HEO has published an image taken by the BlackSky satellite. The image shows the Chinese orbital station Tiangong.
HEO specializes in imaging a variety of space objects, from operational satellites to fragments of space debris. These data can be used to assess their condition and hazard status. In the past, the company has already published demonstration images showing the ISS, the Hubble telescope and a spent stage of a Japanese rocket. Now this list has been completed by the Tiangong station.
The Tiangong base module was launched in 2021. Two laboratory compartments were later added to it. At present, the mass of the PRC orbital outpost is about 65 tons and the pressurized volume is 340 m3. The station has been permanently inhabited since 2022, with a full-time crew of three. During crew changes, the Tiangong can ensure the stay of six people on board.
The Tiangong image was taken by the BlackSky satellite from a distance of 83 km. Its resolution is 0.17 m/pixel. The photo clearly shows both the station and the two spacecraft docked to it, Shenzhou-19 (top) and Tianzhou-8 (bottom). Shenzhou-19 delivered the members of its eighth expedition aboard the Tiangong. The Tianzhou-8 is a supply spacecraft.
In the future, the PRC plans to expand Tiangong by adding more modules to it. The Xuntian autonomous telescope will also periodically dock with the station for maintenance, repair and replacement of scientific instruments. It is scheduled for launch in 2026.
