Tianzhou 7 (Chinese: 天舟七号) was 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.
 A Tianzhou 3D model | |
| Mission type | Tiangong space station resupply |
|---|---|
| Operator | CNSA |
| COSPAR ID | 2024-013A |
| SATCAT no. | 58811 |
| Mission duration | 304 days, 22 hours, 58 minutes |
| 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) |
| 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 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Deorbited |
| Decay date | 17 November 2024, 13:25 UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 41.5° |
| Docking with Tiangong space station | |
| Docking port | Tianhe aft |
| Docking date | 17 January 2024, 17:46 UTC |
| Undocking date | 10 November 2024, 08:30 UTC |
| Time docked | 297 days, 14 hours, 44 minutes |
 Tianzhou 7 mission patch | |
Mission history
editOn 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]
Tianzhou 7 undocked from Tiangong on 10 November 2024 at 08:30 UTC. While in free flight, the ship ejected a 6U CubeSat. It was deorbited over the Pacific Ocean on 17 November, beginning to burn up as it reentered the atmosphere at 13:25 UTC near Vanuatu.[6]
Spacecraft
editReferences
edit- ^ "Tianzhou 7". Next Spaceflight. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024.
- ^ Honge, Mo (20 November 2023). "China's Tianzhou-7 cargo spacecraft transported to launch site, mission logo revealed". Ecns.cn. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Rocket arrives at launch site for Tianzhou-7 cargo mission". The State Council of the People's Republic of China. 21 December 2023. Archived from the original on 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Long March 7 | Tianzhou 7". nextspaceflight.com. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
- ^ "China's cargo craft Tianzhou-7 docks with space station combination". The State Council of the People's Republic of China. 18 January 2024. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan (18 November 2024). "Jonathan's Space Report No. 839". planet4589.org. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
