China launches cargo craft Tianzhou-5 for space station supplies

Update:

China's cargo craft Tianzhou-5 docks with space station combination

China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-5, delivering supplies for the space station, conducted a fast automated rendezvous and docking with the combination of the space station Tiangong on Saturday, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

This is the first time for Chinese astronauts to witness the arrival of a cargo craft inside the country's space station.

China launches cargo craft Tianzhou 5 for space station supplies

China launched cargo spacecraft Tianzhou 5 on Saturday morning to deliver supplies for the space station, the construction of which is expected to be completed this year.

The Long March-7 Y6 rocket, carrying Tianzhou 5, blasted off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

After around 10 minutes, Tianzhou 5 separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. Its solar panels soon unfolded and began working. The CMSA declared the launch a complete success.

The cargo craft carries around 5 tonnes of goods and materials and 1.4 tonnes of propellant for the space station complex, including essential supplies for the three astronauts on the upcoming Shenzhou-15 mission for their six-month orbital stay, said Pan Weizhen, a designer of the cargo craft system from the China Academy of Space Technology.

It also carries test projects including a science popularization satellite, space hydrogen and oxygen fuel cell system, and broad-energy-spectrum high-energy particle detection equipment.