Astronauts given comfort upgrade on China's new space lab
China's newest space laboratory, Tiangong II, will provide more comfortable digs to astronauts living aboard than its predecessor, Tiangong I, the spacecraft's designers said. Zhu Zongpeng, chief designer of Tiangong II at China Academy of Space Technology, said designers aimed to create an astronaut-friendly environment in every regard when they refitted the space lab that was developed based on Tiangong I. Read more
China's space lab Tiangong-2 enters in-orbit test track
China's space lab Tiangong-2 has entered an in-orbit test track, the Beijing Aerospace Control Center said Friday. After entering the in-orbit test track, ground operators will test the stability of its sub-systems and carry out a series of space science experiments. Read more
Launch of Chinese Tiangong-2 SpaceLab on Long March 2F Rocket
Spoiler
China have launched their second spacelab today, Tiangong-2, at 14:04 UTC on September 15th 2016. The Long March 2F rocket successfully took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China. Tiangong-2 is an improvement on the Tiangong-1 spacelab and will be visited by the manned space flight Shenzhou 11 in October of this year.
China is set to launch a second experimental space station, as it looks to have a manned station by 2022, state media said. The Tiangong 2 is scheduled to launch just after 22:00 local time on Thursday from the Gobi desert. Read more
The Long March-2F carrier rocket carrying Chinas second orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 stands ready on the launch pad in Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Northwest Chinas Gansu Province, Sept. 14, 2016. China plans to send the orbiting space lab between Sept. 15 to 20. Read more
Two astronauts will live in Tiangong 2 for 30 days
China is sending two astronauts to test the country's most-advanced space station. The pair will stay in the Tiangong Space Module for 30 days. It will be China's longest manned space mission. Read more
Scientists at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center are preparing to launch the country's second space laboratory. The Long March 2F carrier rocket will take the Tiangong-2 space lab into orbit within the next few days.