Tianzhou (spacecraft)

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Tianzhou
Rendering of Tianzhou spacecraft.
Rendering of Tianzhou spacecraft.
ManufacturerCASC
Country of origin China
OperatorCMSA
ApplicationsTiangong Space Station resupply
Specifications
Spacecraft typeAutomated cargo spacecraft
Launch massUp to 13,500 kg (29,800 lb)
Payload capacityUp to 6,500 kg (14,300 lb)
Dimensions10.6 m × 3.35 m (34.8 ft × 11.0 ft)
Volume15 m3 (530 cu ft)
Production
StatusActive
Related spacecraft
Derived fromTiangong-1

The Tianzhou (Chinese: 天舟; pinyin: Tiān Zhōu; lit. 'Heavenly Ship') is a Chinese automated cargo spacecraft developed from China's first prototype space station Tiangong-1 to resupply its modular space station. It was first launched (Tianzhou 1) on the Long March 7 rocket from Wenchang on April 20, 2017[1] and demonstrated autonomous propellant transfer (space refueling).[2][3]

The first version of Tianzhou has a mass of 12,910 kg and can carry 6,500 kg of cargo.

Function[]

Based on the Tiangong-1 space station, the Tianzhou functions as the main automated cargo spacecraft for the Tiangong space station. It has pressurized, semi-pressurized and unpressurized cargo capabilities, and is able to transport airtight cargo, large extravehicular payloads and experiment platforms. It was first launched on the new Long March 7 rocket from Wenchang on April 20, 2017.[2][4]

Name[]

The China Manned Space Engineering Office opened a consultation for the naming of the prospective cargo ship on April 25, 2011. By May 20, it had received more than 50,000 suggestions.[5] On July 8 Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut and deputy director of the Chinese Academy of Sciences revealed that they had a short list of ten names.[6] On October 31, 2013, it was revealed that the spacecraft had been named Tianzhou (Chinese: 天舟; pinyin: Tiān Zhōu; lit. 'Heavenly Boat'), combining the Chinese names of the Tiangong (Chinese: 天宫; pinyin: Tiān Gōng) space stations and the Shenzhou (Chinese: 神舟; pinyin: Shén Zhōu) spacecraft. They also stated that they would use the two letter identification TZ.[7]

Missions[]

No. Spacecraft S/N Launch (UTC) Carrier
Rocket 		Launch
Pad 		Docking (UTC) Deorbit (UTC) Remarks
Station/
Port 		Docking Undocking
1 Tianzhou 1 N/A 11:41, April 20, 2017 (UTC) (2017-04-20T11:41Z) Long March 7 Wenchang LC-2 Tiangong-2 Fore 04:16, April 21, 2017 (UTC) (2017-04-21T04:16Z)[8] 08:15, September 22, 2017 (UTC) (2017-09-22T08:15Z) 10:00, September 22, 2017 (UTC) (2017-09-22T10:00Z) Maiden flight of the Tianzhou spacecraft. First Tianzhou flight to Tiangong-2. [8]
2 Tianzhou 2 N/A 12:55, May 29, 2021 (UTC) (2021-05-29T12:55Z)[9][10] Long March 7 Wenchang LC-2 Tianhe Aft[9] 21:01, May 29, 2021 (UTC) (2021-05-29T21:01Z)[9][10] TBA TBA First Tianzhou flight to the Chinese space station. [11][12]
3 Tianzhou 3 N/A 07:10, September 20, 2021 (UTC) (2021-09-20T07:10Z)[13] Long March 7 Wenchang LC-2 Tianhe Aft 14:08, September 20, 2021 (UTC) (2021-09-20T14:08Z)[14] TBA TBA Second Tianzhou flight to the Chinese space station. [15]
4 Tianzhou 4 N/A March–April 2022 Long March 7 Wenchang LC-2 Tianhe TBA TBA TBA Third Tianzhou flight to the Chinese space station. [16]
5 N/A October 2022 (2022-10) Long March 7 Wenchang LC-2 Tianhe TBA TBA TBA Fourth Tianzhou flight to the Chinese space station. [17]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Barbosa, Rui C. (25 June 2016). "China successfully debuts Long March 7 rocket". NASASpaceflight.com.
  2. ^ a b Ping, Wu (June 2016). "China Manned Space Programme: Its Achievements and Future Developments" (PDF). China Manned Space Agency. Retrieved 2016-06-28.
  3. ^ Clark, Stephen (17 September 2017). "Chinese space station freighter concludes refueling demo mission". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  4. ^ Barbosa, Rui C. (19 April 2017). "Tianzhou-1 – China launches and docks debut cargo resupply". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  5. ^ "中国货运飞船征名超5万个" [Chinese cargo ship over 50,000 new name] (in Chinese (China)). China Network Television. 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
  6. ^ "中国货运飞船征名结束 龙舟等10个名字入选" [Chinese cargo ship sign name ends dragon boat 10 names selected] (in Chinese (China)). 163.com. 2011-07-09. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
  7. ^ "中国载人空间站命名"天宫"货运飞船为"天舟"" [China's manned space station cargo spacecraft to be named Tianzhou] (in Chinese (China)). China News. 2013-10-31. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
  8. ^ a b Clark, Stephen (22 April 2017). "China's Tianzhou 1 cargo carrier docks with space lab in orbit". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  9. ^ a b c Graham, William (29 May 2021). "China launches Tianzhou 2, first cargo mission to new space station". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  10. ^ a b Jones, Andrew (29 May 2021). "Tianzhou-2 docks with China's space station module". SpaceNews.com. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  11. ^ "长征七号遥三火箭 • 天舟二号货运飞船 • LongMarch-7 Y3 • Tianzhou-2". spaceflightfans.cn (in Chinese). 21 April 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  12. ^ Jones, Andrew (13 April 2021). "China preparing Tianzhou-2 cargo mission to follow upcoming space station launch". SpaceNews. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  13. ^ "China rolls out rocket for Tianzhou 3 cargo mission ahead of Monday launch (Photos)". 17 September 2021.
  14. ^ "Tianzhou-3 spacecraft docks with Chinese space station". spacenews.com. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  15. ^ "【2021年9月待定】长征七号 • 天舟三号货运飞船 • LongMarch 7 Y4 • Tianzhou-3". spaceflightfans.cn (in Chinese). 21 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  16. ^ "【2022年3月04日待定】长征七号 • 天舟四号货运飞船 • LongMarch 7 Y5 • Tianzhou-4". spaceflightfans.cn (in Chinese). 21 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  17. ^ "【2022年10月待定】长征七号 • 天舟五号货运飞船 • LongMarch 7 Y6 • Tianzhou-5". spaceflightfans.cn (in Chinese). 21 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.

External links[]

  • Media related to Tianzhou at Wikimedia Commons
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