Tech Please: Will the China Space Station keep expanding?

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The China Space Station is set to expand to have a cross-shaped configuration. It may also have more additional modules to double the size in the coming years.

Now that the Shenzhou-16 crew is back, the China Space Station is housing the youngest group of astronauts ever by average age. 

The Shenzhou-17 crew, namely commander Tang Hongbo, and operators Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, have an average age of around 40, making them the youngest lineup in the history of Chinese space endeavors.

It's also the first time a spaceflight team is being led by a veteran from China's second batch of astronauts and not from the previous batch. Additionally, the two operators are from the third graduating class and are having their first journey to space!

The past few days have been very valuable for both the crews, as they got to live and work in this spacious, space-faring apartment. In the coming months, the new crew will undertake a series of tasks, including space science experiments, space walks, installation of extravehicular payloads and the first-ever experimental maintenance of the space station.

All these tricky-sounding "firsts" will be made easy, thanks to the advanced design and equipment at the station. And when all is said and done and the stars are aligned, it'll be time to "stretch our legs."

According to Lin Xiqiang from the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), China will launch an extension module at an appropriate time and upgrade the basic configuration of the space station from the current T shape to a cross shape.

It might also expand to six modules from the existing three as a researcher at the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), Zhang Qiao said at the 74th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in early October. 

The station now consists of three modules – the Tianhe core module and the Wentian and Mengtian lab modules. Once the additional module is in place, the astronauts will enjoy life upgrades in terms of exercise, diet and hygiene, as well as a boost in protection from debris and other dangers in space. More importantly, a new module will add to the station's ability to conduct more scientific experiments in space.

"In the future, if we can have an additional module, it'll be like the situation in the Mengtian module, that most of the resources can be kept for the scientific research in this fourth module," said Yang Yuguang, vice chair of the space transportation committee at International Astronautical Federation.

He said if China will have the additional fifth or sixth module, they'd all be reserved as space labs.

Space experiments are crucial to innovation in a wide variety of fields, such as medicine, engineering and even scientific theories. But we have to keep in mind that space is full of challenges, such as debris, radiation and many other uncertainties. That's also why the China Space Station requires extravehicular maintenance.

In fact, the design of the China Space Station had considered expansion from the very beginning, so the Tianhe core module is able to manage and control the power supply and maintain the orbit of a station that's as heavy as 180 tonnes, according to Yang.

Furthermore, another module will also bring an extra layer of protection in terms of redundancy. What's more exciting is that it will add more docking and berthing ports to the station, as there are only three at the moment. That would also allow the possibility of connecting modules from other countries.

China's been very welcoming to international participants who want to work with its space program. And that offer extends to the country's manned moon landing set for 2030.

China now has a near-Earth manned space station, a complete manned shuttle transportation system and a mature astronaut selection, training and support system. It is able to carry out crewed missions on a regular basis with a frequency of twice a year.

Now, what would you expect as the China Space Station keeps expanding? Leave a comment and let us know.

Scriptwriter and host: Zhao Chenchen

Copy editor: Moosa Abbas

Cameraman: Wang Hanwei

Post production: Zhao Yuxiang

3D designer: Pan Yongzhe

Cover image designer: Gao Hongmei

Producer: Cao Qingqing

Chief editors: Wen Yaru, Wu Gang

Executive producer: Zhang Shilei