China plans to launch its Tiangong-2 space lab in 2016 and its first cargo spacecraft the following year. China's first astronaut, and vice director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office announced this at the 10th Zhuhai Airshow.
"Now we are preparing for the next space lab," China Manned Space Engineering Office's vice director Yang Liwei said. "We plan to launch the Tiangong-2 in 2016 and launch the cargo spacecraft in 2017. After the cargo spacecraft docking with the Tiangong-2, we will test and verify refuelling, propellant technology and other scientific experiments.