中国空间站核心舱 (zhōngguó kōngjiānzhàn héxīncāng): Space station core module

The core module of China's Tianhe space station is to be exhibited at the 12th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, on Nov 6-11. This is the first time China's manned space station program is being shown to the public.

The main purpose of the space station's core module is the unified control and management of the station, which comprises three parts the connecting section, the life-support and control section as well as the resource section. The station will not only support the long-term stay of astronauts in space, but also aerospace medicine and space science experiments.

The core module is 16.6 meters long with a diameter of 4.2 meters. It is equipped with three docking hatches for connecting manned spacecraft, cargo spacecraft or other craft. There will also be two berthing hatches to connect with the space experiment module, and one hatch for the astronauts' extravehicular activities.

Construction of China's first manned space station program is proceeding on schedule. It is expected the construction of the space station will be completed by about 2022. After completion, the manned space station will be China's long-term, in orbit and stable operational national space lab.