Tiangong-1
Tiangong-1 () was China's first prototype space station. It orbited Earth from September 2011 to April 2018, serving as both a crewed laboratory and an experimental testbed to demonstrate orbital rendezvous and docking capabilities during its two years of active operational life.
Key facts
- Chinese.s
- 天宫一号
- Space station.station
- Tiangong-1天宫一号
- Space station.station_image
- Model of the Chinese Tiangong Shenzhou.jpg
- Space station.station_image_size
- 300px
- Space station.station_image_caption
- Model of Tiangong-1 with docked Shenzhou crewed spacecraft.
- Space station.configuration_image
- Tiangong_1_drawing_(cropped).png
- Space station.configuration_caption
- Plan diagram of Tiangong-1 with solar panels extended
- Space station.COSPAR_ID
- 2011-053A
- Space station.SATCAT
- 37820
- Space station.launch
- 29 September 2011,13:16:03.507 UTC
- Space station.launch_pad
- Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS-1
- Space station.carrier_rocket
Article
18 sectionsContents
- Design and development
- Structure
- Onboard facilities
- Mission profile
- Background
- Launch
- Orbital transfers and testing
- Autonomous orbital docking
- Crewed missions
- Preparations
- Shenzhou 9 (Expedition 1)
- Shenzhou 10 (Expedition 2)
- Post-mission
- Re-entry
- Program developments
- See also
- References
- External links
Tiangong-1 () was China's first prototype space station. It orbited Earth from September 2011 to April 2018, serving as both a crewed laboratory and an experimental testbed to demonstrate orbital rendezvous and docking capabilities during its two years of active operational life.
Launched uncrewed aboard a Long March 2F launch vehicle on 29 September 2011, it was the first operational component of the Tiangong program, which launched a larger, modular station into orbit in 2021. Tiangong-1 was initially projected to be deorbited in 2013, to be replaced over the following decade by the larger Tiangong-2 and Tiangong-3 space stations, but it orbited until 2 April 2018.