The successful launch of the Tianzhou-2 space cargo vehicle

This Saturday, andChina National Space Administration (CNSA) A cargo spaceship launched Tianzhu-2 Which must anchor the unit Tianhe For the new Chinese space station, which is being constructed in orbit. The spacecraft was launched at At 12 55 GMT From the spacecraft launch site Wenchang (In the northeastern province of Hainan, southern China) on board a missile Chang Cheng 7.

The China Aerospace Engineering Office (CMS) Stated that « 604 seconds after launch, the cargo ship successfully detached from the missile and entered the specified orbit, and the launch was identified as successful. ». Tianzhu-2 It is the second of 11 missions required to complete China’s first self-developed space station by 2022, and tracks the launch of the main unit Tianhe End of April.

The launch of the missile was postponed

The three-unit space station will compete with the only other station in service, namely International Space Station (ISS), Supported by countries like United State, The Russia And the Japan. The China He was not allowed to participate inISS by United State. Tianzhu-2 Will be docked independently with Tianhe, Which will supply future astronauts. The launch of the missile was announced on May 20, but for technical reasons it was postponed. Tianzhu-2 The cargo containing 1.95 tons of fuel and 4.69 tons of other materials was to be delivered to the station unit Tiangong.