China plans to increase the size of its space station in the coming years.
中国计划在未来几年扩大其空间站的规模。
The station will offer astronauts from other countries a different choice for near-Earth missions. The International Space Station (ISS), led by NASA, is nearing the end of its service life.
该空间站将为其他国家的宇航员提供近地任务的不同选择。由美国宇航局主导的国际空间站的使用寿命即将结束。
The China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) said the operational lifetime of the Chinese space station will be more than 15 years. The organization is China's main space contractor. Chinese officials made the estimate recently at the 74th International Astronautical Congress in Baku, Azerbaijan.
中国空间技术研究院表示，中国空间站的使用寿命将超过15年。该研究院是中国的主要太空承包商。中国官员最近在阿塞拜疆巴库举行的第74届国际宇航大会上做出了这一估计。
That new operational lifetime would be more than the 10 years announced earlier.
这一新的运营寿命将比之前宣布的10年更长。
China's space station, known as Tiangong, or the Celestial Palace in Chinese, has been operational since late 2022. It holds up to three astronauts and orbits 450 kilometers above Earth.
中国天宫空间站自2022年底开始运行。它最多可容纳三名宇航员，在地球上空450公里的轨道上运行。
After an increase from three to six modules, Tiangong will be about 180 metric tons.
在从三个模块增加到六个模块后，天宫号将达到约180公吨。
Tiangong is 40 percent of the mass of the ISS, which can hold a crew of seven astronauts. But the ISS, in orbit for more than 20 years, is expected to stop service after 2030.
天宫的质量相当于国际空间站的40%，国际空间站可容纳7名宇航员。但国际空间站在轨道上运行了20多年，预计将在2030年后停止服务。
China has said it expects to become "a major space power". Chinese state media said last year as Tiangong became fully operational that China would be no "slouch" as the ISS headed toward retirement. State media added that "several countries" had asked to send their astronauts to the Chinese station.
中国表示，它希望成为“一个重要的太空大国”。中国官方媒体在去年天宫全面投入使用时表示，随着国际空间站即将退役，中国将会毫不逊色。官方媒体补充说，已经有“数个国家”要求将宇航员送往中国空间站。
But, the European Space Agency (ESA) said this year it did not have the financial or "political" approval to take part in Tiangong.
但是，欧洲航天局今年表示，它没有获得参加天宫的财政或“政治”批准。
The announcement suspended a plan that had been developed over years for a visit by European astronauts.
该公告暂停了一项多年来为欧洲宇航员访问制定的计划。
The Global Times wrote at the time: "Giving up cooperation with China in the manned space domain is clearly short-sighted, which reveals that the U.S.-led camp confrontation has led to a new space race."
中国《环球时报》当时写道：“放弃与中国在载人航天领域的合作显然是短视的，这表明美国领导的阵营对抗导致了一场新的太空竞赛。”
Tiangong has become a symbol of China's growing influence and belief in its space missions. U.S. law bans China from any work, direct or indirect, with NASA.
天宫已经成为中国在太空任务日益增长的影响力和信心的象征。美国法律禁止中国与美国宇航局进行任何直接或间接的合作。
Russia is highly involved in the ISS and has similar space diplomacy plans. Russia suggested that its partners in the BRICS group - Brazil, India, China and South Africa - could build a module for its new space station.
俄罗斯高度参与了国际空间站，并有类似的太空外交计划。俄罗斯建议其在金砖国家集团的合作伙伴——巴西、印度、中国和南非——可以为其新的空间站建造一个模块。
Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, said last year that it was planning to build a space station. The goal is for the station to have six modules that could hold up to four astronauts.
俄罗斯航天局去年表示，它正计划建造一个空间站。空间站的目标是拥有六个模块，最多可容纳四名宇航员。
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