The Space Agency was caught in an immense dilemma.
Even without the XS-62 tourist cabin, Tiangong No.2 could still carry out its residency mission with little impact.
But docking with the XS-62 would mean the astronauts' space could be greatly expanded; a single super-large cabin could match the capacity of a dozen smaller ones, a fact that could not be overlooked.
Most importantly, it was cheap: 1.6 billion for 620 cubic meters of space, including launch costs. The space agency couldn't fathom how to get something as large into space with the same budget.
During the days of ideological struggle between the Fifth Academy and the Space Agency, the Progress had already returned to Earth.
At noon on July 24, the trio shared their last lunch of the mission in the narrow cabin of the space shuttle.
Kung Pao Chicken, minced pork with eggplant, barbecued beef ribs... all sponsored by the Space Agency at no cost to them.
