Overview

• China's Shenzhou 16 mission crew captured the first complete images of the Tiangong Space Station as they departed for Earth.
• The Tiangong Space Station is fully assembled with three main modules and has been permanently staffed by rotating three-person crews since June 2022.
• The Tiangong Space Station, which weighs 77 tons and is about 20% as large as the International Space Station, has hosted important science experiments and aims to maintain this for at least a decade.
• China's space agency revealed plans to expand the space station with an extra three modules, bringing its total unit count up to six.
• The expanded space station is expected to double its capabilities in low-Earth orbit and continue its development phase for at least 10 years.