Tianzhou (spacecraft)

Tianzhou
Tianzhou-1
Country of origin China
Operator CNSA
Applications Tiangong-2 resupply
Specifications
Spacecraft type Automated cargo spacecraft
Launch mass Up to 13,500 kg (29,800 lb)
Payload capacity Up to 6,500 kg (14,300 lb)
Dimensions 9 m × 3.35 m (29.5 ft × 11.0 ft)
Volume 15 m3 (530 cu ft)
Production
Status Active
Related spacecraft
Derived from Tiangong-1

The Tianzhou (Chinese: 天舟; pinyin: Tiān Zhōu; literally: "Heavenly Ship") is a Chinese automated cargo spacecraft developed from China's first prototype space station Tiangong-1 to resupply its future 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, it is planned that the Tianzhou will function as the main automated cargo spacecraft for the Chinese space station. It will have pressurized, semi-pressurized and unpressurized cargo capabilities, and will be 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 they spacecraft had been named Tianzhou (Chinese: 天舟; pinyin: Tiān Zhōu; literally: "Heavenly Boat"), a 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 Deorbit Remarks
Station/
Port		 Docking Undocking
1 Tianzhou 1 Unknown 20 April 2017 11:41 Long March 7 Wenchang LC-2 Tiangong-2 Fore April 21, 2017[8] 22nd September 2017 08:15 UTC 22nd September 2017 (deorbit burn at 10:00 UTC) Maiden flight of the Tianzhou spacecraft. First Tianzhou flight to Tiangong-2.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Barbosa, Rui C. (25 June 2016). "China successfully debuts Long March 7 rocket". NASASpaceflight.com.
  2. 1 2 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 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). 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 News. 2013-10-31. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
  8. ↑ https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/04/22/chinas-tianzhou-1-cargo-carrier-docks-with-space-lab-in-orbit/
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