Technical issues
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China needs to move the cargo plane to the space block
Holiday for Chinese state television: The news bulletin about the successful landing of a probe on Mars is shown on a large video screen. Photo: Mark Schippelin / AP / dpa
Peking Mars Rover, Satellites and Space Station: China pursues ambitious goals in space. The pressure on technicians is enormous. Now we need to postpone a start. How quickly are problems resolved?
The mission was postponed just minutes before the launch of the unmanned spacecraft “Tianshou 2” to the main area of the future Chinese space station. The official Xinhua news agency reported on China’s space program on Wednesday.
Wenchang was ready to launch a rocket at the space station on the southern Chinese island of Hainan when the cancellation came abruptly. Named for “technical issues”. The new start time will be decided later.
“Tianjo 2” was to bring supplies and fuel to the main block called “Tianhe” (Heavenly Harmony), which was launched on April 29th. The cargo is intended to produce three astronauts’ aircraft in June, and they will spend three months in space. “Tianhe” is set to be the starting point for the construction of the space station, which is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
The flight schedule is tightly timed, which increases the pressure on those in charge and technicians. After the flight of three astronauts in June, another delivery aircraft is scheduled to launch in September. Three more astronauts are due to follow in October. Next year, two laboratory modules, each weighing a whopping 20 tons, are due to be brought into space, which will be mounted in T-shape on the core module. Two cargo planes and two men are scheduled to travel in 2022.
How far the start had to be postponed is not as clear as the severity of the technical issues. Before that, there was still good news: four days after landing on Mars, the Chinese Mars rover “Jurong” sent images from the red planet to Earth for the first time. “All systems are operating normally,” state media reported. One of the photos shows the rover after landing on the Red Planet, and the other shows the separation of the “Jurong” and the lander.
A rocket was successfully launched from China’s Jiuquan space station in the Kobe Desert on Wednesday and put a marine surveillance satellite into orbit. State media reported that “Hyang-2D”, along with two other satellites, will develop a monitoring and early warning system for weather, raw material use, climate protection and marine research.
China lands on Mars for the first time. The orbit of “Tianwen 1” was also successfully brought into orbit, which serves as a relay station for communication with the earth. So the first photos can be sent. After landing, the rover initially recorded its surroundings “as planned”, according to the Chinese space program.
So far, only the United States has been able to park spy vehicles on Mars. The Soviet Union landed in the 1970s, but immediately lost touch with the investigation. Landing on the Red Planet is considered very difficult. So far, only half of all attempts have been successful.
China’s mission is one of three flights to Mars that departed last summer. The United Arab Emirates and the United States also sent spacecraft. The American rover “Perseverance” landed in February and began work.
China’s lander touches down in the Utopia Planetia region. The six-wheeler “Jurang”, named after the Chinese fire god, has been under investigation for at least three months. State media talked about a “new chapter” in the Chinese space program.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210519-99-660132 / 8
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