Tianzhou-1 launch marks new milestone for space station
April 24, 2017 Category Science & technology, Weekly
China launched its first unmanned cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou-1, into space, a crucial step for the country in building a space station by around 2022. Tianzhou-1 was launched into space by a Long March-7 Y2 carrier rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province. The cargo ship docked with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab to provide fuel and other supplies, and conduct space experiments. Without a cargo transport system, China’s future space station would run out of power and basic necessities. The successful Tianzhou-1 docking made China the third country after Russia and the United States to master the technique of refueling in space. The Tianzhou-1 can carry over 6 tons of supplies, exceeding the loading capacity of Russian cargo ships in active service. Tianzhou-1 will enable three astronauts to stay in the future space station for 180 days.
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