China launches second module of its new space station

A new module to the space station has been launched. The Long March 5B rocket lifted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan.

The Wentian laboratory module is the second in a trio of modules and will be launched next year. The Mengtian module will be launched in October.

Three people who have been on the space station's first module since June will receive and install the Wenchang module. They are staying in three modules, two of which are laboratories and one of which is houses the astronauts living quarters.

According to China's state broadcaster, the launch was a success. The module will dock with the station around 13 hours after launch. The module is used for science and also has backups for the Tianhe module. Outside the station, the module has a robotic arm.

According to space.com, the station will be staffed by Chinese astronauts for at least 10 years, with foreign astronauts and even space tourists able to visit as well. Since there is only one module at the station, crews have had to leave before another arrives. With the addition of Wenchang, crews will be able to perform handovers as new crews come in.

The first crew handover is likely to take place in December of this year.

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