By 
May 7th, 2023
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
China’s next milestone in outfitting the country’s space station is the upcoming launch of the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft atop a Long March-7 Y7 booster.
Lifftoff is to occur next week from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in China’s southern island province of Hainan. Departure is reportedly on May 10.
The rocket topped by the uncrewed supply ship has been transferred to the launching area. Final tests are underway before carrying out the first spaceflight after China’s orbiting facility entered the stage of application and development.
The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said Sunday that the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft will be launched in the near future at an appropriate time.
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Launch conditions
“The Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft will receive checks and re-examinations on its power supply, the function and performance of its equipment, as well as the coordination among the equipment,” said Ren Liang, chief designer on overall responsibilities of cargo spacecraft with the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).
“After that, we will implement a comprehensive assessment of the cargo spacecraft’s health condition, so as to ensure all the launch conditions are met,” Ren told China Central Television (CCTV).
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Cargo capacity
This cargo spacecraft has an increased cargo capacity contrasted to earlier missions – increased from 6.9 tons to 7.4 tons. The vehicle’s loading volume was raised from 18.1 cubic meters to 22.5 cubic meters, up about 20 percent.
Lofting daily supplies for the now orbiting Shenzhou-15 crew onboard the station, as well as the future Shenzhou-16 crew, Tianzhou-6 will carry 1.75 tons of propellant, over 1,540 pounds (700 kilograms) of which are meant for refueling the space station.
Imace credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Go to this video of the rocket rollout at:
Posted in Space News
