Watch the Launch

Additional Media

China launches 'Tianhe,' core module of space station

For more: https://www.cgtn.com/video China on Thursday launched the core module of the country's space station from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern province of Hainan. The core m...

Live: Special coverage on China's first space station mission

A Long March-5B Y2 rocket carrying Tianhe, the core module of China's first permanent space station, is blasting off from Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province. CGTN brings ...

Tianhe

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Human Exploration

Low Earth Orbit 101 Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

Tianhe (which translates as "Heavenly Harmony") is the core module and backbone of the Chinese space station, designed to provide the main living quarters and control centre for the station crew.

Updates

Nosu • April 29, 2021, 4:28 a.m.

Successful launch of the core module of the Chinese space station.


Cosmic_Penguin • April 28, 2021, 11:57 p.m.

Go for launch.


Cosmic_Penguin • April 11, 2021, 11:20 a.m.

Updated launch time.


Nosu • Feb. 18, 2021, 2:26 p.m.

Launch NET mid-late April


Long March 5B

Family:
Configuration: B

The configuration of the CZ-5B variant consists of the Long March 5 core stage with its four strapped-on liquid-fueled boosters, but the usual second stage will be absent; in place of the second stage would be heavier low earth orbit payloads.

Specifications
  • Stages
    1
  • Length
    53.66 m
  • Diameter
    5.0 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    5.0 m
  • Launch Mass
    837.0 T
  • Thrust
    10565.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Long March 5B
  • Family
  • Variant
    B
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Long March 5B
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
    25000.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

(CASC)

Chairman & President: Lei Fanpei Founded: 1999 Successes: 570 Failures: 15 Pending: 12

Agency Type:

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is the main contractor for the Chinese space program. It is state-owned and has a number of subordinate entities which design, develop and manufacture a range of spacecraft, launch vehicles, strategic and tactical missile systems, and ground equipment. It was officially established in July 1999 as part of a Chinese government reform drive, having previously been one part of the former China Aerospace Corporation. Various incarnations of the program date back to 1956.

INFO WIKI

Related News

Spaceflight Now

NASA chief criticizes China for uncontrolled rocket re-entry

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Saturday that China is failing to meet “responsible standards” on space debris after a massive Long March rocket stage fell back to Earth over the Indian Ocean in an uncontrolled re-entry that is likely …

SpaceNews

After Chinese rocket reentry, DoD calls for countries to ‘behave responsibly’

Less than two days after parts of an uncontrolled Chinese rocket fell into the Indian Ocean, the Pentagon said allowing a large booster to free fall toward Earth is “irresponsible behavior.”

SpaceNews

Long March 5B falls into Indian Ocean after world follows rocket reentry

Debris from a large Chinese rocket stage fell into the Indian Ocean late May 8 Eastern as people around the world watched for signs of the fiery reentry event in the skies.

NASA

NASA Administrator Statement on Chinese Rocket Debris

NASA Administrator Sen. Bill Nelson released the following statement Saturday regarding debris from the Chinese Long March 5B rocket.

Spaceflight Now

Large Chinese rocket tumbling toward toward unguided re-entry this weekend

For the second time in a year, a large spent Chinese rocket stage intentionally left in orbit is heading for an unguided plunge back into Earth’s atmosphere Saturday or Sunday somewhere between 41.5 degrees north and south latitude.

Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

101


Electron
Deployed
7 hours, 52 minutes ago
Bubbles
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 (Launch Area 0 C) - Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA

Sub-orbital launch under Rocket Lab’s Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE) program, details TBD.


Falcon 9
Success
1 day, 2 hours ago
GPS III SV10
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Tenth of ten GPS III missions.


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 17 hours ago
Starlink Group 17-22
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


New Glenn
Failure
2 days, 22 hours ago
BlueBird Block 2 #2
Launch Complex 36A - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

AST SpaceMobile’s Block 2 BlueBird satellites are designed to deliver up to 10 times the bandwidth capacity of the BlueBird Block 1 satellites, requi…


Long March 4C
Success
5 days, 5 hours ago
Daqi-2 (AEMS)
Launch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Daqi-2 (DQ-2), also known as the Atmospheric Environment Monitoring Satellite/AEMS, is the second of follow-on series of Chinese satellites to the GF…


Soyuz 2.1b/Volga
Success
5 days, 10 hours ago
Kosmos (Unknown Payload)
43/4 (43R) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Unknown satellite(s) for the Russian military.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
Starlink Group 17-27
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
Starlink Group 10-24
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Kinetica 1
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
8 x Jilin-1
Launch Area 130 - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

8 Earth observation satellites for the Jilin-1 commercial Earth observation satellites constellation: * High Resolution-07A 02-04 * High Resoluti…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
Cygnus CRS-2 NG-24 (S.S. Steven R. Nagel)
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

This is the 24th flight of the Orbital ATK's uncrewed resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its 23rd flight to the International Space Station under the Com…