02.03.2016 - 01:16 [ TechInAsia ]

China will send a manned space mission to dock with a new space lab this year

China’s astronauts are headed back into space this year, says the country’s Manned Space Agency. It has confirmed that it plans to launch a new space lab, Tiangong-2, into orbit in the third quarter of this year. Then, sometime in the fourth quarter, a manned two-person mission will be launched on the new Shenzhou 11 spacecraft to dock with Tiangong-2, test its systems, and (assuming everything’s working correctly) do some science experiments. China will also launch two new, unmanned Long March rockets this year.