It’s only been 2 years since Chinese astronaut Zhai Zhigang completed China’s first space walk, now official word has come that a ‘relatively large’ space station will be operational and manned as early 2020.
Construction on the orbiting platform is scheduled for around 2016 with the launch of a laboratory module, serving as base for scientific experiments and as a place for astronauts to stay in space for extended periods of time.
A second module will launch in 2020 and will dock with the first. From this larger base the rest of the space station will grow.
Disclaimer: We may be compensated by some of the companies whose products we talk about, but our articles and reviews are always our honest opinions. For more details, you can check out our editorial guidelines and learn about how we use affiliate links.