China is gearing up to send its second orbiting space lab, the Tiangong-2, into space in the third quarter of this year. As part of the country's space lab program, China also plans to launch the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft, which will carry two astronauts on board, in the fourth quarter in 2016, to dock with the Tiangong-2.
The Long March-7 rocket is expected to put the cargo ship Tianzhou-1, which literally means "heavenly vessel," into space in the first half of 2017, to dock with the Tiangong-2 and conduct experiments.
The rocket has had its first test flight at Wenchang satellite launch center in south China's Hainan Province.
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