Article Posted on : - May 10, 2011

An artistic illustration of China's first space station module Tiangong-1. Photo: China Manned Space Engineering Office

BEIJING (BNS): China is developing its first full-fledged space station module, Tiangong-1 and plans to launch it in the second half of this year, according to a media report.

The station module and China's Shenzhou 8 vehicle will mark the country's first round of orbital rendezvous and docking tests – viewed as a springboard to larger space adventures, reported Space.com.

The launch of Tiangong-1 will be followed by the launch of manned spacecraft Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 in 2012 that will pave the way for building the manned space station in 2020.

The Tiangong-1 space station module is outfitted with a docking port on its front and rear ends. It will tip the scales at roughly 8 1/2 tons and purportedly will have a two-year lifetime in Earth orbit, it said.

Currently, China has a 21-member astronaut corps who are undergoing training for future docking and rendezvous milestones.