China will launch a space station core module¹ in 2018, according to a senior engineer with China Aerospace² Science and Technology Corp (CASC) on Thursday.

 

中国航天科技集团公司一位高级工程师周四表示，中国将于2018年发射空间站核心模块。
 

 

The core module of the space station, named "Tianhe-1" according to previous reports, will be launched on board a new-generation Long March-5 heavyweight carrier rocket, said Bao Weimin, director with CASC and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

 

It will be followed by a series of launches for other components³ of the space station, including two space labs, which will dock with the core module while in space, in the next four years or so, he said, adding that the space station will be completed around 2022.

 

Assembly of the core module has already been completed and tests are currently under way, said Bao, who is in Beijing for the annual session of China's top political advisory⁴ body.

 

Earlier reports said the new Chinese space station will initially⁵ be much smaller than the current International Space Station (ISS), which weighs 420 tonnes, but could be expanded for future scientific research and international cooperation.

 

With the ISS set to retire in 2024, the Chinese space station will offer a promising⁶ alternative, and China will be the only country with a permanent space station.

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