Chinese launch space station
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zaitcev
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Pete Zaitcev
Well, calling it a "laboratory" sounds more proper indeed, because TG-1 is not a space station! It is not even a prototype of a space station. All it is, an nature-test article for docking primarily, and a few other technologies. My sources report that life-support in TG-1 is qualified for 12 days for 3 men.
That said, Chinese were rather open about their station-building plans, and they were going to launch a station node next, some time in 2014.
They are catching up extremely slowly. The glacial pace of Chinese manned space program is easily explained if we believe what they say, for a change. Their officials stated openly that the main purpose of the program is to showcase the Chinese leadership in space (over e.g. Japan for now). In other words, they do it for international prestige. A program with such focus cannot afford high-profile mishaps. That is why the output of their effort is so constrained.
The program with prestige as aim has other artifacts as well. Chinese TV reported that "7000 specialists" were on hand for the launch. I bet 4/5 of them were layers of QA. Meanwhile, Russians trumpet the reduction of Soyuz launch crew from 300 in Baikonur to 90 in Kourou. SpaceX initially planned to launch Falcon 9 with 24 people (although frankly I am pretty sure they failed to meet that target). The fewer the people, the cheaper it is to launch. But that is only the risk is baked into insurance premiums.
That said, Chinese were rather open about their station-building plans, and they were going to launch a station node next, some time in 2014.
They are catching up extremely slowly. The glacial pace of Chinese manned space program is easily explained if we believe what they say, for a change. Their officials stated openly that the main purpose of the program is to showcase the Chinese leadership in space (over e.g. Japan for now). In other words, they do it for international prestige. A program with such focus cannot afford high-profile mishaps. That is why the output of their effort is so constrained.
The program with prestige as aim has other artifacts as well. Chinese TV reported that "7000 specialists" were on hand for the launch. I bet 4/5 of them were layers of QA. Meanwhile, Russians trumpet the reduction of Soyuz launch crew from 300 in Baikonur to 90 in Kourou. SpaceX initially planned to launch Falcon 9 with 24 people (although frankly I am pretty sure they failed to meet that target). The fewer the people, the cheaper it is to launch. But that is only the risk is baked into insurance premiums.
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steingar
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Starting simple does have its advantages. The first Soviet capsules were stone simple, and the cosmonaut was simply a passenger. The did the job, though.