Program archive

Tiangong

Tiangong joins the Tianhe core, Wentian and Mengtian laboratories, Shenzhou crews, and Tianzhou logistics into a continuously operated modular station.

Missions: 16
People: 29
Vehicles: 2

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Choose a path through the Tiangong archive.

Currently viewing · Overview

China's permanently crewed orbital laboratory

Tiangong joins the Tianhe core, Wentian and Mengtian laboratories, Shenzhou crews, and Tianzhou logistics into a continuously operated modular station.

Program details2011–presentChina Manned Space Agency · 2021–present

Flight record16 flights14 crewed · 2 uncrewed

First flown missionShenzhou 8November 1-17, 2011

Latest flown missionShenzhou 23May 24, 2026-present

Core capabilities

Permanent habitation

Supports rotating three-person crews and brief six-person handovers.

Orbital research

Hosts life-science, medicine, materials, combustion, fluid-physics, and technology investigations.

Extravehicular work

Supports station assembly, maintenance, payload deployment, and debris-protection upgrades.

Independent logistics

Uses Shenzhou crew transports and Tianzhou automated cargo vehicles.

Program story

China launched the Tianhe core module in April 2021 and sent the first resident crew aboard Shenzhou 12 that June. Wentian and Mengtian joined Tianhe in 2022 to complete the station's basic three-module configuration.

Successive Shenzhou crews assembled, commissioned, and then operated the complex. Their work includes EVAs, station maintenance, cargo handling, public science lessons, and a growing portfolio of long-duration investigations.

Tiangong now operates through regular crew handovers and Tianzhou resupply flights. Shenzhou 23 arrived in May 2026 with the program's first planned one-year astronaut stay and its first astronaut from Hong Kong.

Program archive

Tiangong

Tiangong joins the Tianhe core, Wentian and Mengtian laboratories, Shenzhou crews, and Tianzhou logistics into a continuously operated modular station.

Missions: 16
People: 29
Vehicles: 2

Explore this program

Choose a path through the Tiangong archive.

Currently viewing · Overview

China's permanently crewed orbital laboratory

Tiangong joins the Tianhe core, Wentian and Mengtian laboratories, Shenzhou crews, and Tianzhou logistics into a continuously operated modular station.

Program details2011–presentChina Manned Space Agency · 2021–present

Flight record16 flights14 crewed · 2 uncrewed

First flown missionShenzhou 8November 1-17, 2011

Latest flown missionShenzhou 23May 24, 2026-present

Core capabilities

Permanent habitation

Supports rotating three-person crews and brief six-person handovers.

Orbital research

Hosts life-science, medicine, materials, combustion, fluid-physics, and technology investigations.

Extravehicular work

Supports station assembly, maintenance, payload deployment, and debris-protection upgrades.

Independent logistics

Uses Shenzhou crew transports and Tianzhou automated cargo vehicles.

Program story

China launched the Tianhe core module in April 2021 and sent the first resident crew aboard Shenzhou 12 that June. Wentian and Mengtian joined Tianhe in 2022 to complete the station's basic three-module configuration.

Successive Shenzhou crews assembled, commissioned, and then operated the complex. Their work includes EVAs, station maintenance, cargo handling, public science lessons, and a growing portfolio of long-duration investigations.

Tiangong now operates through regular crew handovers and Tianzhou resupply flights. Shenzhou 23 arrived in May 2026 with the program's first planned one-year astronaut stay and its first astronaut from Hong Kong.