The Chinese mainland marked another milestone in space exploration on Friday as a Long March-7 Y9 carrier rocket successfully launched the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the south of Hainan province.
The Long March-7 Y9 is the latest generation of China's medium-sized carrier rockets, renowned for its high reliability, safety, and environmentally friendly technology. Standing at 53.1 meters tall with a diameter of 3.35 meters, the rocket is equipped with four boosters, allowing it to deliver a payload of 14 tonnes to low Earth orbit. This precision ensures the Tianzhou-8 can accurately dock with the Chinese space station.
Tianzhou-8 represents a significant upgrade to the cargo spaceship series, designed to support the construction and operation of China's space station. The spacecraft, measuring 10.6 meters in length and 3.35 meters in diameter, is tasked with transporting approximately 6 tonnes of supplies. These include daily essentials for the Shenzhou-19 and Shenzhou-20 astronaut crews, scientific experiment materials, environmental control consumables, and personalized gifts for the astronauts.
In addition to essential supplies, Tianzhou-8 is carrying 458 kilograms of scientific application materials to support 36 experiments in biotechnology, materials science, and microgravity fluid physics. One of the mission's highlights is the transport of \"lunar soil bricks,\" crafted from materials that simulate lunar soil. These bricks will undergo exposure experiments to test their mechanical, thermal, and radiation resistance, providing valuable data for future lunar base construction and deep-space missions.
The successful launch of Tianzhou-8 not only showcases the advancements in China's space technology but also reinforces the nation's commitment to expanding its presence in space exploration and sustainable space station operations.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
