tldrdailynews.com logo
Tag

Tiangong

All articles tagged with #tiangong

Tiangong Could Become Earth's Only Permanently Crew-Occupied Space Station If ISS Retires First
space1 month ago

Tiangong Could Become Earth's Only Permanently Crew-Occupied Space Station If ISS Retires First

As of September 2026, Earth orbit hosts two continuously crewed stations—the ISS and China's Tiangong. If the ISS retires around 2030 before commercial replacements are ready, Tiangong could become the only permanently inhabited outpost in orbit. NASA aims to preserve continuity through overlapping crew rotations and a transition to commercial stations, with milestones like hardware testing, certification and coordinated rotations; a legislative extension to 2032 has been proposed, but no firm date is guaranteed. The final outcome will depend on hardware readiness, funding and policy decisions, and commercial plans could allow sustained but non-continuous occupancy rather than a full handover.

via Space Daily|
#2030-retirement#continuous-occupancy#iss
Tiangong to Illuminate the Night Sky Over the East Coast This Week
space1 month ago

Tiangong to Illuminate the Night Sky Over the East Coast This Week

China’s Tiangong space station, with a three-astronaut crew, will be visible to the naked eye from parts of the U.S. East Coast this week as it zips around Earth in a roughly 90-minute orbit. Some passes can reach about magnitude -2 (bright, comparable to Jupiter, but not as bright as the ISS); best viewing is about an hour or two after sunset or before sunrise. The article lists the brightest passes over New York City from Sept. 2–9, with high elevations up to around 88 degrees. Tiangong should appear as a steady, bright point moving across the sky without flashing lights and may briefly disappear when it passes into Earth’s shadow. The station, meaning Heavenly Palace, is smaller than the ISS but remains a striking skywatching target for amateur observers.

via Space|
#astronomy#passes#skywatching
Amateur footage captures Tiangong gliding over Tycho Crater
space3 months ago

Amateur footage captures Tiangong gliding over Tycho Crater

Astrophotographer Efrain Morales captured amateur footage of China's Tiangong space station crossing the Moon's Tycho Crater from Puerto Rico on May 29 at 11:33 p.m. EDT, showing Tiangong's silhouette and solar panels as it streaked across the lunar disk near Tycho. Tiangong comprises the Tianhe core module with the Wentian and Mengtian laboratory modules and is crewed by Shenzhou 23 astronauts Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying.

via Space|
#astronomy#astrophotography#lunar-transit
ISS retirement could place Tiangong as Earth’s only permanently crewed orbital outpost
space3 months ago

ISS retirement could place Tiangong as Earth’s only permanently crewed orbital outpost

The Wolf Amendment of 2011 blocked NASA-Chinese cooperation, steering China to build its own space station, Tiangong, while the ISS remains the international hub. With the ISS planned to retire around 2030 and no proven commercial crewed replacement ready, Tiangong could become the only permanently crewed outpost in low Earth orbit—though that outcome depends on whether commercial stations can reach readiness in time and on how NASA shifts to private operators. Tiangong’s ongoing crew rotations and infrastructure contrast with the ISS’s multi-country governance, creating a real strategic reshuffle in who occupies and controls the near-Earth space lab landscape.

via Space Daily|
#commercial-space-station#iss#low-earth-orbit
China plans six-module Tiangong expansion with Xuntian space telescope
space-exploration3 months ago

China plans six-module Tiangong expansion with Xuntian space telescope

China aims to expand its Tiangong space station from three to six modules, adding a 20-ton multifunctional module and two new experiment modules to form a double-T shape, with the bus-sized Xuntian space observatory slated for 2027 to dock with Tiangong. The expansion addresses growing research needs and more frequent crew/cargo missions, while NASA plans to deorbit the ISS around 2030–2031, potentially leaving Tiangong as the largest permanent orbital outpost.

via Space|
#china#iss-deorbit#space-exploration
China's Shenzhou 23 set for Tiangong launch with Hong Kong's Lai Ka-ying aboard
space-exploration4 months ago

China's Shenzhou 23 set for Tiangong launch with Hong Kong's Lai Ka-ying aboard

China is preparing to launch Shenzhou 23 to the Tiangong space station on May 24 with crew Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying for a six‑month stay; Lai will be Hong Kong's first orbiting astronaut, and one crew member is expected to embark on a year‑long orbit later as part of the Shenzhou 24 plan involving a Pakistani visitor (the specific astronaut to take the year‑long seat has not yet been named). The mission follows Shenzhou 21’s end and Shenzhou 22’s lifeboat role, and Tianzhou 10 arrived May 11 with nearly seven tons of supplies.

via Space|
#china#hong-kong#shenzhou-23
A New Orbit: Replacing the ISS With Moon-Targeted Space Stations
technology6 months ago

A New Orbit: Replacing the ISS With Moon-Targeted Space Stations

As the International Space Station nears retirement around 2030, global space agencies and commercial players are pursuing a crowded array of successors: NASA/ESA/CSA/JAXA’s Lunar Gateway around the Moon, China’s planned Tiangong expansion, Russia’s shift to reusing ISS modules as the Russian Orbital Station, and India’s Bharatiya Antariksh Station, with timelines extending to 2035 and beyond. The ISS’s aging hardware and health concerns spur these plans, while a growing slate of science, exploration, and commercial missions edge orbital activity closer to the Moon and beyond. A Part II on commercial concepts is promised.

via Universe Today|
#iss#lunar-gateway#russian-orbital-station
China Implements Defensive Measures and Achieves Milestones in Space Program
science10 months ago

China Implements Defensive Measures and Achieves Milestones in Space Program

China's Tiangong space station has installed new debris protection panels after a close call with space debris stranded astronauts for nine days. The astronauts performed an eight-hour spacewalk to install the panels and inspect the station, following an emergency rescue mission that delivered a new return vehicle. This incident highlights the growing threat of space debris, which poses risks to manned missions and satellites worldwide, prompting advancements in protective materials and measures.

via Futurism|
#china#debris-protection#science