Photo: NASA/FLICKR
Chinese rocket debris is expected to fall to Earth this weekend but it’s not clear when or where. The major space-power launched the first module of its new space station this week and also plans to build a lunar station in co-operation with Russia. But what are the rules of space – who makes them and how are they enforced? And what would conflict in space look like? Andrew Mueller talks to Chris Hadfield, Namrata Goswami, David Burbach and Christopher Newman.
8 May 2021
China, whose astronauts for decades have been excluded from the ISS, has launched the first module of its new space station successfully. The core module was launched into low earth orbit by a Long March-5B rocket. This marks the Chinese effort’s first step to build its own station in two years. China’s space station will be fully operational by the end of 2022.
According to a statement on the website of China Manned Space Agency, the facilities and equipment of Wenchang launch centre are in good condition, and all the personnel participating in the program are making concerted efforts for the complete success of the mission.
International Space Station gets a rival with planned launch of Chinese space station module
For more than two decades, the International Space Station has orbited 227 nautical miles above Earth with more than 200 astronauts from 19 different countries enjoying stints aboard.
But its role as the sole venue for a continuous human presence in space, scientific research and a testing ground for future space exploration is coming to a close, potentially signaling an end to an unparalleled era of international cooperation in space.
China, whose astronauts have long been excluded from the ISS, successfully launched the first module of its planned space station on Thursday morning from the Wenchang launch site in the southern island of Hainan, according to the China National Space Administration.