The Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft takes off from the Wenchang space launch site in south China’s Hainan province, November 15, 2024. Photo: VCG
Carrying essential life-saving supplies and experimental samples, including those for future lunar base missions, the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft took off at 11:13 p.m. Friday from the Wenchang space launch site in south China’s Hainan Province. of China), aboard the Long March-7 Y9 carrier rocket. .
About 10 minutes later, the Tianzhou-8 successfully separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. Subsequently, the spacecraft’s solar panels were successfully deployed, marking a complete success for the launch mission, the China Manned Space Mission Agency (CMSA) said.
The Tianzhou-8 is loaded with supplies for the taikonauts’ stay in orbit, propellants, experimental devices and other materials. She also distributed New Year gifts to the Shenzhou-19 crew to celebrate the Year of the Snake.
This is the last mission in 2024 to China’s space station, ending the launch schedule for this year’s manned space program.
Tianzhou-8 is the world’s largest operational cargo spacecraft with the most comprehensive on-orbit support capabilities. The previously launched Tianzhou-6 and -7 have already increased cargo capacity compared to previous spacecraft in the series.
Tianzhou-8 further increases the cargo capacity by more than 200 liters and more than 100 kilograms, China Direct learned from the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), an affiliate of state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology. Technology Corporation.
However, increasing capacity is not the strong point of Tianzhou-8, said Dang Rong, deputy chief designer of the Tianzhou cargo ship series. “Even more remarkable is the improvement in the loading of temporary goods,” she said.
“Our research teams created a sliding rail that allows us to first place items originally stored in the refrigerator inside, and once everything is packed, we can push the rail out to use the new space for certain items. temporary goods. This increased the temporary loading capacity of the craft from a few dozen kilograms to more than 100 kilograms,” Dang noted.
This will allow taikonauts to have access to more fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as further increase the capacity for loading experimental samples at low temperatures, thus enriching the scientific experiment projects available in orbit, CAST said in a press release sent to China Direct.
The space application system led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) sent 36 space science experiments and more than 80 products, weighing about 458 kilograms, to the space station aboard Tianzhou-8, CSA revealed .
These experiments cover diverse areas, including space life sciences and biotechnology, space materials science, microgravity fluid physics and combustion, and experiments with new technologies for space applications.
Notably, this mission will carry “lunar soil bricks” for the first time, made from special materials simulating lunar soil. These bricks will be subjected to space exposure experiments at the space station to test whether they can be used to build structures on the Moon. Once the experiments are completed, the first brick is expected to return to Earth by the end of next year, CCTV reported.
After entering orbit, Tianzhou-8 will use a three-hour rapid autonomous rendezvous and docking approach and connect with China’s Tiangong space station at the rear port of the core module, forming an integrated structure, according to CAST.
Since the first autonomous rendezvous in 2011, when Shenzhou-8 docked with Tiangong-1 after 44 hours, China’s docking technology has seen continuous progress. In 2017, Tianzhou-1 docked with Tiangong-2 using a 6.5-hour rapid docking model. In 2022, Tianzhou-5 set a world record with a 2-hour ultra-fast rendezvous, and in 2024, Tianzhou-7 validated the 3-hour model.
The docking of Tianzhou-8 will mark the establishment of a standard operating mode for future missions. Although not the fastest, the choice of the three-hour docking took all factors into consideration more comprehensively, said Kang Guohua, senior member of the Chinese Astronautical Society and professor of aerospace engineering at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China Direct. .
The mode integrates the “speed” factor of the 2-hour plan and the “reliability” factor of the 6.5-hour plan, successfully elevating China’s delivery of space supplies to the level of “express delivery”, according to Kang. This demonstrates strong adaptability to meet the needs of different missions, making it an “optimal solution”. The 3-hour mode also eases the requirements for rocket orbit conditions, measurement and control accuracy, and guidance accuracy, thereby increasing both the flexibility and reliability of rocket execution. assignment.
The Tianzhou-8 launch had already been delayed due to Super Typhoon Yagi. It was the strongest typhoon ever recorded on the Chinese mainland in autumn, hitting Hainan province twice in September.
Based on past practice, it is normally cargo supplies that arrive at the space station first, then the new crew. However, due to the typhoon, the Tianzhou-8 mission, which was scheduled to arrive before the Shenzhou-19 taikonauts, is the first to reverse such common practice.
Wang Ya’nan, editor-in-chief of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told China Direct that the delay in the launch mission has little impact on the lives of the taikonauts, as there is still a reserve of supplies to Tiangong before the next shipment. arrives, ensuring that there will be no shortage of materials due to delays. However, this delay could have short-term impacts on certain experiments, particularly those that rely on specific experimental equipment.
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