At the end of last week, a year-long experiment to test 407 material samples from space was completed aboard the Chinese orbital station. These tests are needed to find a wide range of structural and technological materials that are resistant to vacuum conditions, cosmic radiation and temperature changes. China aims to quickly explore near and far space, and this can only be done by having a clear idea of ​​the relevant materials.

On March 8, 2023, a special open container with samples was placed at China’s “Tiangong” station. On March 14, 2024, a robotic manipulator seized the container and moved it into the station’s airlock; The taikonauts transferred it to one of the station’s science bays the next day. In the coming weeks, the images will be extracted, labeled and prepared to be sent back to Earth by scientists to analyze the materials and draw conclusions.

In May, the container filled with new samples will be placed outside the station again to test the next batch of samples. The new samples were delivered to the station by cargo ship Tianzhou-7 in January. It was reported that other materials to be sent to the harsh conditions of space include materials for passive radiation cooling, various combinations of polyamide fiber-based materials, materials from optical fibers and materials from optical films. China is well on its way to building a permanent presence base on the moon and aims to have a clear idea of ​​what it can and cannot be built from.