The map below shows the current position of the Chinese Space Station (Tiangong). The crosshair marks its current position. The blue sections of Tiangong’ track indicate when the space station is in the earth’s shadow. The red sections mark when Tiangong is sunlit.

The Chinese space station Tiangong, which means “Heavenly Palace,” represents China’s first long-term space habitat and a major step in its human spaceflight program. The first module, known as Tianhe (“Harmony of the Heavens”), was launched on April 29, 2021. Over the following two years, two additional laboratory modules, Wentian and Mengtian, were added, completing the T-shaped orbital complex by late 2022. Tiangong orbits Earth at an altitude of around 400 kilometers (about 250 miles), similar to the International Space Station (ISS). The completed station is about 55 feet long and weighs roughly 100 metric tons, making it smaller than the ISS but still large enough to support long-duration missions for a crew of three astronauts, with short-term visits allowing up to six.

Tiangong is used for a wide range of scientific and technological research, including space medicine, materials science, and astronomy. It serves as both a laboratory and a platform for testing life-support systems and other technologies critical for China’s future deep-space missions. The station is regularly resupplied by Tianzhou cargo spacecraft and crewed by Shenzhou missions, allowing China to maintain a continuous human presence in orbit for extended periods. Tiangong is expected to remain in operation for at least 10 to 15 years, serving as the centerpiece of China’s growing ambitions in space exploration.