The busiest astronauts ever are working to complete the three-module structure to join the existing Tianhe with the 23-ton module, “Wentian” which arrived in July. And they will add another laboratory module named “Mengtian” in October. And the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft is still docked with the station.
The astronauts will be joined by another crew of three. This will be the first time the station has had six people on board.
Space Race continues with Chinese astronauts
China was the third nation to send a person into space in 2003. They came after the Soviet Union and the United States. It has also sent rovers to the moon and Mars. And structured missions to bring lunar samples back to Earth.
China now maintains an aggressive schedule to build its space station. They launched the new permanent orbiting station in April 2021. Because they claimed they were being excluded by the U.S. from the International Space Station.
US officials allege that a myriad of strategic challenges will result from China’s space ambitions. And the new space race is almost like the U.S.-Soviet rivalry during the race to the moon in the 1960s.
