China Completes Tiangong-1 Spacecraft Assembly

BEIJING, China has completed assembling its Tiangong-1 space module, the Chinese Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

Looking a lot like an ESA ATV fitted to a Soyuz service module China's mini space station Tiangong-1 will be used to perfect docking and other techniques needed for China's planned manned space station. Credit: Xinhua

The unmanned space module is expected to be launched in 2011.

Tiangong, or the Heavenly Palace, will later be transformed into a manned space lab after experimental dockings with three Shenzhou spacecraft due to be launched into space within two years after the module is put into space, the Chinese Space Daily said earlier.

China, which has unveiled comprehensive space exploration plans, launched its first Yaogan class satellite in 2006.

By 2020, China plans to form a network of a total of 35 satellites capable of providing global navigation service to users around the world.