China is set to expand its space station, increasing the number of modules from three to six in the coming years.

This expansion will provide astronauts from various nations with an alternative platform for near-Earth missions, particularly as the NASA-led International Space Station (ISS) approaches the end of its operational lifespan.

The China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a division of China’s primary space contractor, revealed at the 74th International Astronautical Congress in Baku, Azerbaijan, that the operational life of the Chinese space station will now exceed 15 years.

This is an extension from the previously announced 10-year lifespan, CNN reported.

China’s self-constructed space station, known as Tiangong or the Celestial Palace in Chinese, has been fully operational since late 2022.

It has the capacity to host up to three astronauts at an orbital altitude of up to 450 kilometers (280 miles).

Even after its expansion to six modules, Tiangong will have a total mass of 180 metric tons, still only 40% of the mass of the ISS, which can accommodate a crew of seven astronauts.

However, as the ISS is anticipated to be decommissioned after 2030, around the same time as China’s projected ascent as a “major space power,” several countries have expressed interest in sending their astronauts to the Chinese station.

Nonetheless, China faced a setback in its space diplomacy efforts when the European Space Agency (ESA) announced this year that it lacked the budgetary and “political” approval to participate in Tiangong.

This decision shelved a long-standing plan for European astronauts to visit the Chinese space station.

Written by staff