Once it is decommissioned – perhaps in 2028 – China’s first orbital station will take over low-Earth orbit (LEO). Meaning, it could outlast the 26-year-old International Space Station (ISS). Can the Chinese Space Station Outlast the International Space Station?Īccording to .uk, China’s latest space station is planned to last at least 15 years. The Tianhe central module, which means “harmony of the heavens,” will be the primary living quarters for three-person crews visiting for up to six months.įollowing the completion of the space station and the establishment of a national space laboratory, a number of subsequent flight missions will be carried out as planned. Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli captured the first-ever images of an orbiter docked to the International Space Station from the viewpoint of a departing vessel as he returned to Earth in a Soyuz capsule.Ĭhina Manned Space, the world’s human spaceflight agency, announced on January 14 as the country prepares to begin work on its own three-module space station.
IN SPACE – MAY 23: In this handout image provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, the International Space Station and the docked space shuttle Endeavour orbit Earth during Endeavour’s final sortie on in Space.
It will launch in the coming months, kicking off a whirlwind of major missions for the region. The central module for China’s proposed orbital space station has passed a flight approval examination.
