As part of its ambitious space program, China has become the third country to put humans into orbit around the Earth.
The module has been named Mengtian, which means “dreaming of the heavens”. It was launched from the Wengchang base on Hainan Island, state CCTV reports.
According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, the module contains cutting-edge scientific equipment.
The space station is expected to be completed by the end of the year, and Beijing plans to launch the Xuntian space telescope next year.
Dictatorship China is not part of the collaboration that led to the International Space Station (ISS), but is keeping a high pace in its own space program. Tiangong (“Heavenly Palace”) is expected to have a lifespan of around ten years.