BEIJING: The Shenzhou-14 crew entered the Wentian lab module at 10:03 a.m. Beijing Time (BJT) on Monday, the China Manned Space Agency (CMS) announced, marking the first time that Chinese astronauts, or taikonauts, have entered a lab module in orbit.
According to the plan, China will carry out in-orbit works, such as integrated attitude control of the space station and tests on Wentian’s small robotic arm as well as the larger robotic arm on the core module. Launched on Sunday afternoon, Wentian docked with the front port of the Tianhe core module of China’s space station at 3:13 a.m. BJT on Monday after it entered the planned orbit and completed state setting.
It is the first time that China’s two 20-tonne-level spacecraft conducted rendezvous and docking in orbit, and also the first time that space rendezvous and docking were carried out during the astronauts’ in-orbit stay in the space station, the CMS said.For the first time, the taikonauts in orbit can use the airlock cabin in Wentian to carry out extravehicular activities (EVAs). The node cabin in the core module, which usually serves as the exit and entry for EVAs, will become a backup of the airlock cabin. Compared with the node cabin, the airlock cabin has a larger door, which is more convenient for the taikonauts to enter and exit the spacecraft as well as transfer tools and maintenance equipment.
–The Daily Mail-CGTN news exchange item
