China Space Station · NORAD 48274
Tiangong (“Heavenly Palace”) is China’s permanently crewed space station, run by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Its Tianhe core module launched on 29 April 2021, and the Wentian and Mengtian laboratory modules joined it in 2022.
It usually carries three astronauts and circles the Earth about every 92 minutes, some 385 km up. Like the ISS it is bright enough to see with the naked eye when it crosses a dark sky in sunlight, around dawn and dusk.
| Tiangong | ISS | |
|---|---|---|
| Operator | China Manned Space Agency | NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA and CSA |
| First module launched | 29 Apr 2021 (Tianhe) | 20 Nov 1998 (Zarya) |
| Usual crew | 3 (up to 6) | 7 |
| Mass | ~100 t | ~420 t |
| Altitude | 384–386 km | 415–424 km |
| Orbit time | 92.3 min | 93.0 min |
| Inclination | 41.5° | 51.6° |
| Flies over latitudes | up to 41.5° N and S | up to 51.6° N and S |
Its lower inclination means Tiangong never flies directly over places north of about 41.5° N, such as most of Europe. From there it can still appear low in the southern sky, while the ISS passes much higher.
Tiangong is China’s space station, operated by the China Manned Space Agency. It is built from three modules: the Tianhe core (launched 29 April 2021) and the Wentian and Mengtian labs (launched in 2022). It is usually staffed by three astronauts.
Its orbit is tilted 41.5° to the equator, so it flies over everywhere between 41.5° N and 41.5° S, and can be seen low on the horizon from roughly 10° further north or south. Set your location above to get exact times, directions and how high it will climb.
You see Tiangong because it reflects sunlight. That needs your sky to be dark while the station, 385 km up, is still in sunlight, which happens in the hours after sunset and before sunrise.
Tiangong is about a quarter of the ISS’s mass (~100 t vs ~420 t), flies about 35 km lower, and its orbit stays closer to the equator (41.5° vs 51.6° inclination). The ISS is run by five space agencies; Tiangong by China alone.