[SatNews] With the Chinese docking of their space module and spacecraft being successful...

Commander-in-chief of China's manned space program Chang Wanquan announced on November 3rd that the unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou 8's docking with the Tiangong 1 space lab module was successful. This exercise attracted the world's attention — the BBC said that the ability to dock two space vehicles together is necessary for China if it wants to start building a space station toward the decade's end. Reuters reported that China successfully carried out its first docking exercise on Thursday between two unmanned spacecraft, passing a key test of the rising power's plans to secure a long-term manned foothold in space. From another perspective, Agence France Press said that the docking technology is hard to master because the two vessels, which are placed in the same orbit and revolving around Earth at high speed, must come together by small increments to avoid destroying each other.

During China's first space rendezvous and docking, the data relay satellite system, which is made up of Tianlian I-01 and Tianlian I-02 data relay satellites, took turns tracking the two targets of space module Tiangong 1 and spacecraft Shenzhou 8 and provided them with space monitoring and control as well as data relay services. Huang Huiming, deputy director of the monitoring, control and communications system of China's manned space program, said that the entire rendezvous and docking process of Tiangong 1 and Shenzhou 8 spacecraft was all within the monitoring, control and communications scope of the relay satellite system.

Tianlian I-01 and Tianlian I-02 have considerably decreased the monitoring, control and communication time of the rendezvous and docking and enhanced the reliability of the mission by taking turns to acquire and track Tiangong 1 and Shenzhou8 spacecraft that are within the same scope of wave beam. The relay satellite system will also continue to play major monitoring, control and communications roles during the follow-up operations of the combined spacecraft, second experiment of the rendezvous and docking as well as the return of Shenzhou 8.

China will establish a manned space station around 2020, the country's manned space program spokeswoman said Thursday. Spokeswoman Wu Ping said at a press conference that China's spacecraft will conduct two more space docking missions in 2012. After that, the nation will begin to build a space lab and space station. (Source: People's Daily Online)