New Chinese spacecraft returned to Earth safely

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The new Chinese spacecraft, launched at the beginning of the week without crew on board, "landed successfully" on Earth after its test mission, announced the Chinese agency in charge of manned flights (CMS). A technological success for China, which now allows it to launch the construction of a large space station. It should start this year and end in 2022.

Publicity

The spacecraft was cushioned in its fall by three red and white parachutes. The photo was published by the People's Daily , the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The re-entry module to Earth of the Chinese spacecraft landed this Friday at 1:49 pm local time in a predetermined landing area in the north of the country, said the space agency in charge of manned flights (CMS).

His successful return comes after the failure Wednesday of the return to Earth of an experimental cargo capsule, launched by the same rocket, victim of an "  anomaly  ", according to CMS.

Future space station

The main purpose of this new spacecraft is to transport astronauts to the future space station and to make manned flights to the Moon. It was launched this Tuesday, May 5 using a Long March 5B rocket , the most powerful ever used by China. It will allow the elements of the future station, named Tiangong (“ Celestial Palace  ”) to be transported  .

Beijing has launched since the 1990s several “Shenzhou” spaceships, built on the model of the famous Russian “Soyuz”. Deemed safer, the new spacecraft is faster, more heat resistant, can carry more astronauts - up to six instead of three - and is partially reusable. These characteristics open up new horizons for the Chinese manned space program.

The spacecraft is thus supposed to be able to carry out more distant missions in space, journeys which require higher speed and better protection against extreme temperatures.

Probe to Mars in 2020 and Moon objective in ten years

China is investing billions of euros in its space program. It places many satellites in orbit, for its own account or for other countries. In early 2019, it became the first nation in the world to land a probe on the far side of the Moon .

In 2020, Beijing should launch a probe to Mars. The Chinese also hope to send a manned mission to the moon within ten years.

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