China presses ahead with space ambitions

China announced Sunday it was sending its second space lab into orbit later this year, followed by a manned spacecraft that will dock with it. Tiangong-2, or "Heavenly Palace-2," will be the second Chinese space lab deployed above earth in five years. If the launch is successful, the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft will go up with two astronauts on board and try to connect with Tiangong-2 while in orbit, a statement from the office of the China Manned Space Program said. But before that, the country will test launch the Long March 7, a rocket it's developing to carry a cargo spacecraft to the Tiangong-2 in early 2017. More

(Source: CNN - Feb 29)