China launched the manned spacecraft Shenzhou 13 on the 16th.
The astronauts were sent back into space four months after the launch of the Shenzhou-12 in June.
It has been only a month since the astronauts of the Shenzhou 12 astronauts returned to Earth.
The mission of 'Shenzhou 13' is to dock at the core module 'Tianhe' of the space station launched in April, and to test technology and install equipment for the construction of China's independent space station 'Tiangong'.
Earlier, the launch time was set at 0:23 (1:23 Korean time).
The weather and the shortest flight distance were taken into account.
Even though it was past midnight, Chinese media such as state-run CCTV broadcast the launch scene live throughout China.
However, it is not easy to relay the launch of a manned spacecraft rather than an unmanned spacecraft in real time, as accidents may occur during launch.
It is said that China had that much confidence.
China's aerospace authorities have lived up to expectations.
It declared a "perfect launch success" within 30 minutes of launch, and succeeded in docking with the space station module 'Tianhe' six hours later.
China urges other countries to "beware of space junk and protect the safety of Chinese astronauts"
China went crazy. Chinese media reported the success of the launch all day on the 16th, and continued praise on the 17th. According to reports, China's aerospace technology is unparalleled in the world, and the three astronauts are national heroes who showed off China's 'space prowess'. "The whole nation watched the launch and felt national pride," Hu Shi-jin, general editor of the Global Times, said in a column. . China plans to complete the space station 'Tiangong' by the end of next year. The International Space Station (ISS), which is currently operated jointly by the United States and Russia, will end its operation in 2024.
China's state-run Global Times also published an article about the safety of the astronauts of the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft. China has urged other space participants to 'beware of space junk to protect the safety of Chinese astronauts'. According to the report, China's Manned Space Agency (CMSA), in a briefing before launching 'Shenzhou 13', said, "Pay attention to the Chinese spacecraft information updated on the Chinese Manned Space Agency website to avoid the possibility of a space collision and ensure the safety of Chinese astronauts. We urge foreign space agencies and organizations to do "China is updating the space station orbit parameters and hopes that foreign agencies and organizations will avoid collisions when manipulating spacecraft orbits," he said.
The Global Times said the move was aimed at the United States. Citing an interview with Chinese aerospace expert Song Zhongping, the media claimed that "the United States is promoting the militarization of outer space" and "putting other countries' spacecraft and space assets at risk." An example is the unmanned spacecraft 'X-37B', known as the 'orbital tester' operated by the US Air Force. Other observers told the Global Times that "the longer the missions of Chinese astronauts, the greater the risk of colliding with space debris, such as rocket debris." The three Chinese astronauts will stay in space for six months, the longest in China's space challenge history. Outside the space station module during the mission, In other words, it includes the missions you must perform while swimming in space.
China has the most rocket launches in 4 years since 2018... Controversy over 'safety of debris management'
We looked at the number of rocket launches by major countries recently.
According to the data on the 'Space Launch Report' website, China has been ranked as the 'most rocket launcher' for 4 years since 2018.
In 2017 alone, China was behind the United States (29) and Russia (21) in the number of rocket launches with 18, but in 2018, it overtook the United States (31) and Russia (20) with 39 rockets.
It was followed by China 34 times in 2019, Russia 25 times, USA 21 times, China 39 times in 2020, USA 37 times, and Russia 17 times.
Again this year, China is ahead of the 38th, the US 35th and Russia 17th.
In fact, just a few months ago, China had the whole world tensed by the crash of its rocket wreck. It was none other than the wreckage of the 'Longjing-5B' rocket, which was launched in April to send the aforementioned Chinese space station module 'Tianhe' into space. Fortunately, some of the wreckage was burned and destroyed in the process of entering the atmosphere, and some fell into the Indian Ocean and there were no casualties. . The US has accused China of "failing to meet safety standards for space debris." In May of last year, when this 'Changjeong 5B' was first test-fired, fragments of large metal pillars fell on Ivory Coast, Africa, and some buildings were damaged.
Since the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, there has been a lot of space junk in space, including dead satellites, fairings and boosters separated from the rocket body or rocket, spacecraft debris, and tools and parts dropped by astronauts. There are about 20,000 pieces of space debris with a diameter of 10 cm or more, and according to a recent Russian space expert, the scale is said to reach 7,000 tons. If you add undiscovered space junk, it is estimated that there are over 100 million. This space junk travels 7 to 10 times faster than bullets.
Space debris often collides with satellites.
In March of this year, the Chinese satellite 'Yunhai' collided with space debris and was broken into 37 pieces, according to an expert analysis.
China is a concern.
This time it's a manned spaceship, so it could be even more so.
It is also clear that the US and Russia (including the USSR) have a great responsibility, given that they once competed in space exploration.
However, given the current situation, it seems that China is not in a position to shout at the United States for better management of space junk.