Tiangong-1 () was China's first prototype space station. It orbited Earth from September 2011 to April 2018. During development, it was known as the target vehicle, reflecting its primary role as an experimental testbed for demonstrating orbital rendezvous and docking, and secondarily as a crewed laboratory for scientific research during its two years of active service.
Tiangong-1 was launched uncrewed on 29 September 2011 aboard the first Long March 2F/T, an upgraded version of China's human-rated launch vehicle. It was the first operational component of the Tiangong program, which later led to the launch of the modular Tiangong space station in 2021. Tiangong-1 was initially expected to be deorbited in 2013"China to launch module for future space station" PhysOrg 28 September 2011 Retrieved 10 March 2013 and replaced by the larger Tiangong-2 and Tiangong-3 stations over the following decade, but it remained in orbit until 2 April 2018.
Three Shenzhou spacecraft visited Tiangong-1 during its operational lifetime. The first, the uncrewed Shenzhou 8, successfully docked with the module in November 2011. The crewed Shenzhou 9 mission docked in June 2012, followed by the crewed Shenzhou 10 mission in June 2013. The crewed missions included China's first two female astronauts, Liu Yang and Wang Yaping.
On 21 March 2016, the China Manned Space Engineering Office announced that contact with the station had been lost. Unable to conduct a controlled deorbit, Tiangong-1 made an uncontrolled re-entry into Earth's atmosphere over the southern Pacific Ocean, northwest of Tahiti, on 2 April 2018 at 00:16 UTC.
Design and development The China National Space Administration (CNSA) designed Tiangong-1 as an "space-laboratory module", capable of supporting the docking of crewed and autonomous spacecraft. In 2008, the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) released a brief description of Tiangong-1, along with its larger successor modules, Tiangong-2 and Tiangong-3. A model of the space station was revealed in the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration program on CCTV on 25 January 2009.
On 29 September 2008, Zhang Jianqi (), vice-director of the CMSEO, declared in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) that Tiangong-1 would be launched in 2010 or 2011. Xinhua News Agency later stated that Tiangong-1 would be launched in late 2010, and declared that the renovation of ground equipment was in progress. However, the launch did not ultimately take place until 2011.
By mid-2011, the construction of Tiangong-1 was complete, and its systems and thermal properties were undergoing testing. Testing was also conducted on the Long March 2F launch vehicle on which Tiangong-1 would be launched. Technicians undertook particularly extensive safety tests on the launch vehicle due to the recent launch failure of a Long March 2C launch vehicle.
Structure Tiangong-1 had a pressurised habitable volume of approximately , and used passive APAS-type docking connectors."China Accelerates Manned Space Program with Tiangong Docking Module and Advanced Shenzhou" AmericaSpace 23 September 2011 Retrieved 3 November 2011 Structurally, Tiangong-1 was divided into two primary sections: a resource module, which mounted its solar panels and propulsion systems, and a larger, habitable experimental module."China Launches Tiangong-1 Space Lab" InterSpace News 29 September 2011 Retrieved 3 November 2011
Onboard facilities Tiangong-1's experimental module was equipped with exercise gear and two sleep stations. The interior walls of the spacecraft had a two-colour paint scheme – one colour representative of the ground, and the other representative of the sky. This was intended to help the astronauts maintain their orientation in zero gravity. High-resolution interior cameras allowed crewed missions to be closely monitored from the ground, and the two sleep stations had individual lighting controls."Living on Tiangong" SpaceDaily 25 October 2011 Retrieved 29 October 2011 Toilet facilities and cooking equipment for the crewed missions were provided by the docked Shenzhou (spacecraft), rather than being integrated into the Tiangong module itself. Similarly, one member of the module's three-person crew slept in the Shenzhou spacecraft, preventing overcrowding.
Mission profile
Background Tiangong-1 was originally intended to be launched in August 2011, and was delivered to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on 23 July 2011, successfully passing a launch rehearsal test on 17 August 2011. However, following the failed launch of a Long March 2C launch vehicle in August 2011, the launch was postponed. Following an investigation into the August 2011 launch failure, Tiangong-1's launch was rescheduled for late September 2011, partly to coincide with the Chinese National Day on 1 October 2011.
Launch On 20 September 2011, the spacecraft was again rolled out to Pad 1 of the South Launch Site at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in preparation for the rescheduled launch attempt. The launch occurred at 13:16 UTC on 29 September 2011, successfully placing Tiangong-1 into low Earth orbit. Chinese television broadcast the launch animation accompanied by an instrumental version of the American patriotic song America the Beautiful, a choice of music for which it later offered no explanation.
