The China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) said last week that it intends to double the size of China’s Tiangong space station, extending its operational life to more than 15 years and pushing the platform to replace the International Space Station (ISS).
The Tiangong opened in 2022 and is currently a bit less than half the size and about one-sixth the mass of the ISS, which has been in orbit since 1998 and is currently scheduled to be decommissioned in 2031.
CAST representatives attending an aeronautical conference in Azerbaijan said Tiangong should become an even more attractive platform for international space cooperation after its structure is doubled.
The Chinese government is reportedly considering permits for commercial spaceflight projects to use the Tiangong platform, possibly including space tourism.
From Breitbart:
Chinese scientists said more than a hundred research projects are currently in progress aboard the station. One of those projects involved lighting a candle aboard the station during a live-streamed lecture in late September. Open flame is a difficult proposition in microgravity, and fires are strictly forbidden aboard the ISS under its safety protocols.
