China releases first panoramic images of Tiangong space station

Name: China’s Shenzhou 16 mission sends its first civilian astronaut into space
Uploaded: 2023-11-29T09:08:21.000Z
Duration: 2 min 22 s
Description: China’s Shenzhou 16 mission sends its first civilian astronaut into space

Photographs were taken by a Shenzhou 16 astronaut from a few hundred metres above the structure

They show the complete T-shaped station including its three modules, giant solar panels and robotic arm

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One of the first panoramic shots of China’s Tiangong space station, taken by a Shenzhou 16 astronaut in October. Photo: CMSA

Ling Xinin Ohio

Published: 5:08pm, 29 Nov 2023Updated: 2:39am, 30 Nov 2023

China has released panoramic images showing the full structure of its Tiangong space station for the first time.

The photographs – taken by a Shenzhou 16 astronaut from above the Tiangong before the spacecraft returned to Earth last month – mark a historic moment in the country’s three-decade crewed space programme.

They show the complete 90-tonne, T-shaped station, its gigantic solar panels and main robotic arm, along with other details, and a stunning view of Earth in the background.

The Chinese space station was completed last year. Photo: CMSA

The images of the Tiangong – a project that began in 1992 and was completed last year – were released on Tuesday in Hong Kong by a visiting delegation from the China Manned Space Agency.

The space agency said there had been few opportunities for Chinese astronauts to capture a full image of the Tiangong through its viewing windows since construction began in 2021.

But on October 30, after undocking from the Tiangong, the Shenzhou 16 spacecraft made a special trip past the space station for the crew to take photographs from a few hundred metres above the structure.

The photos released on Tuesday were taken by Gui Haichao, the first Chinese researcher and civilian astronaut to enter space.

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China’s Shenzhou 16 mission sends its first civilian astronaut into space