China's Mengtian lab module completes first in-orbit ignition test

The first in-orbit ignition test of China's Mengtian space station lab module was successfully completed in the combustion science laboratory on February 16, the Chinese Academy of Sciences said on Thursday.

The experiment, which saw the researchers on Earth cooperating with the astronauts at the station, used methane as fuel. The two ignitions lasted about 30 seconds. It was the first time a Chinese in-orbit spacecraft completed an ignition test using a gas flame.