NEW : said Wu . China launches the space lab module Tiangong-1 , which means `` heavenly palace '' in Chinese . The 8.5-ton module is part of an experiment to test space rendezvous and docking capabilities . Russia sent its second astronaut into space in Thursday , part of a `` two -step '' strategy to develop a space station .
NEW : China launches the space lab module Tiangong-1 , which means `` heavenly palace '' in Chinese . The 8.5-ton module is part of an experiment to test space rendezvous and docking capabilities . Russia sent its second astronaut into space in Thursday , part of a `` two -step '' strategy to develop a space station .