Tianzhou 8 Launches on Resupply Mission
A Long March 7 launches from Wenchang with Tianzhou-8. Credit: CCTV+
On the night of November 15, a Long March 7 rocket lifted off from pad LC-201 of Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in the island of Hainan. On top of the rocket was the Tianzhou 8 cargo spacecraft. Tianzhou 8 was launched in order to resupply China’s Tiangong station and provide supplies for the Shenzhou-19 crew who launched to the orbiting lab on a Long March 2F rocket on October 29.
This mission’s supplies will also support the future Shenzhou-20 crew. Currently onboard the station are taikonauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze. This is Tiangong’s 7th resupply mission, and the 8th flight of a Tianzhou vehicle.
The launch of Tianzhou-8 was delayed due to Super Typhoon Yagi which hit the Hainan province in China.
Typhoon Yagi strikes the Hainan province, where Wenchang is located.
Supplies onboard Tianzhou-8
Onboard the cargo ship, there is a plethora of different supplies and science experiments. These include, but are not limited to:
The lunar soil “brick”
Experiments regarding fruit flies
Gift packages for Chinese holidays (Spring Festival, Mid-Autumn festival, and Dragon Boat Festival)
Birthday packages for the taikonauts
Reproduction of fruit flies in space
Effects of sub-magnetic microgravity on genes
Growth and development potential of human pluripotent stem cells
Development of mammal embryos after implantation
Testing application of high-performance solar panel battery protection
Development of advanced spacecraft components
The lunar soil “brick” experiment was made by scientists to simulate the composition of soil on the Moon. The brick will be subject to the environment of space. Scientists want to know if they could build houses or bases on the Moon using the brick. After being exposed to space, the brick experiment will be returned to Earth by the end of 2025 for further study.
These are the lunar soil bricks launched on Tianzhou-8. Credit: Capital News
All of these experiments weigh around 6,000 kilograms.
Tianzhou docking with Tiangong
At 2:32 AM Beijing time or 1832 UTC, the vessel successfully docked to the space station at the aft port of the Tianhe module. It docked after a very fast 3 hours and 19 minutes after launch. Cai Xuzhe, the onboard crew’s commander, opened the hatch to Tianzhou, and the crew started to unload the supplies brought to them.
Tianzhou-8 docks with Tiangong. Credit: Xinhua
This 3 hour and 19 minutes docking time is extremely fast, but not the fastest. That record would go to Tianzhou-5, which docked with the orbiting station in only 2 hours.
The 3 hour docking mode uses the speed factor from Tianzhou-5’s 2 hour docking mode, but also uses the reliability factor of the older 6.5 hour docking mode for Tianzhou, according to Kang Guohua, a member of the Chinese Society of Astronautics. The 3 hour docking mode adds measurement & control precision and guidance accuracy.
References:
Global Times
CGTN
Xinhua
People’s Daily Online
SpaceNews
