14 DAY TRIAL // China is now officially the third nation ever to be capable of conducting space docking maneuvers. The country joins the United States and Russia in this very narrow group with great pride, following a successful docking attempt it conducted yesterday, at 1730 GMT (1:30 am local time on Thursday).
The two spacecraft were Tiangong-1, which was launched in late September, and Shenzhou 8, which launched on Monday, October 31. They are the first-ever Chinese space capsules to dock to each other, demonstrating that the country can now start constructing its own space station.
What is remarkable about this docking attempt is that it was conducted autonomously, by the spacecraft themselves. Both the US and Russia used manned crews to perform such maneuvers, which is easier to do, but far more dangerous to the crews.
“Tiangong 1 has joined Shenzhou 8, has completed the rendezvous and docking process, and I announce the docking of Shenzhou 8 and Tiangong 1 has been a complete success,” Space quotes the chief commander of the China Manned Space Engineering Project, Chang Wanquan, as saying.