China's cargo capsule "anamoly" in the space mission

China's space test hits a snag with the capsule 'anomaly'

We are all going through a really tough time in this pandemic of COVID-19. It all began in a small city in China, Wuhan. Today whole world is in the grip of this virus. Economies of various developed nations are on the verge of collapsing, many people have lost their jobs. While the steps taken by China in this situation to grab control over other nation is already a hot topic, may it be its territorial advancements in India or the world economy? While during these times when the whole of the world is locked down, China comes with its space mission, The cargo capsule “anomaly” that aims to send astronauts to the moon. 

A cargo capsule that was part of a key test in China's space program experienced an "anomaly" on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, during its return trip, the space authority said. The cargo the capsule was launched on Tuesday, May 5, 2020, aboard a new type of carrier rocket along with a prototype spacecraft and the latter are expected to return to Earth on May 8 2020.

The launch is a major test of China's ambitions to operate a permanent space station and send astronauts to the Moon. But "an anomaly occurred today during the return" of the cargo capsule, the China Manned Space Agency said in a statement. “Experts are currently analyzing the data," it said without offering details.

The cargo capsule was not designed to transport astronauts, only equipment. The device, developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, is an experimental prototype. The capsule was fitted with an "inflatable" heat sheild. This type of structure, also being tested by the American and European space agencies aim to eventually replace the classic metal heat shields that are heavier and thereby reduces the amount of cargo that can be carried into space.

Tuesday's the launch was also the maiden flight of the Long March 5B rocket, considered the most powerful rocket made in China to date. State media said the launch was a "success”. It comes after two previous failures when the Long March 7A malfunctioned in March and the Long March 3B failed to take off in early April.

Beijing has invested heavily in its space program in recent years as it plays catchup to the United States, the only country to have sent a man to the Moon. Assembly of the Chinese Tiangong space station, whose name means Heavenly Palace is expected to begin this year and finish in 2022. China also became the first nation to land on the far side of the Moon in January 2019, deploying a lunar rover that has driven some 450 meters so far.

China’s deep-space human spaceflight ambitions are clear, but its next steps have not yet been announced. Chinese officials have discussed sending humans to the Moon in the 2030s, but a lot more hardware needs to be built for that to happen, notably a lunar lander and potentially a new rocket to take humans to deep space, says Jones. “The Moon missions — they have plans,” he says. “We can see from this mission today that they’re really thinking about it and working towards it, but there’s still lots to be decided.”

However, today’s flight does signal that China is serious about sending its astronauts beyond Earth orbit. “They’ve made themselves a part of the conversation about what humanity is going to do in terms of deep space exploration going forward,” says Jones.

The space capsule was launched without any crew on China's first Long March 5B rocket on Tuesday, May 5 2020. The rocket is an upgraded a version of China's heavy-lift Long March 5, 2020, and will be used to launch modules for China's planned space station, officials with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) has said. As of May 7, the new space capsule had completed six of seven manoeuvres to adjust its orbit, according to state media reports. 

The solar-powered space capsule, which apparently does not yet have an official name, is the successor to China's Shenzhou space capsule, which has launched all six of the country's crewed spaceflights. Those missions began with the launch of astronaut Yang Liwei on the Shenzhou 5 in October 2003 and culminated with the October 2016 launch of two astronauts on the Shenzhou 11 flight to the country's Tiangong-2 space laboratory. Tiangong-2 fell to Earth in 2019 in a planned deorbit manoeuvre that dumped the spacecraft into The Pacific Ocean.