(Yicai Global) Feb. 10 -- China is planning to finish building its long-awaited space station this year, a task that will involve several ‘firsts,’ including the first-time that six spacecraft dock in orbit in combination with each other, the first time that astronauts stay in outer space for six months and the first-time that two groups of astronauts will be in orbit at the same time.

There will be over 50 space missions this year to complete the space station, which has a modular design and can be assembled in space, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp., the main contractor for the country’s space program, said yesterday. Two laboratory modules, Wentian and Mengtian, will join the Tianhe core capsule which was sent into space last May.

A crew of three astronauts are currently on board the space station for an 180-day stay and are due to return to Earth in spring this year, said Bai Linhou, the deputy chief designer of the space station. Upon their return, the team will start to verify all key technologies. Once they have been verified, then the construction of the rest of the space station will begin and it will start to be put into operation.

Once complete, the space station will have a total weight of 90 tons and a design life of 10 years. It will operate as a space laboratory to carry out scientific research and technical test both inside and outside the capsule.

CASC will also launch send a number of scientific research and business satellites into space this year, for use in the fields of natural resources, ecology and environment, forestry, emergency disaster relief and meteorology, it said.

Editor: Kim Taylor