[ti:China Launches Main Part of New Planned Space Station] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]China says it has successfully launched [00:04.20]the first part of a planned new space station [00:08.96]it aims to complete by the end of 2022. [00:14.44]State media reported the module [00:18.16]was carried to space Thursday by a Long March 5B rocket. [00:25.20]It was built to house Chinese astronauts [00:29.08]during stays of up to six months. [00:32.32]The module is called Tianhe, [00:36.36]which means "Harmony of the Heavens" in Chinese. [00:41.24]It is one of three main parts China plans to use [00:46.72]to build its first self-developed, permanent space station. [00:52.00]Chinese officials have said 11 space missions will be necessary [00:59.08]to complete the space station, which will orbit Earth [01:03.28]at an altitude of 340 to 450 kilometers. [01:09.60]China's President Xi Jinping praised the launch [01:14.80]as "an important pilot project in the building [01:18.96]of a powerful nation in both technology and in space," [01:24.84]state media reported. [01:27.56]China aims to become a major space power by 2030. [01:34.20]It has been expanding its space program in recent years, [01:39.64]with successful crewless missions to the moon and Mars. [01:45.52]In December, China landed its third spacecraft on the moon [01:51.64]and said the vehicle successfully collected material [01:56.00]from the lunar surface. [01:59.04]The country also has a spacecraft orbiting Mars [02:03.68]that is expected to land on the planet [02:06.84]around the middle of next month. [02:09.60]Currently, the only other space station in service [02:14.12]is the International Space Station (ISS). [02:17.56]It is backed by the United States, [02:20.60]Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada. [02:25.64]China was banned from taking part in ISS operations [02:30.84]by the United States. [02:33.32]The future of the aging ISS is currently unclear. [02:39.92]The project is set to end in 2024 [02:44.04]unless its international partners [02:46.92]approve new financing to keep it going. [02:50.80]NASA officials have signaled [02:54.08]that a continuation of the ISS beyond 2024 is likely. [03:01.48]But its other main supporter, Russia, has said [03:05.92]it is considering quitting the project [03:09.04]as early as 2025 to build its own space station. [03:15.08]Earlier this month, the head of Russia's space agency, [03:19.92]Dmitry Rogozin, told the state-run Interfax news agency [03:25.52]the country had been making plans to build [03:28.92]its own space station. [03:31.72]He added that the project would aim to launch into orbit by 2030 [03:38.04]if Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the plan. [03:44.00]A new Russian space station would bring an end [03:47.72]to more than 20 years of close cooperation [03:51.40]between Russia and the United States. [03:55.08]Russian cosmonauts have worked on the ISS [03:59.28]with astronauts from the U.S. and 16 other countries since 1998. [04:06.52]Space has been one of the closest fields of cooperation [04:11.80]between Russia and the U.S. [04:15.48]Relations between the nations have worsened in recent years [04:19.92]over human rights, cyberattacks and other issues. [04:25.40]Rogozin said Russia would be willing to consider [04:29.72]permitting foreign crews to visit a new space station, [04:34.40]but added, "the station must be national... [04:38.20]If you want to do well, do it yourself." [04:42.24]I'm Bryan Lynn. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM