Tiangong program
Drawing of Shenzhou and Cargo ship docked to the large orbital station
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| Station statistics | |
|---|---|
| Crew | 2-3 |
| Launch | ~2020-2022 |
| Mass | 66,000 kg |
| Length | ~ 20.00 m |
| Diameter | ~ 3.00 m |
Tiangong (Chinese: ; pinyin: Tiāngōng; literally: "Heavenly Palace") is a space station program of the People's Republic of China, with the goal of creating a third generation space station, comparable to Mir. This program is independent and unconnected to any other international space-active countries. The program began in 1992 as Project 921-2. As of January 2013[update], China moved forward on a large multiphase construction program that will lead to a large space station around 2020.
China launched its first space laboratory, Tiangong 1, on September 29, 2011. Following Tiangong 1, a more advanced space laboratory complete with cargo ship, dubbed Tiangong 2, was launched on September 15, 2016. Tiangong 3 will continue to develop these technologies. The project will culminate with a large orbital station, which will consist of a 20-ton core module, 2 smaller research modules, and cargo transport craft. It will support three astronauts for long-term habitation and is scheduled to be completed just as the International Space Station is currently scheduled to be retired.
In 1999, Project 921-2 was finally given official authorization. Two versions of the station were studied: an 8-metric ton "space laboratory" and 20-metric ton "space station".
In 2000, the first model of the planned space station was unveiled at Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany. This was made up of modules derived from the orbital module of the Shenzhou spacecraft. Overall length of the station would be around 20 m, with a total mass of under 40 metric tons, with possibility of expansion through addition of further modules.
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