China Reports 2025 Research Surge on Tiangong
Official figures point to a maturing national orbital lab defined by heavier payloads, larger data returns, first-of-kind experiments.
Overview
- CMSA says crews and ground teams carried out 86 new science and technology tasks on the station in 2025.
- Tiangong received 1,179 kilograms of experiment hardware, returned 105 kilograms of samples to Earth, and downlinked more than 150 terabits of scientific data.
- Major achievements included China's first in-orbit studies involving rodent mammals and what the agency describes as the world's first in-orbit tests of a pipe‑inspection robot.
- Research based on station work produced more than 230 academic papers and over 70 patents during the year.
- By year-end, the outpost had supported 265 projects and hosted 25 astronauts across 10 crews, operating its three-module complex with Shenzhou XXII and Tianzhou 9 visiting vehicles.