VIDEO. Launch of the first module of the future Chinese space station: "It's a complete success"

The launching into orbit this night of the first module of the future Chinese space station marks a new era for Asian power, which intends to compete with the United States on manned flights.

The central Tianhe module or “Celestial Harmony” in French, the future home for astronauts, was propelled by a Longue-Marche 5B rocket from the island of Hainan according to public television CCTV.

“According to the report from the Beijing Aerospace Control Center, the Long March-5B Y2 rocket accurately sent the Tianhe central module into the intended orbit, and the solar panels on board the spacecraft deployed and functioned normally. .

I declare that the Tianhe Central Space Module launch mission is a complete success, ”said Li Shangfu, commander-in-chief of China's human manned flight program.

Manned flights on the moon

The station "will be a major breakthrough in Chinese human spaceflight capabilities," says Jonathan McDowell, astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in the United States.

"This should allow them to have a permanent human presence in space and therefore significantly increase the experience of their astronauts."

"CSS will serve as the basis for larger-scale operations: manned missions to the Moon, space tourism, space science or even concrete applications for humans", notes Chen Lan, analyst at GoTaikonauts.com, specializing in the Chinese space program. .

Launched in 2009, the Chinese manned flight program aimed to provide China, within a decade, with an orbital station in which a crew can live independently for several months, on the model of the former Russian station Mir or of the International Space Station (ISS).

China has also embarked on a race to the Moon, where it dreams of being the first Asian country to set foot.

As part of this program called "Chang'e", it has already successfully launched two lunar probes, in 2007 and 2010.

The future CSS, similar to the old Russian-Soviet Mir station (1986-2001), will have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years.

Inside, the Chinese seem to have thought of a more modern and spacious layout.

When completed, it should weigh almost 100 tonnes.

It will be three times smaller in size than the International Space Station (ISS).

The obvious objective of this station is to supplant the ISS, from which NASA wishes to gradually disengage.

The European Space Agency (ESA) appears to see opportunities for its astronauts, many of whom have already trained in China and learned Mandarin.