credit: CMSE / caption: this is a three module station
These Chinese space station concepts were presented by China Manned Space Engineering deputy general designer Wang Zhonggui at International Astronautical Congress in Daejeon, Korea on 15 October. The space station would be about 60tons and would be operational from 2020 with Shenzhou providing crew transport and cargo spacecraft that will use structural technology from China's rednezvous and docking test vehicle Tiangong that will be launched in 2011. Zhonggui also explained to Fligthgloal that a Chinese manned Moon mission was under discussion by the space programme's scientists though no timeframe for any mission had been discussed
credit CMSE / caption:
on October 15, 2009 7:50 AM | Reply
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China will WIN also the new (commercial) Moon race!
here is explained WHY:
http://www.ghostnasa.com/posts/049chinamoonrace.html
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on October 15, 2009 8:36 AM | Reply
The Salyut/Mir influence on these designs seems pretty clear. These illustrations strongly resemble previously released graphics from the Chinese. It seems the design is fairly fixed by now.