BEIJING: On Monday, astronauts made their first entry into the new lab module of China’s space station, marking a significant step toward the completion of the orbital outpost by the end of the year.
The station is one of Beijing’s ambitious space program’s crowning achievements, which also includes the landing of robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon and the third-ever manned space mission by China.
Once finished, Tiangong, or the “heavenly palace,” will be permanently manned by alternating crews of three astronauts who will carry out research and test new technology. After successfully launching from southern China the previous day, Wentian, the second of Tiangong’s three main parts, docked with the station’s core module Tianhe on Monday.
