Tiangong

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Science & Tech

Tiangong

Chinese space stations

Written by Erik Gregersen

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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3-D model of Tiangong 1

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Category: Science & Tech

Chinese:: “Heavenly Palace”

Related Topics:: China; space station

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Tiangong, any of a series of three Chinese space stations, the first of which was launched on September 29, 2011. The first two Tiangongs were each an 8,500-kg (18,700-pound) cylinder that was 3.4 metres (11.2 feet) in diameter. They had two sections: a forward pressurized module that contained the astronauts’ living space and an unpressurized rear instrument module that contained Tiangong’s propulsion system. A pair of solar arrays attached to the instrument module provided power to the station. The launch vehicle was a Chang Zheng 2F/G (CZ-2F/G, or Long March 2F/G), a modified version of the CZ-2F, which was specifically ...(100 of 318 words)

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