--- title: "China’s Doubling the Size of Its Space Station" description: "China is now planning to expand the station by doubling the number of modules, giving it a lot more room in orbit." date: "2023-10-05" modified: "2023-10-05" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/chinas-doubling-size-space-station" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "china" - "china space station" - "iss" - "the digest" --- # China’s Doubling the Size of Its Space Station ![China is now planning to expand the station by doubling the number of modules, giving it a lot more room in orbit.]() *\Image: China Manned Space Engineering Office\* ## Room for Activities In a matter of less than two years, China [assembled three modules]() of its space station dubbed Tiangong, an orbital habitat that can accommodate a crew of [three astronauts](). And while it's still significantly smaller than the International Space Station — which took well over a decade to complete — that could soon change. China is now planning to expand the station with an additional three modules, [*Reuters* reports](), offering the country and its international partners an important alternative to the ISS, which is set to be [retired by the end of the decade](). Even with the additional three modules, Tiangong will still be only about 40 percent of the mass of the ISS, per the report — but a growing space for research in orbit is still arguably a lot better than not having one at all. ## Heavenly Palace Space contractor the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) announced this week that the station's lifespan will also be 15 — not the previously announced ten — years, according to *Reuters*, meaning that it'll outlive the ISS by several years if things go according to plan. NASA astronauts are technically not allowed to visit the new station, as [US law forbids]() any collaboration between China and the space agency. China, however, has said its airlocks are [open to international astronauts](). Meanwhile, NASA is encouraging the private space industry in the US to build private space stations. While companies like Axiom Space have [broken ground on developing segments]() of such a habitat, we still have yet to hear of any concrete plans to start launching modules into orbit. Russia also [announced last year]() that it's planning to construct its own space station for a crew of up to four cosmonauts, though its [recent track record in space]() renders the credibility of that plan [shaky at best](). With the ISS soon out of the picture, our permanent presence in Earth's orbit is about to look significantly different. And with China [making massive leaps]() in exploring our corner of the solar system, it's become the world power to watch. **More on the station:** *[Chinese Astronaut Lights Match in Space]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()