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China
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CNSA
Date: Monday, September 20, 2021
Time: 7:10 AM UTC (UTC +0)

This goes

to space

Tianzhou

Tianzhou - “Heavenly Ship”

Meet China’s automated cargo spacecraft for the newly-launched Chinese Space Station.

Called Tianzhou, the name is a combination of Tiangong, the first Chinese station, and Shenzhou, China’s human spacecraft.

The ship can bring up to 6500 kg (14330 lbs) of cargo, science experiments, food, clothing, spacesuits, oxygen, and fuel to the Chinese Space Station.

Tianzhou flew for the first time in April 2017. The mission included three dockings to the Tiangong-2 station and showed that Tianzhou was capable of refueling a space station in orbit.

The flight also allowed control teams to practice overseeing automated dockings with no crew onboard.

The first three flights of Tianzhou will dock to an empty Chinese Space Station. A crew of three will arrive about two weeks later for a six month mission.

Picture credit: China National Space Agency

On this

rocket

Chang Zheng 7

Meet China's new crew and cargo rocket.

The Chang Zheng 7, nicknamed Bingjian ("Ice Arrow"), is a two-stage, modern, upgraded rocket from China.

The rocket is helped at liftoff by four boosters bolted to the side of the first stage.

The Chang Zheng 7 is designed to replace the aging Chang Zheng 2F that uses highly toxic propellants and drops its boosters and stages over land and, sometimes, onto villages and towns.

Chang Zheng 7 instead uses liquid kerosene and liquid oxygen, which are standard rocket fuels used around the world. It also launches over the open ocean and drops its boosters and stages harmlessly into the sea.

While it waits to carry its first crew, the Chang Zheng 7 is tasked with launching cargo missions to the new Chinese space station called Tiangong.

Photo credit: China National Space Administration

From this

launch site

LC-2 / Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site
September 20, 2021

Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site

Wenchang is a former suborbital test site located in Wenchang, Hainan, China.

It is China's southernmost launch site. Located on an island, rocket stages are delivered via ship.

Construction of the orbital launch pads began in September 2007, and the launch site was completed in October 2014. The first orbital launch took place on June 25th, 2016.

The site has two active launch pads, with a third planned. LC-1 is used to launch the Chang Zheng 5 rocket while LC-2 is used for the Chang Zheng 7 and 8 rocket families.

Operations at Wenchang are managed by the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

Tianzhou

docks here

Tiangong Space Station

This is the Tiangong Space Station, China's large, in-space construction project that will take two years to complete.

The station will have three modules for a crew of three to live and work and will have three sets of solar arrays for power.

It will be one-fifth the size of the International Space Station when complete and about the same size as the former Mir space station.

Construction began with the launch of the Tianhe module on April 29th, 2021.

A second module, Wentian, is planned to launch in July 2022, followed by the Mengtian module in October 2022.

Tiangong is in a 41-degree orbit, meaning it travels as far North as 41 degrees and as far South as 41 degrees latitude when seen from the ground.

It is designed to operate for at least 10 years.

Picture: China Manned Space Engineering Office

Here's where to view Tianzhou 3

Space is for everyone. Here’s a link to share the launch with your friends.