Palace in Space: China is doubling the size of its space station, others concerned about Beijing’s plans

China has made remarkable progress in the construction of its space station, known as Tiangong, with the assembly of three modules in less than two years. This orbital habitat has the capacity to accommodate three astronauts, though it is still considerably smaller than the International Space Station (ISS), which took over a decade to complete. However, China’s plans include expanding the station with an additional three modules, which could offer an essential alternative to the ISS, set to retire by the end of this decade, according to Reuters. Despite the planned expansion, Tiangong will remain only about 40 per cent of the mass of the ISS. Nevertheless, the availability of an expanding space station for research in orbit represents a significant step forward in advancing space exploration. The China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) recently announced that Tiangong’s operational lifespan has been extended to 15 years, as opposed to the previously announced 10 years. This means that Tiangong may outlast the ISS by several years if all goes as planned. Notably, NASA astronauts are currently restricted from visiting the new Chinese space station due to US law, which prohibits collaboration between NASA and China. However, China has expressed its openness to international astronauts working on its space station. Concurrently, NASA is encouraging the private space industry in the US to develop private space stations. While companies like Axiom Space have made progress in building segments of such a habitat, there have been no concrete plans to launch these modules into orbit as of yet. In addition to China’s developments, Russia announced its intentions last year to construct its own space station, which could host a crew of up to four cosmonauts. However, the credibility of this plan remains uncertain given Russia’s recent challenges in space endeavors. With the retirement of the ISS looming, the landscape of our permanent presence in Earth’s orbit is set to undergo significant changes. As China makes significant strides in exploring our solar system, it is becoming a prominent player on the global stage in space exploration.