Mars, just three months after NASA.
A project bordering on science fiction
With a huge spacecraft in orbit, China would have a platform that would
allow it to spend even more time in space. ” [Un tel vaisseau spatial] is a
major strategic aerospace equipment for the future use of space resources,
the exploration of the mysteries of the universe and the long-term
maintenance in orbit », We can read in the presentation of the project
published by the foundation. Scientists involved in the project must now
find a way to minimize the mass of the craft, while ensuring that it will
withstand being put into orbit.
This ambitious project, bordering on science fiction, comes as China is
already building his own space station, baptized Tiangong. This modular
station, also assembled in orbit, is nowhere near as imposing as the
announced spacecraft – its final mass is expected to be around 100 tonnes,
or about a quarter of the International Space Station (which weighs 420
tonnes). Construction is expected to be completed next year.
But putting an “ultra-large” spacecraft into orbit is a much more difficult
challenge. For comparison, the ISS measures 109 meters from end to end,
which is almost the total length of a football field, and offers 388 m³ of
living space; not less than 42 assembly flights (37 on American space
shuttles and five on Russian rockets) were needed to deliver the large
modules and other parts of the station.
A new ultra-powerful engine being tested
The first module of the Chinese Space Station was placed in orbit in April,
via a heavy Long March 5 launcher; the latter is capable of placing a
payload of 25 tons in low orbit. But China is working on a new engine, with
a thrust of 500 tons, specially designed for its new generation Long March 9
rockets, the first flight of which is scheduled for 2030.
The first tests of the engine made earlier this year place it among the most
powerful liquid fuel engines in the world. Equipped with this engine, the
Long March 9 rockets should be able to place up to 140 tons in low earth
orbit. These launchers will undoubtedly be used to put the various modules
of the giant Chinese spacecraft into orbit if the project sees the light of
day.
At the same time, China is preparing to send a cargo vessel to Tiangong, to
bring various supplies there. The Tianzhou-3 spacecraft and its carrier rocket
(a Long March 7) arrived at the launch base last week; the launch is scheduled
for mid-September. Shortly after, in October, the Shenzhou-13 will lead three
astronauts to the station and return with the current crew, who have been
occupying the premises since June. These are only the third and fourth of 11
missions planned to complete the construction of the space station; two more
modules are expected to be launched next year.
Source: Link
Tags:
Space & Astrophysics