After safely docking with the space station, Chinese astronauts enter the lab module

On Monday, the day after the space laboratory was launched, three Chinese astronauts onboard the country's still-under-construction space station successfully entered the lab module, according to the state media.

On Sunday, China launched its Wentian space laboratory into orbit, launching the nation's biggest-ever spacecraft to join the Tiangong space station that is now being built.

Early on Monday morning, the Wentian module entered its intended orbit and docked with the front port of the space station.

According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), it is the first time that China's two 20-ton spacecraft have accomplished a space rendezvous and docking in orbit as well as the first time that these operations have taken place while astronauts are currently on board the space station. The three astronauts who were constructing the space station entered the lab after docking, according to the Xinhua news agency.

Wentian will be moved by a robot device from the front docking port to a lateral port in the upcoming weeks, where it will remain and be ready for long-term operations, according to mission planners. According to the state-run China Daily, the new lab module will serve as a backup for the core module as well as a potent platform for conducting scientific experiments.

According to Liu Gang, deputy chief designer of China's manned space program's space station system, the lab, which is the size of a subway car, is the heaviest single-cabin active spacecraft in orbit in the entire globe. According to the Xinhua report, the Wentian module is made up of a work cabin, an airlock cabin, and a resource cabin.

The Tiangong space station being built by China is anticipated to be finished this year. Eventually, it will transform from a single-module structure into a national space laboratory with three modules: the Tianhe core module and the Wentian and Mengtian lab modules.

The Mengtian module is scheduled to launch in October of this year after the Tianhe module did so in April of 2021. According to the planned protocols, the Wentian module will meet and dock with the entire space station later.

During their six-month space mission, the three astronauts who were sent into orbit on June 5 will assist with the module assembly. They will see the Tianzhou-5 cargo ship and the Shenzhou-15 crew spacecraft dock with the core module during their time in orbit.

Prior to their return to Earth, they will then cohabitate and work with the incoming astronaut class. When complete, China's low-flying space station will be the only one in existence. A number of nations worked together to build Russia's International Space Station (ISS).

China Space Station (CSS) is anticipated to be a rival to the Russian-built International Space Station (ISS). When the ISS shuts down in the upcoming years, observers predict CSS may end up being the only space station that stays in orbit.

Its two robotic arms, especially the long one about which the US has previously expressed concern over its ability to snag items like satellites from space, are a key component of China's currently under construction space station. The 20-ton Tianzhou-2 cargo ship was successfully grasped and manoeuvred by the 10-meter-long arm in a test earlier, according to China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO).