China plans to launch an experimental spacecraft without a crew in April, as part of a broader spaceflight program to take astronauts to its future space station, state media reported Tuesday. The new-generation spacecraft is scheduled for the maiden flight of the Long March-5B rocket, China’s largest rocket, from the southern island province of Hainan, Xinhua official news agency, citing the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) # ). The launch is scheduled for mid to late April.
The spacecraft is being developed for the exploitation of the Chinese space station and its future human space exploration, Xinhua said. It will be larger than China’s current Shenzhou spacecraft and will also be reusable, the news agency said. “The mission will test key technologies of the new manned spacecraft, such as controlling its return to the atmosphere, heat shielding and recovery technology,” said Yang Qing, a designer of the spacecraft at the China Academy of Space Technology.
The mission will lay the foundation for the development of transportation for future astronauts to China’s space station, Yang added. With a length of 8.8 meters and a take-off weight of 21.6 tons, the spaceship can transport six astronauts, more than the maximum capacity of three people in the Shenzhou.
China plans to complete a multi-module residential space station by 2022. China has made space exploration a top priority in recent years as it seeks to overtake Russia and the United States and become a major space power by 2030.
(This story has not been edited by staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
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