Most interesting! Thank you! The two rear modules of the station appear identical to Mir base blocks. The others don't. There is also a large diameter hub I have not seen before.

Obviously the design of something 10 years from now is still fluid. But the other spacecraft drawings are accurate, given the scale.

Something not shown is that there are supposed to be three Tiangong's, each with an operational life of two-three years. That fills most of the gap between Tiangong 1 and the Mir-like space station.

Ealier reports suggested that the Mir like station would begin construction in 2015, in this case the 2020 date might be completion. But since the Chinese are very cautious, 2020 might fit in with an extended Tiangong program. On the other hand, Tiangong might be such a success that the program gets truncated in favour of the more advanced station which might get launched earlier. But building such a complex station isn't something that can be rushed, as experience with Mir and the ISS shows.


Jon