Overview
- Friday reports from Chinese state media, cited by the South China Morning Post, say Tiangong’s next step is a multifunctional extension on the Tianhe core, with no public timeline.
- The new hub would add several docking ports and a larger airlock to support spacewalks and attach two future lab modules.
- The plan scales the station to six modules and about 180 tonnes, up from the three‑module T‑shape that has supported more than 260 experiments since 2022.
- Engineers are preparing upgrades that include a larger‑fairing Long March 5B rocket and more capable robotic arms for on‑orbit assembly.
- Beijing is widening access to the station, with astronauts from Pakistan, Hong Kong, and Macau expected to join missions as early as this year.