Big plans as China to double the size of space station

China plans to expand its space station to six modules from three in the coming years, offering astronauts from other nations an alternative for near-Earth missions as the NASA-led International Space Station nears the end of its lifespan.

The Chinese space station is expected to last more than 15 years, the China Academy of Space Technology said at the 74th International Astronautical Congress in Baku, Azerbaijan. That would be more than the 10 years previously announced.

The space station, also known as Tiangong, has been fully operational since late 2022 and can host a maximum of three astronauts, orbiting 450 kilometers above Earth.

At 180 metric tons after its expansion, Tiangong is still just 40 percent of the mass of the ISS, which can hold a crew of seven astronauts. But the ISS, in orbit for more than two decades, will be decommissioned after 2030, about the same time China says it aims to become "a major space power."

State media said last year as Tiangong became fully operational, that China would be no "slouch" as the ISS heads towards retirement, adding that "several countries" had asked to send their astronauts to the station.

But in a blow to China's space diplomacy, the European Space Agency said this year it did not have the budgetary or "political" green light to participate in Tiangong, shelving plans for its astronauts to visit.

"Giving up cooperation with China in the manned space domain is clearly short-sighted ... the US-led camp confrontation has led to a new space race," the Global Times wrote at the time.

Tiangong reflects China's growing ambition in its space endeavors and a challenge to the United States in the domain after being isolated from the ISS.

Russia, a participant in the ISS, has similar plans for space, suggesting its partners in the BRICS group - Brazil, India, China, and South Africa - could construct a module for its space station. Roscosmos, the country's space agency, said it has plans to build a space station comprising of six modules, hosting up to four cosmonauts.