China is training astronauts for four crewed missions this year

China has been training astronauts for at least 4 manned missions, with christened Tianhe station's core module due to be launched next month, China’s National Space Administration and foreign observers said in a statement. China stationed its March-5B Y2 rocket at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in tropical Hainan province last month for testing and assembly. The country has nearly 11 missions planned over the span of 2 years, which includes four Tianzhou cargo supply missions and the four Shenzhou crewed missions due to be launched at the end of 2022. This comes as China aims to complete its first permanent orbiting space station like the ISS. 

On its official website, China National Space Administration said that it has launched at least 12 space missions for the astronauts for its crewed mission which will include veterans of previous Shenzhou flights, newcomers, and women, although the agency hasn’t revealed how it plans to conduct the selection procedure. Earlier China launched a rocket from Hainan Island in a southern province in a mission named Tianwen-1 in its first attempt to land on Mars. The mission was launched from China’s Wenchang Satellite Launch Center aboard a Chinese Long March-5 rocket last year.

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Station to outlast ISS

Currently, China plans to station three astronauts in its core module at the docking ports to complete the orbiting station which will allow the Chinese space crew to live in space for up to six months. Although, according to reports China plans to deploy an orbiting station in space that might outlast the International Space Station.  

According to China’s state-run press, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) has been preparing to initiate the construction phase for the country’s space station project. The firm has been assigned to work on a cargo, refueling craft, and a space station module. The company will develop human spaceflight capabilities for the successful launch of China’s first of 11 planned missions. It is also working to develop a three-module space station to establish a longer presence of astronauts in space. 

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