Tianzhou 1

Tianzhou 1

A rendering of Tianzhou 1 (left) docked to Tiangong-2
Mission type	Test flight / Tiangong-2 refueling
Operator	China National Space Administration
COSPAR ID	2017-021A
SATCAT no.	42684
Mission duration	154 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Tianzhou
Manufacturer	China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Launch mass	<13,000 kg (29,000 lb)
Dimensions	9 × 3.35 m (29.5 × 11.0 ft)
Start of mission
Launch date	20 April 2017, 11:41:35 UTC (19:41:35 CST)
Rocket	Long March 7 (Y2)
Launch site	Wenchang, LC-2
Contractor	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
End of mission
Disposal	Deorbited
Destroyed	22 September 2017
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude	369.65 km (229.69 mi)
Apogee altitude	378.4 km (235.1 mi)
Inclination	42.79°
Docking with Tiangong-2
Docking date	22 April 2017, 04:23 UTC
Undocking date	19 June 2017, 01:37 UTC
Time docked	57 days, 21 hours, 14 minutes
Docking with Tiangong-2 (test)
Docking date	19 June 2017, 06:55 UTC
Undocking date	21 June 2017, 01:16 UTC
Time docked	1 day, 18 hours, 21 minutes
Docking with Tiangong-2 (test)
Docking date	12 September 2017, 15:58 UTC
Undocking date	17 September 2017, 08:15 UTC
Time docked	4 days, 16 hours, 17 minutes
Tianzhou program

Tianzhou 1 (Chinese: 天舟一号) was the debut mission of the Tianzhou-class uncrewed cargo spacecraft. It was developed as part of the crewed space program of China. Tianzhou means "heavenly vessel" in Chinese. On 20 April 2017, Tianzhou 1 was launched by rocket Long March 7 at China Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site. It successfully docked with the Tiangong-2 space laboratory on 22 April 2017 at 12:16 (UTC+8). Tianzhou 1 was deorbited on 22 September 2017. It plunged into Earth's atmosphere and burned up after a set of braking maneuvers under ground control.

Spacecraft

Main article: Tianzhou (spacecraft)

It used the first flight model of the Tianzhou. It is a Chinese automated cargo spacecraft developed from the Tiangong-1 to resupply its future modular space station.

Launch

Tianzhou 1 launched successfully on 20 April 2017 at 7:41 pm local time, from the Wenchang space center. This marked the second time a Long March 7 had been used and the first time for a mission. Tianzhou-1 became the heaviest Chinese spacecraft ever launched, at that time.

Mission

This mission demonstrated the Tianzhou spacecraft and its capabilities. It critically demonstrated propellant transfer for the Chinese space station, the last big hurdle for long-duration expeditions. On April 22, 2017, Tianzhou 1 successfully docked with Tiangong 2 marking the first successful docking of a cargo vessel, and refuelling, with the orbiting space laboratory. It subsequently performed a second docking and refueling on June 15, 2017. After it coupled with Tiangong 2 for a period of 60 days, it decoupled and separated from the space laboratory and completed a three-month period of free flight at around 390 kilometres above the Earth, separately carrying out a range of science experiments. On September 12, 2017, Tianzhou 1 performed the third and final docking and refuel with Tiangong 2, with what is termed a fast docking which took 6.5 hours to complete. Previously the rendezvous and docking process took around two days, or 30 orbits.

External links

• Media related to Tianzhou-1 at Wikimedia Commons