CHINA/FILE: China releases animation that simulates space module Tiangong 1 entering its orbit and joining up with an unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft that it plans to launch later this year

Record ID: 1962209

  • Title: CHINA/FILE: China releases animation that simulates space module Tiangong 1 entering its orbit and joining up with an unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft that it plans to launch later this year
  • Date: 30th September 2011
  • Summary: JIUQUAN SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTRE, GANSU PROVINCE, CHINA (FILE) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (CCTV - NO ACCESS CHINA) ANIMATION OF LAUNCH OF LONG MARCH II-F CARRIER ROCKET ANIMATION OF BOOSTERS SEPARATING FROM CARRIER ROCKET ANIMATION OF CARRIER ROCKET IN SPACE ANIMATION OF ROCKET SEPARATING VARIOUS OF ANIMATION OF TIANGONG 1 SEPARATING FROM ROCKET ANIMATION OF TIANGONG 1 IN ORBIT ANIMATION OF TIANGONG 1 ADJUSTING POSITION IN OUTER SPACE ANIMATION OF TIANGONG 1 ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATION WITH SHENZHOU 8 SPACECRAFT ANIMATION OF TIANGONG 1 DOCKING WITH SHENZHOU 8 SPACECRAFT ANIMATION OF TIANGONG 1 WITH ZHENZHOU 8 IN SPACE ANIMATION OF SHENZHOU 8 SEPARATING FROM TIANGONG 1 AND RETURNING TO EARTH ANIMATION OF TIANGONG 1 ENTERING HIGHER ORBIT ANIMATION OF TIANGONG 1 IN SPACE
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Space
  • Reuters ID: LVA3679VEFNOC2ONIOAMJ4QYTG9Z
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: China unveiled animation of the Tiangong 1, or "Heavenly Palace" docking with a spacecraft in space a few hours before its launch on Thursday (September 29).
    The animation, provided by the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, was carried on state television CCTV, which will also broadcast the launch live to an audience of over a billion worldwide later on Thursday.
    China has confirmed its first space lab module, the Tiangong 1, will blast off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi desert between 9:16 pm (1316 GMT) local time and 9:30 pm on Thursday, adding a high-tech sheen to its National Day celebrations on October 1.
    It will be the latest show of China's growing prowess in space, and comes while budget restraints and shifting priorities have held back U.S. manned space launches.
    The big test comes weeks after its launch, when the eight tonne craft attempts to join up with an unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft that China plans to launch.
    The Shenzhou 8 craft will stay docked with Tiangong 1 for 12 days before returning to earth, CCTV said.
    And Tiangong 1 will then enter a higher orbit, then stay there for two more docking missions next year, it added.
    That feat will be followed by the launch of the Tiangong 2 and 3 space labs in following years, and preparations for a space station weighing 60 to 70 tonnes, wrote Gregory Kulacki, the China Project manager for Union of Concerned Scientists.
  • Copyright Holder: CCTV (China) - NO RESALE MAINLAND CHINA
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp This asset – including all text, audio and imagery – is provided by CCTV (China) - NO RESALE MAINLAND CHINA. Reuters does not guarantee the accuracy of, or endorse any views or opinions expressed in, this asset.
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