YFARMX SPACE
orbital operations

Tiangong space station

CMSA (China Manned Space Agency) · Low Earth orbit

China's station is in continuous crewed operation; the Shenzhou-21 to Shenzhou-23 handover completed in May 2026.

An unofficial illustration of the completed Tiangong station with spacecraft docked, restyled onto a dark starfield.
Illustration: Shujianyang, Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, restyled

At a glance

Phase
orbital operations
Operator
CMSA (China Manned Space Agency)
Destination
Low Earth orbit
Last verified
2026-08-07

Where it stands

Operational and crewed: the Shenzhou-21 and Shenzhou-23 crews completed an in-orbit handover on 28 May 2026, the Shenzhou-21 crew reached Beijing on 30 May 2026, and CMSA publishes the station orbital parameters continuously.

The mission

China's Tiangong station remains in continuous crewed operation. The programme's official site records the in-orbit handover between the Shenzhou-21 and Shenzhou-23 crews, described as the eighth crew gathering in Chinese spaceflight history, completed on 28 May 2026, with the returning Shenzhou-21 crew of three arriving in Beijing on 30 May 2026 for medical checks and recuperation. The English-language site's ticker carries the station's orbital parameters dated 27 July 2026, confirming routine operations today.

Related

Sources

  • cmse.gov.cn · https://www.cmse.gov.cn/dmt/tj/sz23tp/202605/t20260528_57629.html
  • cmse.gov.cn · https://www.cmse.gov.cn/xwzx/202605/t20260530_57642.html
  • en.cmse.gov.cn · https://en.cmse.gov.cn/