2nd space lab on its way to key mission

Tiangong II's dozens of experiments will include many not possible on Earth

China launched its second space laboratory, the Tiangong II, on Thursday night, which space officials said will become the country's largest scientific platform in space.

The space lab, the nation's first spacecraft with a modular design, was lifted off atop a Long March 2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China's Gobi Desert at 10:04 pm.