Tianzhou 1 cargo ship completes second autonomous docking with space station

China's Tianzhou 1 cargo spacecraft has carried out its second docking operation with the Tiangong II space laboratory, according to the China Academy of Space Technology.

The academy, the spacecraft's developer, said in a news release on Monday afternoon that Tianzhou 1 disconnected with the Tiangong II on Monday morning and moved to a position five kilometers away from the space lab. It remained in that position for about 90 minutes before starting to move toward the opposite side of Tiangong II.

The cargo ship then commenced a docking sequence and recombined with the lab on the side opposite the first docking, the academy said.