Beijing ( CNN ) -- China 's first space laboratory module launched Thursday , according to state-run media , an important milestone in China 's plan to build a space station . China 's Xinhua news agency showed a picture of President Hu Jintao watching the launch of Tiangong-1 at Beijing Aerospace Control Center along with Communist Party officials . Tiangong means `` heavenly palace '' in Chinese . It lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Gansu Province , northwest China . The module was on a carrier rocket , called the Long March 2F T1 . The 8.5-ton lab module is part of an experiment to test space rendezvous and docking capabilities , essential for the operation of a manned space platform . Opinion : Make China our new partner in space . Wu Ping , spokesperson for the China Manned Space Engineering Project , told a press conference before the launch that the effective volume of the experiment module is about 15 cubic meters , which could potentially accommodate three astronauts . Tiangong-1 was originally scheduled to launch at the end of August but was postponed after the failure of another satellite launch . When the module successfully enters its low Earth orbit , an unmanned spacecraft -- Shenzhou-8 -- will be sent into space to dock with it . The two spacecraft will fly for about 12 days after the first docking , before conducting another docking test at an appropriate time in flight , Xinhua reported . After the two tests , the Shenzhou-8 will return to Earth and the Tiangong-1 will rise to its original orbit to wait for the next docking test . China sent its first astronaut into space in 2003 , the first stage in a `` three-step '' strategy to develop its manned engineering project . The launch of Tiangong-1 is the second step . If successful , it will be followed by the last phase : to build a permanent space lab that will allow astronauts to conduct long-term space experiments . `` It is of great significance for the realization of the three-step Strategy of China Manned Space Engineering Project and the promotion of sustainable development of manned space flight . '' said Wu . According to Xinhua , Beijing hopes to build a space station by around 2020 . China is not part of the project that maintains the International Space Station ( ISS ) , which currently orbits the Earth conducting experiments in a range of fields , from physics to astronomy . The ISS is a joint venture between NASA , Russia 's RKA space agency , Japan 's Aerospace Exploration Agency , the European Space Agency and the Canadian CSA .
NEW : China launches the space lab module Tiangong-1 , which means `` heavenly palace '' in Chinese . The name is a reference to the ancient capital of China, Beijing ( or Xian ) and its famous Forbidden City. China sent its first astronaut into space in 2003 , part of a `` three-step '' strategy to develop a space station .