Tiangong-3

This article is about the cancelled third experimental station within the Tiangong programme. For the planned modular station, see Tiangong modular space station.

Tiangong-3
天宫三号

Station statistics
Crew	3
Mission status	Cancelled
Mass	22,000 kilograms (49,000 lb)
Length	18.1 meters (59 ft)
Diameter	4.2 meters (14 ft)

Tiangong-3 (Chinese: 天宫三号; pinyin: Tiāngōng sānhào; lit. 'Heavenly Palace 3') was a proposed Chinese space station, part of the Tiangong space station program. The China National Space Agency was originally expected to launch Tiangong-3 around 2015, following the launch of the Tiangong-2 test laboratory, originally planned for 2013. The goals for the Tiangong-2 and Tiangong-3 laboratories were eventually merged, and the latter was therefore not ordered.

Development

In 2008, the China Manned Space Engineering Office published a brief description of Tiangong-2 and Tiangong-3, indicating that several manned spaceships would be launched in the late 2010s to dock with Tiangong-3. The first Tiangong module, Tiangong-1, was launched in September 2011, and docked with the unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft in November 2011, marking China's first orbital docking.

Specifications

Tiangong-3's 22-metric-ton core module was expected to be around 18.1 metres (59 ft) long and have a maximum diameter of 4.2 metres (14 ft). It was expected to provide:

• Unaided 40-day habitability for three astronauts.
• Testing for regenerative life-support technology, and verification of methods of orbital replenishment of propellant and air.
• A multi-docking berthing mechanism, allowing up to four spacecraft to dock with it simultaneously.

See also

• Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
• Chinese space program
• International Space Station