Word Count: 266 The Tianhe module will act as the management and control hub of the space station, called Tiangong, or Heavenly Palace, with a node that could dock with up to three spacecraft at a time for short stays, according to a local Xinhua media report. The station will operate in the low-Earth orbit and should have a lifespan of around 10 years. However, this week’s launch is only an early step for China in building its space station. According to Space.com, the Asian nation will need at least another 10 launches, as well as crewed and cargo missions, to complete assembly by the end of 2022.