Three taikonauts from the Chinese manned spacecraft “Shenzhou-13” have moved to the main module of the national orbital station. This was reported by TASS with reference to the Office of the China Manned Space Flight Program.
It is reported that at 09:58 Beijing time (04:58 Moscow time), the Chinese cosmonauts entered the Tianhe main module about three hours after docking. Thus, the entire journey from the moment the spacecraft was launched from the Jiuquan launch site to the entry into the module took nine and a half hours.
Now the cosmonauts will begin work on servicing the station under construction, where they will stay for the next six months. During this time, they will perform up to three spacewalks, as well as conduct a number of scientific experiments.
The deployment of China's Tiangong modular orbital station began in 2021 with the launch of the Tianhe base module. Structurally, the station, which is to receive Wentian and Mengtian modules by 2023, resembles a smaller Soviet-Russian Mir. Tiangong will be able to visit up to three taikonauts. The space station, which will become the world's third multi-module orbital, has an expected life of ten years, with the option to extend it for another five.
