technical problems
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China should transfer the cargo flight to a space unit
Holiday by China State Television: a news release about the successful landing of a probe on Mars is shown on a large video screen. Photo: Mark Schiefelbein / AP / dpa
Beijing The Mars rover, satellites and space station: China is pursuing ambitious goals in space. The pressure on technicians is tremendous. Now the start must be postponed. How quickly can problems be solved?
The mission was postponed a few minutes before the “Tianzhou 2” unmanned spacecraft took off for the main part of the future Chinese space station. The new China News Agency (Xinhua) reported on Wednesday, referring to the Chinese space program.
The rocket was ready for launch at the Wenchang Space Station in Hainan Island, southern China, when the cancellation came suddenly. It was named “technical problems” as the cause. The new start time will be determined at a later time.
“Tianzhou 2” was supposed to bring supplies and fuel to the base unit called “Tianhe” (Heavenly Harmony), which was launched on April 29th. The mission of the cargo ship is to prepare the flight of three astronauts in June, who will spend three months on board the space module. The “Tianhe” station is the starting point for the construction of the space station, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of next year.
The flight schedule is set at a specific time, which increases pressure on officials and technicians. After the three astronauts’ flight in June, another resupply flight will begin in September. Three more astronauts will follow in October. Next year, two laboratory units, each weighing a good 20 tons, will be brought into space, and will be installed in a T-shape on the base unit. Two cargo flights and two manned missions are also planned for 2022.
How far the start should have been postponed was as unclear as the severity of the technical problems. Before that, there was still good news: Just four days after landing on Mars, the Chinese Mars rover “Zhurong” sent images from the red planet back to Earth for the first time. State media reported that “all systems are operating normally.” One of the pictures shows the spacecraft after its landing on the red planet, and the other shows the separation between “Zorong” and the spacecraft, according to the space program.
A missile also successfully launched from China’s Jiuquan Space Station in the Gobi Desert on Wednesday and put a maritime surveillance satellite into orbit. “Haiyang 2D”, together with two other satellites, is set to form a weather monitoring and early warning system, use of raw materials, climate protection and marine research, according to state media.
China landed on Mars for the first time on Saturday. The orbital “Tianwen 1” has also been successfully brought into orbit, making it possible to act as a relay station to connect to the Earth. So the first pictures can be sent. After landing, the spacecraft initially recorded its circumference “as planned,” according to the Chinese space program.
So far, only the United States has managed to deploy reconnaissance vehicles on the surface of Mars. The Soviet Union landed in the 1970s, but immediately lost contact with the probe. Landing on the Red Planet is extremely difficult. So far, only about half of the attempts have succeeded.
The China mission is one of three flights to Mars that took off last summer. The United Arab Emirates and the United States have also sent space ships. The “persevering” US rover landed in February and began operating.
The Chinese landing craft has landed in the Utopia Planetia area. The six-wheeled “Zhurong”, named after the Chinese fire god, will conduct investigations for at least three months. State media reported a “new chapter” in the Chinese space program.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210519-99-660132 / 8
