Chongqing- A Long March-5B Y4 carrier rocket blasted off from a launchpad at the Wenchang spaceport in South China's Hainan province on October 31, carrying the Mengtian lab module for China's space station. Mengtian is the second lab module and the last major component of China's space station.
Behind the successful launch, Chongqing's laboratories and enterprises have contributed intellectually.
China's Mengtian space lab module was launched at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in the southernmost island province of Hainan on October 31, 2022. (Photo/ Xinhua)
China's biggest slewing space mechanism products
Chongqing University developed the Alfa mechanism alignment gear transmission of the lab module, which is also the second application of this result in the space industry after the Wentian lab module on July 24.
Alignment gear transmission is a new gear transmission proposed by Professor Chen Bingkui from the State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Transmissions of Chongqing University. The outstanding error adaptability and high bearing capacity allow it to meet the stringent requirements for ultra-large space size deformation, high reliability, long service life, and other requirements imposed by alternating extremely high and low temperatures in space on the Alpha mechanism.
Professor Chen Bingkui is introducing the principle of alignment gear transmission at the State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Transmissions of Chongqing University on October 31, 2022. (Photo/ Zheng Yu)
After the Mengtian lab module completes adjustment on the scheduled orbit, the Alfa mechanism alignment gear transmission in the solar wing will be put into use.
The flexible solar wing of the Mengtian lab module has a wingspan of 55 meters and an area of over 276 square meters, but its thickness is only 0.7 millimeters. Despite its lightweight and thin thickness, the solar wing has vital power storage to guarantee sufficient electricity for the Mengtian lab module. The solar wings allow the space station to generate nearly 1,000 kilowatt-hours per day, equivalent to half a year's household electricity consumption.
Due to the influence of the solar incidence angle and the space station attitude, the power generation efficiency of the solar wing will vary with different periods and perspectives.
"To ensure the solar wings track the sun, both the Wentian and Mengtian lab modules are equipped with sun-oriented devices," said Chen Bingkui. "This device is China's biggest, longest working life, and the largest transmission power of slewing space mechanism products."
He revealed that the gear transmission has already been used in the chemical equipment of PetroChina and the metallurgical equipment of Xining Special Steel Co., Ltd. By the end of this year, the gear transmission will step toward industrialization and application.
Diagnose the carrier rocket in real-time
Another Chongqing-based enterprise, Southwest Aluminum (Group) Co., Ltd, provided high-precision aluminum materials to the rocket and lab, covering forgings, plates, profiles, pipes, and other significant categories of more than ten specification varieties.
The production line of Southwest Aluminum. (iChongqing file photo)
Those materials are used in the surface of the lab module and the critical parts of the carrier rocket's transition ring, conversion frame, and storage box. Among them, the skin of the rocket propulsion capsule and the Mengtian lab module used the world's most advanced aluminum processing technology.
The 5-meter forged ring used in the core module of the Long March-5B Y4 carrier rocket is also provided by Southwest Aluminum. The forged ring is thicker and larger than the conventional ring.
Southwest Aluminum has overcome many technical difficulties in the development process, such as forging, reaming, rolling deformation, and heat treatment. In the end, the performance of the ring not only meets the standard requirements but also exceeds the preset accuracy by over 15%.
Chongqing Aerospace Electronics Company has produced telemetry products with high integration and reliability for the Long March-5B Y4 carrier rocket. The product can diagnose the carrier rocket in real-time and play an essential role in the rocket's flight.
After Mengtian is connected with the Tiangong, the station will form a T-shaped structure, and astronauts will have as many as 110 cubic meters in their usable space.
After the labs, the Tianzhou 5 cargo craft and the Shenzhou XV crew are scheduled to arrive at the massive orbiting outpost around the end of the year.