It would seem that the Chinese have acquired the taste for space exploration and rocket launches. Following its successful first manned mission to orbit, and also the first extra-vehicular activity (EVA), the nation now plans ahead for the future, and its ideas are not at all unfeasible. The country wants to launch the first module of its own space station by next year, and then to visit it with manned crews over the coming two years. In addition, it is also working on a new lunar orbiter, as well as on a new heavy-lift delivery system, which is bound to give it great capabilities of placing massive payloads in low-Earth orbit (LEO), Space reports.

The unmanned, 19,000-pound Tiangong 1 module will be the cornerstone of the new Chinese space station. According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, Chinese officials want to launch the component no later than 2011, aboard a Long March 2F rocket. The module will most likely take off from the Gobi desert, where the Jiuquan Space Center is located. After Tiangong 1 (which means Heavenly Palace) reaches its destination, three Shenzhou spacecrafts will be launched to rendezvous with it over the next two years.

The first meet-up will be unmanned, and also China's first attempt to dock two spacecrafts in orbit. If the maneuver is successful, then the next two missions will be manned, and astronauts will even have the chance to stay aboard the station for short periods of time. They will be conducting a host of scientific experiments, but the news agency also reported that military applications will take place in LEO as well. China's human spaceflight plans are the work of former Shenzhou piloted spacecraft chief designer, Qi Faren. He outlines possible avenues of development for the country at a conference of the Chinese political advisory committee, which took place March 8.

In other plans, the country is getting ready to launch its second-ever moon probe, Chang'e 2, later this years. The take off is scheduled for October, and the new instrument will have increased capabilities from its predecessor. It will be able to photograph the Moon in 3-foot (1-meter) resolution, which will give the nation the ability to scout for possible landing sites for a future robotic mission to Earth's natural satellite. China is also working hard on developing the Long March 5, a modular system that will lift up to 55,000 pounds of cargo to LEO. The project is currently scheduled to be completed in 2014, the Xinhua reports.