China successfully launches first cargo spacecraft

TIL Desk/World/Beijing/ China has successfully launched its first unmanned cargo spacecraft, taking another great leap towards realising the Communist nation’s ambition to have a permanently manned space station by 2022. Powered by a Long March-7 Y2 carrier rocket, Tianzhou-1 roared into the air from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in the southern Hainan Province.

Hours later, officials declared the launch a success, as the spacecraft entered the designated orbit. The tube-like craft measures 10.6 metres in length and can carry over six tonnes of cargo as well as satellites. In space, the cargo ship will dock with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space station, provide fuel and other supplies, and conduct space experiments before falling back to Earth.

China aims to build a permanent space station by 2022, that is expected to orbit for at least 10 years, and the debut of the cargo ship is important as it acts as a courier to help maintain the space station. Without a cargo transportation system, the station would run out of power and basic necessities, causing it to return to Earth before the designated time.