China launches Wentian Laboratory Module to Tiangong space station

The Long March-5B Y3 launch vehicle launched the Wentian Laboratory Module from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, Hainan Province, China on July 24, 2022 at 06:22 UTC (14:22 local time). The Wentian Laboratory Module is expected to autonomously dock to the front docking port of the Tianhe Core Module, the first and main component of the China Space Station.

The Wentian is designed for science and biology experiments, and 23-ton lab module is heavier than any other single-module spacecraft currently in space, according to the state-owned Global Times.

It will be followed by a second lab module, the Mengtian, due to be launched in October. Three astronauts are currently living in the core module on a six-month mission and oversaw the Wentian’s arrival and docking.

A Long March 5B-Y3 rocket, China’s most powerful, carried the module in the third such launch since the Chinese space station entered its construction phase. It was preceded by the Tianzhou-class cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou-14 crewed spacecraft.

Credit: China Central Television (CCTV)

#WentianLaboratoryModule #WentianModule #SpaceNewsToday #Wentian #LongMarch5BY3 #LongMarch5BY3Rocket #TiangongSpaceStation #WentianLabModule