What Is China's Tiangong Program? Space Station Plan Strong Despite Tiangong-1 Failure

Ever since its failure was confirmed in late 2015, China's Tiangong-1 spacecraft has been tracked by organizations to try determine where it will fall following reentry, expected to take place in the first week of April. While the loss of the module may have been a setback, it hasn't stopped China from pursuing its ambitious goal of building its own space station, Tiangong. Translating to "heavenly palace" from Mandarin, the Tiangong program is a bold one, considering China was a relative newcomer to the space race but has already established a habitable presence in orbit around Earth. Tiangong-1, before it failed, saw two visits by crews who spent time in the module, proving that it was habitable. The Chinese are following the tested approach of building a space station one module at a time.