China’s plans to launch its second lunar orbiter are still on track for October, according to Chinese press reports, but the unmanned docking target designed as the Asian nation’s next step toward its own space station has been delayed until next year. The Xinhua news agency cited Qi Faren, who led design of the Shenzhou human-rated capsules that have carried six Chinese astronauts to orbit, as saying the Tiangong-1 docking target won’t be launched until 2011.

BEIJING — China is studying the design of a Moon rocket in the class of the Saturn V, as the Obama administration proposes canceling the U.S. successor to the Apollo launcher, Ares V. The country also is developing another new rocket, the “medium thrust” Long March 7, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology says. This new launcher joins the Long March 5 heavy rocket and the Long March 6, which was mentioned last year and is now defined as a “small-thrust” launcher. Long March 5, 6 and 7 will form a family of rockets, it says.

Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport, under a plan commissioned by the Taiwanese government, could construct a third terminal building. The terminal would raise capacity from 30 million passengers a year to 50 million. Construction of the building, between the two current terminals, would require relocation of a control tower and other facilities.