China launched its second space laboratory into lower Earth orbit on Thursday as the Tiangong 2 blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center located in the Gobi desert.
According to Chinese state media, a Long March 2F (CZ-2F) carrier rocket launched China's second space laboratory, the Tiangong 2, from Gansu Province.
The Tiangong 2 (which is translated as "Heavenly Palace 2") was deployed by a Long March rocket. Initially, the orbit of the Tiangong 2 will be set at 240 miles above the surface of the planet, according to deputy director of China's manned space engineering office, Wu Ping.
In upcoming launches, two astronauts will follow and will be transported to the new space station to spend a period of 30 days in lower Earth orbit. Part of the mission will be carrying out research experiments regarding how to repair equipment in zero gravity, including aerospace medicine and atomic space clocks.
When the space station is complete, China plans a to send a crew to it by 2022.
Five years ago, China's first space station, the Tiangong 1, was launched. However, it stopped operations earlier this year. China's first space mission with a crew was launched in 2003. China was the third nation after Russia and the United States to achieve this feat. China's ambitious space program also included a spacewalk and landing a lunar rover on the moon.
To date, China is not part of the International Space Station. Nonetheless, Beijing is advancing its space program, where as much as 20 missions will be launched this year. In April, China plans to send an astronaut to the surface of the moon. The country also plans to land a rover on Mars by the 2020s.