​China has launched its most powerful rocket, the Long March 5B, the third module of the space station, which will reach its destination in 13 hours. This third module, Mengtian, weighs 20 tons and is the last module of the station, which after some re-planning will be T-shaped.

The Mengtian module was launched from the Wenchang Space Center on the southern island of Hainan and is 17.9 meters long and 4.2 meters in diameter. It will be used primarily for scientific experiments and will house, among other things, a robotic arm.

In April 2021, China began assembling its first space station, sending up the Tianhe module, which also contains taikonaut living areas. In July 2022, the 23-ton Wentian Science Laboratory was also successfully launched.

The station will take on a T-shape with the Tinahe module flanked by two laboratories after the currently deployed Mengtian module is placed into orbit.

The Chinese station is designed to operate for at least 10-15 years and will weigh 66 tons, which is several times less than the International Space Station, which weighs 465 tons.

In 2023, the Chinese will also launch the Xuntian Space Telescope, which will NOT be part of the space station. but will orbit in the area and be able to dock for various operations.

Sources: Reuters, phys.org