[October 27, CMSE News] China's manned space station project has been officially initiated. The construction of an state-level large scale long-term space laboratory with involvement of human will be completed around 2020.

China's manned space station project will be implemented in space laboratory phase and space station phase.

Before 2016, the space laboratory will be developed and launched while making breakthroughs and mastering key space station technologies, such as astronauts medium-term stay .Space applications on a certain scale will be carried out.
Around 2020, the core module and experiment module will be developed and launched. The manned space station will be assembled in orbit. Breakthrough and mastering of the construction and running technologies of low-earth space station combo and the technologies of long-term low-earth manned spaceflight will be made, alongside with the space application in large scale.

In the construction of China's manned space station project, achievements made in the precedent phases of manned space engineering will be fully inherited while continuing to use the existing Shenzhou spaceships, LongMarch 2F launch vehicle, launching site and landing site.

After the construction of a manned space station, the three-step development strategy for China Manned Space Engineering will be fully achieved. Thus, China's manned space technologies will be further driven to develop towards a higher level and important contributions will be made to promoting China's scientific and technological progress and innovation, upgrading the comprehensive national strengths and improving the national prestige.

According to the Project's plan, China will launch the TiangongⅠ target spacecraft and the Shenzhou Ⅷ spacecraft to carry out the first unmanned spacecraft rendezvous & docking test in 2011.