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The function of Shenzhou 7 accompanying small satellites

Zhu Gencai said that the accompanying small satellite, referred to as "Companion Star", is an independently operating micro-satellite. It will fly on the second to third day after the launch of "Shenzhou 7". After the astronauts completed their extravehicular mission and returned to the return module, they were released from the top of the orbital module and captured my country's first images of the operation of the outer space spacecraft and the work of the astronauts.

According to reports, the weight of the "companion star" is about 40 kilograms, and the total load is less than 10 kilograms. These payloads include measurement and control communications, photography, thermal control, autonomous navigation and positioning, star management systems, etc. "Although the sparrow is small, it has all the internal organs" and is a complete satellite.

Zhu Gencai said that the photo-taking point of the accompanying small satellite is within a range of tens to hundreds of meters from the "Shenzhou 7", and the pixels of the photos are 1.3 million. At the same time, the "photos" taken will also be from multiple angles. The reason is that the accompanying small satellite not only orbits the earth with "Shenzhou VII", but also orbits relative to "Shenzhou VII".

After the "photography", this "little photographer" will gradually distance himself from the Shenzhou VII spacecraft. According to ground simulations, it is expected that when the astronauts are preparing to return to Earth, the distance between the "companion star" and "Shenzhou VII" will reach 100 to 200 kilometers.

Some foreign media reported that this small companion satellite has the ability to attack and capture satellites of other countries. Lu Jinrong, chief engineer of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, clarified this. Lu Jinrong said that the accompanying small satellite released by Shenzhou VII was only used as a medium to observe and record the astronauts' exit process. The so-called offensive nature was purely a rumor.

The small satellite accompanying the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft refers to the tiny aircraft that was launched and separated from the spacecraft during its in-orbit flight. The main function is to conduct close observation of the spacecraft to determine the working status of its extravehicular part.