Tiangong-2

Tiangong-2 (Chinese: 天宫二号; pinyin: Tiāngōng èrhào; lit. 'Heavenly Palace 2') was a Chinese space laboratory developed as part of the Project 921-2 space station program. It launched on 15 September 2016 and was deorbited on 19 July 2019. Tiangong-2 was not intended to be a permanent orbital station, but rather a testbed for technologies later used on the modular Tiangong space station, whose first module launched in 2021. Although externally similar to Tiangong-1, Tiangong-2 included upgraded systems and additional capabilities, including a more advanced life-support system for longer crew stays and the ability to be refuelled by a Tianzhou cargo spacecraft. Compared to its predecessor, it also carried a more extensive set of scientific experiments, making it more of a true space laboratory than primarily a docking target vehicle. The station operated in an orbit similar to that later used by the Tiangong space station.