Tianzhou 1

Tianzhou 1
	A 1:144 scale Tianzhou-1 model
Mission type	Tiangong-2 resupply
Operator	CNSA
COSPAR ID	2017-021A
SATCAT no.	42684
Mission duration	154 days and 22 hours
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Tianzhou-1
Spacecraft type	Tianzhou
Launch mass	Under 13,000 kg (29,000 lb)
Dimensions	9 m × 3.35 m (29.5 ft × 11.0 ft)
Start of mission
Launch date	20 April 2017, 19:41 (UTC+8)
Rocket	Long March 7
Launch site	Wenchang LC-2
End of mission
Disposal	deorbited
Destroyed	22 September 2017
Docking with Tiangong-2
Docking port	Fore
ing date	22 April 2017, 04:23 UTC
Uning date	19 June 2017, 01:37 UTC
Time docked	57 days, 21 hours and 14 minutes
Docking with Tiangong-2
Docking port	Fore
Docking date	19 June 2017, 06:55 UTC
Undocking date	21 June 2017, 01:16 UTC
Time docked	1 day, 18 hours and 21 minutes
Docking with Tiangong-2
Docking port	Fore
Docking date	12 September 2017, 15:58 UTC
Undocking date	17 September 2017, 08:15 UTC
Time docked	4 days, 16 hours and 17 minutes
	Tiangong program ← Shenzhou 11 Tianhe core module launch → Tianzhou program Tianzhou 2 →

Tianzhou 1 (Chinese: 天舟一号) was the debut mission of the Tianzhou-class unmanned cargo spacecraft. It was developed as part of the manned space program of China. Tianzhou means "heavenly vessel" in Chinese.^[1] On 20 April 2017, Tianzhou 1 was launched by rocket Long March 7 at China Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site. It successfully docked with the Tiangong-2 space laboratory on 22 April 2017 at 12:16 (UTC+8).^[2] Tianzhou 1 was deorbited on 22 September 2017. It plunged into Earth's atmosphere and burned up after a set of braking maneuvers under ground control.^[3]

Spacecraft[]

It used the first flight model of the Tianzhou. It is a Chinese automated cargo spacecraft developed from the Tiangong-1 to resupply its future modular space station.

Launch[]

Tianzhou 1 launched successfully on 20 April 2017 at 7:41pm local time, from the Wenchang space center. This marked the second time a Long March 7 has been used, and the first one for a mission. Tianzhou-1 became the heaviest Chinese spacecraft ever launched, at that time.^[4]

Mission[]

This mission demonstrated the Tianzhou spacecraft and its capabilities. It critically demonstrated propellant transfer for the Chinese space station, the last big hurdle for the long duration expeditions.^[5] On April 22, 2017, Tianzhou 1 successfully docked with Tiangong 2 marking the first successful docking of a cargo vessel, and refuelling, with the orbiting space laboratory.^[6] It subsequently performed a second docking and refueling on June 15, 2017. After it coupled with Tiangong 2 for a period of 60 days, it decoupled and separated from the space laboratory and completed a three-month period of free flight at around 390 kilometres above the Earth, separately carrying out a range of science experiments. On September 12, 2017, Tianzhou 1 performed the third and final docking and refuel with Tiangong 2, with what is termed a fast docking which took 6.5 hours to complete.^[7] Previously the rendezvous and docking process took around two days, or 30 orbits.^[8]

References[]

^ "China's space station to be established around 2022". news.xinhuanet.com. September 10, 2014. Archived from the original on January 17, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
^ Barbosa, Rui C. (25 June 2016). "China successfully debuts Long March 7 rocket". NASASpaceflight.com.
^ Leonard David (25 September 2017). "FChinese Cargo Spacecraft Burns Up in Earth's Atmosphere". Space.com.
^ Stephen Clark (20 April 2017). "First supply ship for Chinese space station lifts off on test flight". Spaceflight Now.
^ Ping, Wu (June 2016). "China Manned Space Programme: Its Achievements and Future Developments" (PDF). China Manned Space Agency. Retrieved 2016-06-28.
^ "Tiangong-2: China's first cargo spacecraft docks with orbiting space lab". Guardian. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
^ Clark, Stephen (17 September 2017). "Chinese space station freighter concludes refueling demo mission". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
^ "China's Tianzhou-1 cargo craft and Tiangong-2 space lab perform final orbital docking". GBTimes. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.

External links[]

Media related to Tianzhou-1 at Wikimedia Commons

[xinhuanet-133633441-1] "China's space station to be established around 2022". news.xinhuanet.com. September 10, 2014. Archived from the original on January 17, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2014.

[nsf-20160625-2] Barbosa, Rui C. (25 June 2016). "China successfully debuts Long March 7 rocket". NASASpaceflight.com.

