What to expect next? 

With the completion of the Shenzhou-13 mission, the "technology verification phase" of China's space station project is over and it will now enter the "in-orbit construction phase."

"The key technology verification stage for the China space station has been a complete success," said Yang Haifeng, team leader of the Shenzhou-13 Spaceship Flight Control Technology Team at the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). "We are ready to turn to the Shenzhou-14 and Shenzhou-15 missions. The future missions have very good footing."

Construction on the space station is scheduled to be completed in 2022.

The assembly phase during the six missions following Shenzhou-13 is expected to be particular challenging, according to Bo Linhou, the deputy chief designer of the space station system at CAST.

"There will be many first-time attempts, for example, in-orbit transition for space modules, and new attempts to move cargo out of the station for construction without taikonauts going out," Bo said. But he added these challenges will be sorted out with help from the ground. 

China will launch this year the Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft, which will deliver supplies for the Shenzhou-14 crewed spaceship that will follow shortly after. Two lab modules, Wentian and Mengtian, will be sent successively into space.

Each lab module will first dock with the front docking port of the core module before being transferred by the space station's robotic arm to side docking ports.

This will create a T-shape complex once construction is complete.

China's finished space station will weigh nearly 100 metric tonnes. And it will be able to host six astronauts together, for a short period of time. 

Referring to the current phase of development, Bo said: "I give 100 out of 100."

The Tianzhou-5 cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou-15 crewed spaceship will then be launched to begin the in-orbit rotation of the space station's crew. 

A telescope capsule will also be sent into space to fly in the same orbit as the space station to provide observation data for astronomical and physical studies.

After completing the space station, China plans to carry out more extensive and in-depth international cooperation. 

Read more: China looks to have foreign astronauts on board its space station some day