China will launch a core module belonging to its first space station around 2018, according to a senior engineer with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. on Thursday. 
Two space labs will be launched later and dock with the core module, "Tianhe-1," said Wang Zhongyang, spokesperson with a key research institute attached to the corporation, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. 
Construction on the space station is expected to finish around 2022, Wang said. 
The space station is expected to consist of the core module, and the two attached labs, each weighing about 20 tonnes. 
If the International Space Station, which has extended its service, is retired by 2024, China's new space station will be the only operational one in outer space, Wang said.

Source: QNA