[tianzhou-1-deorbit-3] Leonard David (25 September 2017). "FChinese Cargo Spacecraft Burns Up in Earth's Atmosphere". Space.com.

[SpaceflightNow-2017-04-20-4] Stephen Clark (20 April 2017). "First supply ship for Chinese space station lifts off on test flight". Spaceflight Now.

[copuos2016tech20E-5] Ping, Wu (June 2016). "China Manned Space Programme: Its Achievements and Future Developments" (PDF). China Manned Space Agency. Retrieved 2016-06-28.

[tianzhou-1-6] "Tiangong-2: China's first cargo spacecraft docks with orbiting space lab". Guardian. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.

[SPN20170917-7] Clark, Stephen (17 September 2017). "Chinese space station freighter concludes refueling demo mission". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 5 May 2018.

[gt-170912-8] "China's Tianzhou-1 cargo craft and Tiangong-2 space lab perform final orbital docking". GBTimes. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

v t ← 2016 · Orbital launches in 2017 · 2018 →
January	– Lingqiao / Jilin-1 03 · Caton-1 · Xingyun Shiyan 1 – Iridium NEXT 1–10 – TRICOM-1 – USA-273 / SBIRS GEO-3 – DSN-2 – Hispasat AG1
February	Intelsat 32e / SkyBrasil1 · Telkom-3S – Cartosat-2D · · Flock-3p × 88 · Lemur-2 × 8 · Al Farabi-1 · BGUSAT · DIDO-2 · · – Dragon CRS-10 – Progress MS-05
March	USA-274 / NROL-79 / Intruder 8 – Tiankun-1 – Sentinel-2B – EchoStar 23 – IGS-Radar 5 – USA-275 / WGS-9 – SES-10
April	Shijian 13 – Cygnus CRS OA-7 · (ALTAIR · CXBN-2 · IceCube · SG-Sat · SHARC) – Soyuz MS-04 – Tianzhou 1 · SilkRoad-1
May	USA-276 / NROL-76 – Koreasat 7 · SGDC-1 – GSAT 9 / South Asia Satellite – Inmarsat-5 F4 – SES-15 – "It's a Test" – EKS-2
June	QZS-2 – ViaSat-2 · Eutelsat 172B – Dragon CRS-11 · NICER · Birds-1 (TOKI · GhanaSat-1 · Mazaalai · BRAC Onnesha · Nigeria EduSat-1) – GSAT-19 – EchoStar 21 – Progress MS-06 – HXMT / Insight · 01, 02 · ÑuSat 3 – ChinaSat 9A – Cartosat-2E · Aalto-1 · ROBUSTA-1B · Max Valier Sat – Nivelir-ZU (14F150) – BulgariaSat-1 – Iridium NEXT-2 – EuropaSat/Hellas Sat 3 · GSAT-17
July	Shijian-18 – Intelsat 35e – Kanopus-V-IK · CICERO × 3 · Corvus-BC × 2 · Ecuador-UTE-YuZGU · Flock-2k × 48 · Flying Laptop · Iskra-MAI-85 · Lemur-2 × 8 · MKA-N × 2 · Mayak · NORSAT-1, -2 · NanoACE · TechnoSat · WNISAT-1R – Soyuz MS-05
August	OPTSAT-3000 · VENµS – Dragon CRS-12 · ASTERIA – Blagovest 11L – TDRS-M – Michibiki 3 – Formosat-5 – ORS-5 – IRNSS-1H
September	USA-277 / OTV-5 – Amazonas 5 – Soyuz MS-06 – Kosmos 2522 / GLONASS-M 752 – USA-278 / NROL-42 – AsiaSat 9 – Yaogan-30-01 × 3 – Intelsat 37e · BSAT-4a
October	VRSS-2 – Iridium NEXT 21–30 – QZS-4 – SES-11 / EchoStar 105 – Sentinel-5 Precursor – Progress MS-07 – USA-279 / NROL-52 / Quasar 21 – Koreasat 5A – SkySat × 6 · Flock-3m × 4
November	BeiDou-3 M1 · M2 – Mohammed VI-A – Cygnus CRS OA-8E · Asgardia-1 – Fengyun-3D · HEAD-1 – NOAA-20 – Jilin-1 × 3 – Yaogan-30-02 × 3 – Meteor-M No.2-1
December	Kosmos 2524 – LKW-1 – Alcomsat-1 – Galileo FOC 15-18 – Dragon CRS-13 – Soyuz MS-07 – GCOM-C · SLATS – Iridium NEXT 31–40 – Yaogan-30-03 × 3 – AngoSat 1
Launches are separated by dashes ( – ), payloads by dots ( · ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). CubeSats are smaller. Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in brackets).