Orbital transfers and testing On 30 September 2011, Tiangong-1 completed the second of two orbital maneuvers, reaching an apogee altitude of ."天宫一号成功完成二次变轨" (in Chinese) People's Daily 1 October 2011 Retrieved 21 November 2011 This was the precursor to a week-long program of orbital testing, conducted from the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center, to prepare the module for future orbital docking operations. On 10 October 2011, Tiangong-1 released its first orbital photo, showing a view of its outer hull and satellite relay antenna."Tiangong 1 releases first photo in space" People's Daily 12 October 2011 Retrieved 18 October 2011
Autonomous orbital docking
The uncrewed Shenzhou 8 mission successfully docked with Tiangong-1 on 2 November 2011 UTC, marking China's first orbital docking."Chinese spacecraft dock in orbit" BBC News 2 November 2011 Retrieved 15 June 2013 Shenzhou 8 undocked from Tiangong-1 on 14 November 2011, before successfully completing a second rendezvous and docking, thus testing the reusability of the docking system."China completes second space docking" Agence France Presse via Google 14 November 2011 Retrieved 15 November 2011"2nd docking of Tiangong-1 and Shenzhou-8 on schedule" Xinhua 7 November 2011 Retrieved 15 June 2013"Chinese spacecraft Shenzhou-8 disengages from space lab module Tiangong-1" Xinhua 14 November 2011 Retrieved 15 June 2013 Shenzhou 8 deorbited on 17 November 2011, and landed intact in Siziwang Banner in Inner Mongolia."Shenzhou 8 Docking Mission Major Step To Space Station, China Says" HuffPost 18 November 2011 Retrieved 4 November 2013 After the mission, the CNSA reported that Tiangong-1's systems were in optimal condition."China plans major effort in pursuing manned space technology" SpaceDaily 22 November 2011 Retrieved 23 November 2011
Crewed missions
Preparations In December 2011, the Tiangong-1 module began automated internal checks for toxic gas, to ensure that its interior would be safe for astronauts to enter."Tiangong-1 orbiter starts planned cabin checks against toxic gas" SpaceDaily 19 December 2011 In January 2012, reports emerged in British publication Spaceflight alleging that the American Boeing X-37B robotic spaceplane was shadowing Tiangong-1 for surveillance purposes."US 'space warplane' may be spying on Chinese spacelab" The Register 6 January 2012 Retrieved 13 January 2012 However, former United States Air Force orbital analyst Brian Weeden later refuted this claim, emphasizing that the X-37B occupied a 100 degree right ascension offset orbit from Tiangong-1, and would not be able to closely observe the module as they would only pass each other twice an orbit at a closing speed of 7 km/s."Expert: U. S. Secret Space Plane Not Likely "Spying" on China Module" International Business Times 9 January 2012 Retrieved 13 January 2012
Shenzhou 9 (Expedition 1)
In March 2012, it was reported that China had finished the initial crew selection for the Shenzhou 9 mission. Niu Hongguang, the deputy chief commander of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, stated that Shenzhou 9 would dock with Tiangong-1 before August 2012."Shenzhou-9 may take female astronaut to space" SpaceDaily 14 March 2012 Retrieved 24 March 2012 The Shenzhou 9 spacecraft was delivered to Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center for launch preparations on 9 April 2012,"Shenzhou-9 spacecraft delivered to launch center" China Daily 9 April 2012 Retrieved 24 April 2012 while its Long March 2F launch vehicle arrived a month later on 9 May 2012.
Shenzhou 9 launched successfully on 16 June 2012, carrying with it China's first female astronaut, Liu Yang."China sends its first female astronaut into space" The Daily Telegraph 16 June 2012 Retrieved 4 November 2013 Alt URL The spacecraft docked with Tiangong-1 on 18 June 2012 at 06:07 UTC (14:07 Beijing time)."Shenzhou-9 docks with Tiangong-1" BBC 18 June 2012 Retrieved 4 November 2013. After about three hours, when the air pressures inside the two vessels were equalized, mission commander Jing Haipeng entered Tiangong-1. The first docking was entirely computer-controlled, without input from the three astronauts; a second, crew-guided docking was successfully conducted on 24 June 2012 at 20:42 UTC (12:42 Beijing time)."Video: China's first manual space docking" People's Daily 24 June 2012 Retrieved 4 November 2013 Shenzhou 9 landed safely in Inner Mongolia on 29 June 2012. In August 2012, Shenzhou 9's crew travelled to Hong Kong to discuss their mission with university students.
Shenzhou 10 (Expedition 2)
The crewed Shenzhou 10 spacecraft, the final Shenzhou mission to rendezvous with Tiangong-1 before its deorbit, was launched on 11 June 2013. The launch of Shenzhou 10 was originally planned for earlier in the year, but was delayed to allow the mission to incorporate more complex scientific experiments. The mission's crew included China's second female astronaut, Wang Yaping. Shenzhou 10 docked successfully with Tiangong-1 on 13 June 2013.
On 15 June 2013, the Shenzhou 10 crew completed China's first orbital maintenance operation, replacing Tiangong-1's interior cladding. Additional maintenance work was conducted on the space station's seal rings. On 20 June 2013, Wang Yaping delivered a remote video lecture from orbit to students across China, demonstrating physics in microgravity with her colleagues. On 24 June 2013, CPC general secretary Xi Jinping contacted the astronauts via remote video link to congratulate them. After a series of successful docking tests, Shenzhou 10 undocked and returned safely to Earth on 26 June 2013. With a duration of 15 days, Shenzhou 10 was China's longest crewed space mission, until Shenzhou 11's 30-day mission to Tiangong-2 in 2016.SCIO briefing on China's Tiangong-2 and Shenzhou 11 manned space mission China.org.cn 19 November 2016
Post-mission