China Tianzhou-8 Cargo Spacecraft Launch on Long March-7 Y9 Rocket in Hainan

China Tianzhou-8 Cargo Spacecraft Launch on Long March-7 Y9 Rocket in Hainan

China's Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft successfully docked with the orbiting Tiangong Space Station on Saturday, November 16, 2024 at 2:32am Beijing time, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced. Tianzhou-8 completed a 3-hour rapid autonomous rendezvous and docking approach. This will mark the establishment of a standard docking mode for future missions that combines efficiency with reliability.

China launched the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in its southern island province of Hainan using a Long March-7 Y9 carrier rocket on Friday night, November 15, 2024 at 11:32pm Beijing time. Tianzhou-8 has delivered supplies for the orbiting Tiangong Space Station, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). 

Alongside astronaut supplies and experimental equipment, the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft carries bricks made of varying compositions from simulated lunar soil to the Tiangong Space Station. These bricks will undergo exposure tests to assess their durability in extreme conditions and their potential use in constructing lunar stations.

Compared to its predecessors, Tianzhou-6 and Tianzhou-7, the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft boasts a larger cargo capacity—an increase of more than 200 more liters of space and more than 100 kilograms of cargo load.

Shenzhou-19 Crew:

Commander Cai Xuzhe (蔡旭哲)
Mission Specialist Wang Haoze (王浩泽)
Mission Specialist Song Lingdong (宋令东)

Image Credit: Xinhua/CGTN
Release Date: Nov. 15, 2024

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