China launches new reusable capsule for flights with taikonauts

China has tested a successful space capsule for the first time with a trip outside the atmosphere. The new capsule, whose name is not yet known, is intended for space travel to China’s future space station.

China has been working on the new space capsule for travel with taikonauts, Chinese astronauts, for some time. Now the capsule has completed its first successful test flight. The spacecraft was launched earlier this week aboard a Long March 5B rocket, the country’s most recent and heaviest rocket and also made its first successful flight.

The vehicle has orbited the Earth seven times in space. At its peak, it reached an altitude of almost 8000 kilometers. The craft returned to Earth on Friday, landing successfully in a Chinese desert. The landing appears to be successful for the time being, writes Space News. The vehicle landed upright, landing on three parachutes. There were no crew members on board.

China is building two versions of the new module. There is a 14-ton capsule, which can take six taikonauts to low Earth orbit. A larger version has a payload of 21.6 tons and is intended to carry cargo further into space.

The new module is a successor to China’s existing Shenzhou capsule. The country wants to use the new capsule, among other things, to bring more taikonauts into space, for example to its future space station. Later on, the country also wants to carry out missions to the moon.

Unlike the Shenzhou capsule, the new capsule, which has yet to be named, is partially reusable. The vehicle has a replaceable heat shield that is reinstalled for each mission.

The flight of the capsule was only part of the mission. It mainly revolved around a successful flight of the Long March 5B. That rocket can send large payloads into space. China wants to use that to build a new, larger space station. The country previously had small space stations of one and two modules, but Tiangong-3 needs to be much larger. China has previously speculated that the space station will also be opened to international astronauts. The new capsule is probably mainly used to send astronauts there.