Tianzhou (spacecraft) (Redirected from Tianzhou 2)

Tianzhou
Tianzhou 2 cargo spacecraft prior to launch
Tianzhou 2 cargo spacecraft prior to launch
ManufacturerCASC
Country of origin China
OperatorCMSA
ApplicationsTiangong Space Station resupply
Specifications
Spacecraft typeAutomated cargo spacecraft
Launch mass13,500 kg (29,800 lb) (basic);
14,000 kg (31,000 lb) (improved)
Payload capacity6,900 kg (15,200 lb) (basic);
7,400 kg (16,300 lb) (improved)
Dimensions10.6 m × 3.35 m (34.8 ft × 11.0 ft)
Volume40 m3 (1,400 cu ft)
Production
StatusActive
On order1
Built8
Launched7
Operational1
Maiden launchTianzhou 1
Last launchTianzhou 7
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 and demonstrated autonomous propellant transfer (space refueling).

The first version of Tianzhou has a mass of 13,500 kg and can carry 6,500 kg of cargo. Tianzhou-6 is the first improved version of the spacecraft to be launched into orbit; it has a mass of about 14,000 kg and can transport 7,400 kg of cargo.

Rendering of Tianzhou spacecraft.

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.

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. 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. 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.

Missions

No. Spacecraft S/N Launch (UTC) Carrier
Rocket
Launch
Pad
Docking (UTC) Deorbit (UTC) Remarks
Station/
Port
Docking Undocking
1 Tianzhou 1 11:41, April 20, 2017 (UTC) (2017-04-20T11:41Z) Long March 7 Wenchang LC-2 Tiangong-2 Forward 04:16, April 21, 2017 (UTC) (2017-04-21T04:16Z) 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.
2 Tianzhou 2 12:55, May 29, 2021 (UTC) (2021-05-29T12:55Z) Long March 7 Wenchang LC-2 Tianhe Aft 21:01, May 29, 2021 (UTC) (2021-05-29T21:01Z) 07:59, March 27, 2022 (UTC) (2022-03-27T07:59Z) 10:40, March 31, 2022 (UTC) (2022-03-31T10:40Z) First Tianzhou flight to the Tiangong space station.
3 Tianzhou 3 07:10, September 20, 2021 (UTC) (2021-09-20T07:10Z) Long March 7 Wenchang LC-2 Tianhe Aft 14:08, September 20, 2021 (UTC) (2021-09-20T14:08Z) 02:59, July 17, 2022 (UTC) (2022-07-17T02:59Z) 03:31, July 27, 2022 (UTC) (2022-07-27T03:31Z) Second Tianzhou flight to the Tiangong space station.
4 Tianzhou 4 17:56, May 9, 2022 (UTC) (2022-05-09T17:56Z) Long March 7 Wenchang LC-2 Tianhe Aft 00:54, May 10, 2022 (UTC) (2022-05-10T00:54Z) 06:55, November 9, 2022 (UTC) (2022-11-09T06:55Z) 23:21, November 14, 2022 (UTC) (2022-11-14T23:21Z) Third Tianzhou flight to the Tiangong space station.
5 Tianzhou 5 02:03, November 12, 2022 (UTC) (2022-11-12T02:03Z) Long March 7 Wenchang LC-2 Tianhe Aft 04:10, November 12, 2022 (UTC) (2022-11-12T04:10Z) 08:46, September 11, 2023 (UTC) (2023-09-11T08:46Z) 02:13, September 12, 2023 (UTC) (2023-09-12T02:13Z) Fourth Tianzhou flight to the Tiangong space station.
6 Tianzhou 6 13:22, May 10, 2023 (UTC) (2023-05-10T13:22Z) Long March 7 Wenchang LC-2 Tianhe Aft 21:16, May 10, 2023 (UTC) (2023-05-10T21:16Z) 08:02, January 12, 2024 (UTC) (2024-01-12T08:02Z) 12:37, January 19, 2024 (UTC) (2024-01-19T12:37Z) Fifth Tianzhou flight to the Tiangong space station.
7 Tianzhou 7 14:27, January 17, 2024 (UTC) (2024-01-17T14:27Z) Long March 7 Wenchang LC-2 Tianhe Aft 17:46, January 17, 2024 (UTC) (2024-01-17T17:46Z) TBA TBA Sixth Tianzhou flight to the Tiangong space station.

See also


This page was last updated at 2024-02-12 14:08 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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