See the huge solar wings of China's space station in motion above Earth (video)

[Judi Lynn]

By Andrew Jones published about 10 hours ago

China's space station recently gained a new module and with it a pair of huge, solar energy-capturing "wings" that can rotate as the outpost orbits the Earth.

A new video from China's human spaceflight agency, CMSA, shows the large solar arrays rotating around the Tiangong space station as our blue and white planet passes below.

The arrays are part of the Wentian experiment module, which launched in July. The angle of the panels can also be seen to change to face the sun as the Tiangong space station continues along its orbit.



A camera on China's Tiangong space station captured this view of the new solar array wing of its Wentian module with the bright blue Earth in the background. (Image credit: CCTV)

Wentian's two solar arrays are each nearly 98 feet (30 meters) long. Together they have a total wingspan of over 180 feet (55 meters). Each solar panel has a collecting area of about 1,184 square feet (110 square meters).

More:
https://www.space.com/china-tiangong-space-station-solar-array-video

[David__77]

1. So great that China has an advanced space program.

Such progress in so little time. I hope the US and China will collaborate and explore together.

[LastDemocratInSC]

2. China has "stood on the shoulders of giants" as the saying goes.

Meaning they have taken the best designs of the United States and Russia and adapted those for their needs.

For example, the Shenzhou craft the Chinese use for manned launches and landings is a faithful, but larger, reproduction of the Russian Soyuz craft.

If the Chinese had started from scratch their efforts would have taken as long as the US and Russian programs.