La Cina prosegue la sua corsa nello spazio: dopo le missioni sulla Luna e su Marte gli sforzi sono concentrati nell’orbita terrestre, dove è in costruzione la stazione spaziale Tiangong (“Palazzo celeste”).
Tre astronauti, partiti giovedì mattina per il primo volo abitato cinese da cinque anni, hanno attraccato al modulo centrale della stazione, messo in orbita in aprile, dove vivranno e lavoreranno per i prossimi tre mesi.
Il lancio odierno è il terzo sugli 11 che saranno necessari tra il 2021 e il 2022 per costruire Tiangong. La stazione spaziale dovrebbe poi rimanere attiva per una decina di anni, portando a termine esperimenti scientifici in diversi campi.
Pechino ha deciso di costruire una propria stazione in orbita dopo il rifiuto degli Stati Uniti di permettere agli astronauti cinesi di salire a bordo della Stazione spaziale internazionale.
La missione ha quindi anche una valenza politica nella rivalità tecnologica tra Washington e Pechino e come dimostrazione delle capacità cinesi nell’anno del centenario del partito comunista.
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