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Tiangong
The Tiangong Space Laboratory programme was introduced in 2007 as a follow-up to the Shenzhou programme. Under the three-step strategy of the Chinese human space flight programme, in the second phase of the programme, a number of temporarily man-tended Space Laboratories would be launched to develop the techniques and technologies required for building a permanent space station.
The first Space Laboratory module, named Tiangong 1, was launched in September 2011. The vehicle is expected to stay in orbit for two years, during which it will be docked with three Shenzhou vehicles. The unmanned Shenzhou 8 vehicle performed the first remotely-controlled rendezvous and docking with Tiangong 1 in November 2011. The Shenzhou 9 mission, which will be manned, is scheduled to rendezvous and dock with Tiangong 1 in June 2012.
Tiangong 1 was intended mainly as a target vehicle to develop the rendezvous docking technique, and can support visiting astronauts to stay onboard for up to a week. Later Tiangong modules will feature a more sophisticated life support system with water recycling and oxygen generation technologies, which will allow much longer stays, possibly weeks to even to a month. These missions will pave the way for a permanently-manned, multi-module space station to be constructed by 2020.
The spaceframe of the Tiangong Space Laboratory will also be used to develop a cargo resupply spacecraft that can ferry fuel, water, oxygen, and other supplies to the future space station.
Tiangong Missions
| Missions | Purposes | Launch | Crew | Duration | Orbits | De-orbiting / Recovery |
| Tiangong 1 | Target vehicle for rendezvous docking | 2011-09-29 | - | - | - | - |
| Shenzhou 8 | Unmanned docking with Tiangong 1 | 2011-11-01 | - | 16d 13h 33m | 262 | 2011-11-17 |
| Shenzhou 9 | First crewed visit, with manual docking | 2012 | 3 | |||
| Shenzhou 10 | Second crewed visit | 2013 | 3 |
Last updated: 20 January 2012