Tiangong-2 launch

[Kryten]

The Tiangong-2 space lab is set to launch today at 14:00 UTC, or just under three hours after I'm making this post. Coverage should start on CCTV English at about 13:30;

 Tiangong-2 is intended to support a two-man crew for a month, testing out life support technology in advance of the Chinese modular station set to begin construction in 2018. Tiangong-2 will then receive a visit from the first Tianzhou automated cargo vessel, testing the basic Tianzhou design as well as procedures such as fuel transfer. Tianzhou is intended to be the main logistical support for the modular station.

 Tiangong-2 is carrying a secondary payload called BanXing-2; this will provide external images of the docking between Tiangong-2 and the Shenzhou-11 crewed spacecraft, as well as act as a general tech demonstration mission for smallsat maneuverability. Banxing-2 can be seen in the image below.

Tiangong-2 is also carrying a number of experiments, including a quantum key distribution experiment similar to that on the Mozi satellite launched earlier this year. I'm pretty sure it's the thing on the left in the above image.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Kryten

[Kryten]

Looks like special coverage has already started on CCTV.

[liweih]

Watching live and waiting for the launch. Also eating moon cake.

[Elthy]

I realy like the idea of an external camera satellite. What kind of propulsion is it using? It doesnt seem much bigger than a cubesat...

[Kryten]

11 minutes ago, Elthy said:

I realy like the idea of an external camera satellite. What kind of propulsion is it using? It doesnt seem much bigger than a cubesat...

Pressurised ammonia. Doesn't go through a chemical reaction, but you get extra energy from the phase change from liquid to gas. Performance is somewhere between a conventional monoprop thruster and a cold gas thruster.

EDIT:

A few minutes left till the launch.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Kryten

[Kryten]

Launch successful, confirmation of SC sep and array deployment.

EDIT:

 

Edited September 15, 2016 by Kryten

[liweih]

congratulations

[_Augustus_]

Yay!

[KAL 9000]

Good job China! Can't wait for Shenzhou 11!

[Harry Rhodan]

Good. But from the early mockups I was expecting some kind of Salyut style station with two docking ports.

[Kryten]

2 minutes ago, Harry Rhodan said:

Good. But from the early mockups I was expecting some kind of Salyut style station with two docking ports.

There's a pretty complex story behind that. Initially, the plan was 8 ton Tiangong-1 to test rendezvous, 8 ton Tiangong-2 to test life support, and ~20 ton 2-port Tiangong-3 to test resupply and long term habitation. After Tiangong-1 operations had ended, the Chinese said that it had been more successful than expected, and they would be able to complete the plan without flying one of the previously announced stations. Most people at the time assumed the original Tiangong-2 was cancelled, but we now know it was Tiangong-3.

[Harry Rhodan]

Thanks for clearing that up. I thought Tiangong-3 would be the core of the modular station and was confused that that core module had another name by now.