Tianhe core module
Tianhe (Chinese: 天和; pinyin: Tiānhé; lit. 'Harmony of the Heavens'), officially the Tianhe core module (Chinese: 天和核心舱), is the first module to launch of the Tiangong space station. It was launched into orbit on 29 April 2021, as the first launch of the final phase of Tiangong program, part of the China Manned Space Program (Project 921).
Rendering of Tianhe core module with the robotic arm at docking position | |
| Module statistics | |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 2021-035A |
| Part of | Tiangong |
| Launch date | 29 April 2021, 03:23:15 UTC |
| Launch vehicle | Long March 5B (Y2) |
| Mass | 22,500 kg (49,600 lb) |
| Length | 16.6 m (54 ft) |
| Width | 4.2 m (14 ft) |
| Pressurised volume | 113m³ habitable: 51m³ |
| Tianhe | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 天和 | ||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Heaven-Peace (or Heavenly Harmony) | ||||||||||||||||
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Tianhe follows the earlier projects Salyut, Skylab, Mir, International Space Station, Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2 space stations. It is the first module of a third-generation Chinese modular space station. Other examples of modular station projects include the Soviet/Russian Mir and the International Space Station. Operations will be controlled from the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center.
In 2018, a fullscale mockup of Tianhe was publicly presented at China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai. In October 2020, China selected 18 new astronauts ahead of the space station construction to participate in the country's space station project.