China is considering developing space tourism on its Tiangong (heavenly palace) space station, which it plans to launch by the end of 2022. In the next ten years, if there is demand, the country is ready to open the station for ordinary people to visit.

The first taikonaut of China and the first ethnic Chinese in space, Yang Liwei (Shenzhou-5), spoke about this in an interview with the media. His words were confirmed by Zhou Jianping, the chief designer of the Chinese manned space flight program. He mentioned that the Shenzhou ship could be used for space tourism.

First of all, China will have to complete the construction of Tiangong. The launch of the Mentian and Ventian modules is scheduled for 2022, designed to conduct experiments and accommodate the crew. In total, six launches will be needed to complete the station, including the replacement of the three crew members already on board.

It is assumed that Shenzhou is not the only ship that can deliver space tourists. China is working on a reusable human spaceflight rocket that could launch a larger and somewhat reusable crewed spacecraft. He could at one time deliver to the station a larger number of tourists (6-7 people).

CAS Space, the commercial arm of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), also plans to send tourists into space in 2025. CAS National Space Science Center researcher Wu Ji hopes that Chinese companies can compete in the international space tourism market. According to him, commercial programs will help reduce costs and increase the efficiency of space activities, which will benefit traditional players in this area.

bbabo.Net