China unveiled plans for the next phase of its ambitious space program yesterday, including the development of both a space station and a cargo spaceship.

As Popular Science reports, the space station will support a crew of three and will be composed of a core module and two laboratories where astronomy, microgravity, and biological experiments will be conducted, while a cargo spaceship will be built to transport supplies. "The 60-ton space station is rather small compared to the International Space Station [419 tons], and Russia's Mir Space Station [137 tons] which served between 1996 and 2001," Pang Zhihao, a researcher and deputy editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine, Space International, told China Daily. "But it is the world's third multi-module space station, which usually demands much more complicated technology than a single-module space lab," he said. The project is expected to be completed by 2020 and could be the only space station in orbit in the decade following 2020, according to Popular Science.

Wang Wenbao, Director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, called for "resounding and encouraging" submissions from the public on a name for the new spacecraft, which is currently being referred to as Tiangong or "heavenly palace." "We now feel that the public should be involved in the names and symbols as this major project will enhance national prestige, and strengthen the national sense of cohesion and pride," Wang said.

As the Guardian reports, the project -- which heralds a shift in the balance of power among spacefaring nations -- is being described by officials as a "potent political symbol" for China. "China is a big country. It is a powerful country, and they are getting richer and richer," said Bernardo Patti, head of the space station program at the European Space Agency. "They want to establish themselves as key players in the international arena...they have decided politically that they want to be autonomous, and that is their call. They must have had some political evaluation that suggests this option is better than the others, and I would think autonomy is the key word."