
Tianzhou-7 cargo ship departs China’s space station. Image credit: CCTV/CMSA/Inside Outer Space screengrab
China’s Tianzhou-7 supply craft has separated from the country’s space station, a step that signals the upcoming launch of a new cargo craft to the orbital outpost.
The Tianzhou-7 separated from the station combination on Sunday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
The cargo craft will re-enter the atmosphere in a controlled manner soon, the CMSA added.
China launched the Tianzhou-7 cargo spacecraft on January 17 from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in its southern Hainan Province. It later docked with the rear port of the Tianhe core module of the multi-module space station.

Artwork shows the design of the HaoLong space shuttle cargo-carrier.
Image credit: WeChat/ Aviation Industry Corporation of China
Space logistics
As recently reported by China’s Xinhua news agency, work is underway to scope out space logistics in the future, including a space cargo shuttle.
Late last month, the CMSA detailed the winners of its solicitation for overall schemes aimed at low-cost cargo transportation to China’s station.
One system is the Qingzhou cargo spacecraft sporting a volume of up to 27 cubic meters as blueprinted by the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAMCAS).
This cargo spacecraft would be launched by the Lijian-2 rocket that’s manufactured by CAS Space.
Winged craft
Another design is the HaoLong space cargo shuttle, developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute under the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).
HaoLong is a winged, reusable spacecraft, incorporating a large wingspan, high lift-to-drag ratio, and a reusable technology plan, according to the Xinhua report.
HaoLong would be launched by a carrier rocket, dock with the space station, later executing de-orbit braking and re-entry maneuvers, culminating in a horizontal landing on an airport runway.
Overall, China is looking to establish an energetic and competitive landscape in the low-cost cargo spacecraft sector, one that will also rely on the country’s expanding commercial launch industry.
Next supply ship
Due to the impact of typhoon Yagi on the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province, China’s next cargo mission to the Tiangong space station, the Tianzho- 8 supply ship has been rescheduled to launch in mid-November, according to Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA.
Meanwhile, a newly aired video by China Media Group captures the process of the handover between China’s Shenzhou-18 and Shenzhou-19 crews at the space station, including samples and equipment for scientific experiments.
Go to video at: