China’s Tianzhou-7 cargo spacecraft has successfully delivered 90 kilograms of fresh fruits to the China Space Station, marking a significant enhancement in resupply missions. This delivery not only satisfies the astronauts’ nutritional needs but also showcases advancements in China’s space cargo capabilities.
Tianzhou-7, the world’s largest cargo spacecraft, is the first to visit the China Space Station this year. The mission achieved a balance between efficiency and safety by completing the rendezvous and docking process in approximately three hours. This is an improvement over previous missions, which took around 6.5 hours, though it doesn’t surpass the record two-hour docking accomplished by Tianzhou-5 in 2022.
Chinese cargo spacecraft have been steadily increasing their capacity with each launch. The previous mission, Tianzhou-6, delivered 70 kilograms of supplies—more than double that of its predecessor. Tianzhou-7 has further increased the payload to 90 kilograms, sufficient to meet the needs of both the Shenzhou-17 and Shenzhou-18 crews during their stay in orbit.
The enhanced payload capacity means Tianzhou cargo spacecraft now need to deliver supplies only three times every two years, instead of twice a year before each crewed mission. The Tianzhou-6 to Tianzhou-11 spacecraft were designed and produced in a batch with increased cargo volume to 22.5 cubic meters, capable of carrying up to 6.7 tonnes of cargo, bringing the total loading capacity to 7.4 tonnes.
This increase in cargo space was achieved by reducing the number of fuel tanks from six to four, as the space station requires less propellant for attitude adjustments now that its construction phase is complete. Measuring 10.65 meters in length with a cargo module diameter of 3.35 meters—the widest part of the spacecraft—Tianzhou-7 is larger than a medium-sized bus.
Looking ahead, the modular design of the Tianzhou spacecraft allows for different configurations to meet various mission requirements. Currently, the cargo module is fully pressurized for standard cargo delivery, but future versions could feature semi-pressurized or open modules. This flexibility will enable the transport of large experimental payloads, extravehicular maintenance components like solar array wings, or even expansion segments for the space station.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
