Mission type | Tiangong space station resupply |
---|---|
Operator | CNSA |
COSPAR ID | 2024-013A |
SATCAT no. | 58811 |
Website |
www |
Mission duration | 99 days, 21 hours and 42 minutes (in progress) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Tianzhou-7 |
Spacecraft type | Tianzhou |
Manufacturer | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation |
Launch mass | 14,000 kg (31,000 lb) |
Payload mass | 7,400 kg (16,300 lb) |
Dimensions | 10.6 m × 3.35 m (34.8 ft × 11.0 ft) |
Power | 2 |
Expedition | |
Space station | Tiangong space station |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 17 January 2024, 14:27 UTC [1] |
Rocket | Long March 7 |
Launch site | Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, LC-201 |
Contractor | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Inclination | 41.5° |
Docking with Tiangong space station | |
Docking port | Tianhe Aft port |
Docking date | 17 January 2024, 17:46 UTC |
Time docked | 99 days, 18 hours and 23 minutes |
Tianzhou 7 mission patch |
Tianzhou 7 ( Chinese: 天 舟 七 号) is the seventh mission of the Tianzhou-class uncrewed cargo spacecraft, and the sixth resupply mission to the Tiangong Space Station. Like previous Tianzhou missions, the spacecraft was launched from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in Hainan, China on a Long March 7 rocket.
On 20 November 2023, CMSA announced that Tianzhou 7 had completed manufacturing, and was delivered to Wenchang. [2]
On 21 December 2023, Long March 7 Y8, the launch vehicle for this mission, arrived at Wenchang Space Launch Site. It started to conduct stacking and tests with the already arrived Tianzhou 7. [3]
On 17 January 2024 at 14:27 UTC, Long March 7 Y8 successfully lifted off from Wenchang SLS's LC-201, propelling Tianzhou 7 towards the Tiangong Station. [4] The spacecraft docked successfully with Tiangong some three hours later at 17:46 UTC. [5]