A little while ago the Chinese space laboratory Tiangong-2 (Heavenly Palace 2) was launched from the Jiuquan base atop a Long March 2F T2 rocket. After about 10 minutes it successfully separated from the rocket’s last stage, deployed its solar panels and was place in a temporary orbit. Over the next few days, its thrusters will be used to adjust the orbit to an altitude of about 393 kilometers (238 miles).