Tianzhou-1 Cargo Spaceship is a cargo spaceship developed by China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), the fifth academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group (CAST), and is China's first cargo spaceship. Tianzhou-1 has the functions of rendezvous and docking with the Tiangong-2 space laboratory, implementing on-orbit replenishment of propellants, and carrying out space science experiments and technology tests.
The Tianzhou-1 mission, on the other hand, serves as the finale of China's space lab mission.? Tianzhou 1 is a fully sealed cargo spacecraft, adopting a two-compartment configuration, consisting of a cargo module and a propulsion module.
The Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft was successfully launched at 19:41:35 on April 20, 2017, by the Long March 7 Remote 2 Launch Vehicle at the Wenchang Space Launch Center,? and successfully completed the first propellant in-orbit replenishment test with Tiangong-2 on April 27, marking a complete success of the Tianzhou-1 mission.
Mission
The Tiangong-2 space lab was launched on Sept. 15, 2016, by the Long March 2F Improved Launch Vehicle (Tian-2) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
China's newly-developed first cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou-1, was successfully launched at 19:41 on April 20, 2017, from the Wenchang Space Launch Complex using a new-generation Long March 7 carrier rocket. The cargo spacecraft has a low-Earth orbit (LEO) carrying capacity of about 6.5 tons or so. It carried out its first unmanned rendezvous and docking with the Tiangong-2 space laboratory at 12:16 p.m. on April 22nd.
After the success of automatic rendezvous and docking with Tiangong-2, replenishment of propellant for the space lab. at about 7 a.m. on April 23, 2017, the replenishment test began, which will last for five days.
At 19:07 on April 27, the successful completion of the first propellant in-orbit replenishment test is the finale of the manned space engineering space laboratory mission, for the smooth implementation of the subsequent tasks of the space station project is of great significance, and achieve a complete success marking the successful completion of the second step of China's manned space engineering, and also formally announced that China's aerospace into the "Tiangong space station era".
Expanded information:
I. Construction
Tianzhou-1 Cargo Spaceship Construction Based on the Tiangong-1 target vehicle, the Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft consists of a large-diameter cargo module and a small-diameter propulsion module. The cargo module is used for loading cargo, while the propulsion module provides power and electricity for the whole spacecraft. Each side of the propulsion module has a wing of solar sail panels three panels.
Tianzhou 1 is designed to resupply the Tiangong-2 space lab with propellant, air, astronauts' drinks, food and replacement equipment for maintenance of the space station to extend the operational life of the space lab and the station.
Tianzhou-1 has an overall length of 10.6 meters, a maximum cabin diameter of 3.35 meters, a maximum width of 14.9 meters after the solar sail panels are unfolded, a takeoff weight of about 13 tons, a material uplink capacity of about 6 tons, and a propellant replenishment capacity of about 2 tons. The cargo spacecraft will carry out automatic rendezvous and docking with the space laboratory or space station after launch. It will automatically replenish propellant as well as air for the space laboratory or space station.
Second, the background of development
After the completion of the Shenzhou 10 mission, China's manned spaceflight project has entered the development phase of the space laboratory. In the space lab stage, key technologies such as propellant replenishment technology and regenerative ring-control bio-insurance technology will be broken through and verified, laying the foundation for the construction of the space station.
On September 15, 2016, the Tiangong-2 space lab was successfully launched , which will be used to further verify space rendezvous and docking technology and a series of space tests, marking China's full entry into the implementation phase of the space lab mission. In order to support the long-term stay of astronauts and space science experiments in the future space station, cargo resupply is needed through cargo spacecraft.
If a manned spacecraft is a manned vehicle for traveling between heaven and earth, then a cargo spacecraft is a vehicle for transporting goods between heaven and earth. China's Tianzhou 1 cargo spacecraft based on the Shenzhou spacecraft and Tiangong 1 technology research and development, only transport goods do not transport, cargo capacity will be 2.6 times the Russian Progress M-type unmanned cargo spacecraft, in function, performance are at the international advanced level.
Three, capacity
1, capacity indicators comparison
The near-Earth orbit uplink capacity of Tianzhou 1 cargo spacecraft is about 6.5 tons, of which the propellant replenishment capacity is about 2 tons. The Tianzhou-1 cargo capacity is higher than that of the Progress M developed by the Russian Federal Space Agency (2.5 tons) and the H-II carrier spacecraft of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) (6.0 tons), and lower than that of the European Space Agency's Autonomous Carrier Spacecraft (7.6 tons).
Downlink capacity is about 6.0 tons or so. The load ratio, which is the ratio of the mass of the cargo carried to the mass of the cargo spacecraft's hull itself, is as high as 48 percent for the Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft, which is higher than that of the Japanese and European cargo spacecraft.
2. Actual Cargo Carrying
Tianzhou 1 carries about 6 tons of cargo and propellant, with more than 100 cargo packages of various sizes. The cargo includes food, drinking water, air, structural parts of space suits, clothing, medical supplies and other consumable materials needed for astronauts' on-orbit life, as well as various kinds of complicated scientific research facilities and equipment, and backup of space station maintenance and spare parts, etc.
The actual cargo on board is about 6 tons of cargo and propellant.
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