China’s Tiangong space station is equipped with a third robotic arm, in addition to the two already known on its exterior. This smaller, interior arm is designed to assist astronauts with various tasks including maintenance, installation, and adjustments within the Mengtian experiment module. Its precision allows it to operate with an accuracy of up to 0.1 millimeters, proving particularly useful for handling space experiments.
The internal robotic arm can be fitted with various tools to perform different functions, such as sterilizing biological loads after experiments or mundane tasks like turning screws or sampling. The flexibility of the tool attachments hints at the potential for diverse applications in the future.
China’s Tiangong space station, which completed construction in late 2022, aims to be permanently occupied for at least a decade, with plans for further expansion. The latest crew arrived aboard the Shenzhou 17 spacecraft recently, as China continues to advance its presence in space.
China’s Mini Robotic Arm (Video)
Key Takeaways:
- China’s Tiangong space station is equipped with a small, precise robotic arm inside its Mengtian experiment module to assist astronauts with tasks.
- The interior robotic arm is capable of performing maintenance, installation, and can be fitted with various tools for different operations.
- China aims to maintain a permanent human presence on the Tiangong space station for at least a decade and has plans for future expansion.
“”For example, after the external payloads are taken into the cabin, including some of the biological loads, when there is need to sterilize them after the experiments, we can change the end tools fixed to the robotic arm to do the work,” said Zhang Lu, a researcher at the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.”
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