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Tiangong 2

retired

天宫二号

Human SpaceflightLEOCOSPAR 2016-057ALaunched 9/15/2016
Admin Edit
Mission & Launch
Launch Mission
Tiangong 2 Mission
Launch Vehicle
Long March 2F T
Launch Date
9/15/2016
Last Contact
7/19/2019
Orbit & Mass
Orbit Class
LEO
Altitude
373.5 km
Inclination
42.79 deg
Dry Mass
8,000 kg
Total Mass
8,600 kg
Payload Classification
Mission Type
Human Spaceflight
Payload Category
SS
Payload Class
C
Organizations
Operator
China Manned Space Agency (CMSA)
Manufacturer
China Academy of Space Technology (CAST)
Registry
COSPAR ID
2016-057A
UN Registration
ST/SG/SER.E/898
Track
Mentions
35
All verified mentions of this spacecraft in source documents.
0.0-5.0
Actions

Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2 were designed to verify technologies for larger 20-metric-ton modules for the planned Chinese Space Station (CSS).

PlanCapabilityValue 3.5Jul 12, 2019China set to carry out controlled deorbiting of Tiangong-2 space lab
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Tiangong-2 raised its orbit from approximately 292 by 297 km to a current orbit of 378 by 387 km.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Jul 12, 2019China set to carry out controlled deorbiting of Tiangong-2 space lab

Tiangong-2 successfully completed its engineering and science objectives in 2017 following refueling tests with the Tianzhou-1 cargo craft.

CapabilityValue 4.0Jul 12, 2019China set to carry out controlled deorbiting of Tiangong-2 space lab

Tiangong-2 is a more advanced version of the Tiangong-1 space lab launched in 2011.

CapabilityValue 2.5Jul 12, 2019China set to carry out controlled deorbiting of Tiangong-2 space lab

Tiangong-2 is 10.4 m long and hosted astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong for most of the 33-day Shenzhou-11 mission.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Jul 12, 2019China set to carry out controlled deorbiting of Tiangong-2 space lab

Tiangong-2 was launched in September 2016 to test advanced life support and refueling and resupply capabilities via Shenzhou-11 and Tianzhou-1 missions in preparation for a large modular space station.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Jul 12, 2019China set to carry out controlled deorbiting of Tiangong-2 space lab

POLAR-2 involves a consortium of organizations from Switzerland, Poland, Germany and China and will seek to detect gamma-ray burst polarimetry following a first experiment aboard the Tiangong-2 space lab.

PlanCapabilityGeneralValue 4.1Jun 13, 2019International experiments selected to fly on Chinese space Station

Tiangong-2 is an 8.6-ton space lab that tested advanced life support with the two-crew Shenzhou-11 mission in 2016 and on-orbit refueling and resupply with the Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft in 2017.

CapabilityPlanGeneralValue 4.5Sep 27, 2018China could be facing space station delay, Tiangong-2 to be deorbited

Tiangong-2 was launched in September 2016 to test advanced life support and refueling and resupply capabilities.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Jun 20, 2018China appears to be preparing to deorbit its Tiangong-2 space lab

Tiangong-2 and Tiangong-1 were designed as stepping stones for developing and verifying technologies for 20-metric-ton modules for the planned Chinese Space Station.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.0Jun 20, 2018China appears to be preparing to deorbit its Tiangong-2 space lab

Tiangong-2 docked with Shenzhou-11 in late 2016 and hosted two astronauts for 30 days, representing China’s longest human spaceflight mission to that date.

GeneralPlanValue 4.0Jun 20, 2018China appears to be preparing to deorbit its Tiangong-2 space lab

Tianzhou-1 visited Tiangong-2 in 2017 to test and verify on-orbit refueling capabilities.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Jun 20, 2018China appears to be preparing to deorbit its Tiangong-2 space lab

Shenzhou-11 conducted a crewed mission to Tiangong-2 to test life support systems.

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.5Jun 20, 2018China appears to be preparing to deorbit its Tiangong-2 space lab

Tianzhou-1 conducted an uncrewed cargo mission to Tiangong-2 to test refueling capabilities in microgravity.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Jun 20, 2018China appears to be preparing to deorbit its Tiangong-2 space lab

POLAR, a gamma-ray burst detector carried on Tiangong-2 and developed by an international collaboration including Swiss, Chinese, and Polish institutes, stopped functioning fully on 2017-04-01 due to power failure.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Jun 20, 2018China appears to be preparing to deorbit its Tiangong-2 space lab