Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft mounted on a Long March 7 carrier rocket blasts off on the evening of May 10, 2023. Photo: Fan Wei/GT

According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft completed its status configuration on Thursday morning after entering orbit and docking with the aft port of the Tianhe core module of China Space Station.

The Shenzhou-15 taikonauts onboard the space station will enter the cargo craft and transfer the payloads as scheduled. 

China successfully launched the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft into designated orbit on Wednesday, achieving a key victory through the first launch mission to the China Space Station since the space outpost with Chinese crew members entered a normal operation and development phase at the end of 2022.

 On Wednesday evening, at the Wenchang Space Launch Site, dozens of student representatives from all over the country witnessed the exciting moment of Tianzhou-6's launch. 

On the viewing platform, many students in attendance loudly cheered and were visibly excited by the spectacular sight of the rocket lifting off. It was an emotional moment for the students who proudly waved the Chinese national flag, and they had a glimpse of the future on the shores of the South China Sea.

At the same time, the Tianzhou-6 spacecraft transported supplies for astronauts, science payloads, and propellant for the space station

As a ground logistics supply spacecraft for the space station, the Tianzhou cargo spacecrafts adopt a spectrum-based scheme with three types of designs of fully sealed, semi-sealed, and fully open cargo spacecrafts to meet different cargo transportation needs. 

Starting with the Tianzhou-6, the technical team has systematically upgraded the cargo spacecraft to meet the needs of subsequent missions, such as significantly improving the cargo compartment and greatly enhancing the cargo transportation capacity of the sealed compartment. 

The launcher's developer, the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), under the state-owned space giant China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), told the Global Times that the cargo spacecraft system expands the fully sealed cargo spacecraft into two types: A standard type with eight storage boxes and an enhanced type with four storage boxes, which can be selected according to refueling requirements on the space station. 

The improved fully sealed cargo spacecraft increases the cargo loading capacity of the sealed cabin, providing astronauts with supplies that can sustain them for longer periods of time. This reduces the launch frequency of the cargo spacecraft from four launches in two years to three launches in two years, effectively improving the overall efficiency of the space station.

Dong Shengran, chief designer of the cargo spacecraft system at the CAST, told the Global Times that the cargo loading capacity of Tianzhou-6 has significantly increased, at a current mass of seven tons. 

"As an improved fully-sealed cargo spacecraft, the Tianzhou-6 is also the world's largest active cargo spacecraft in terms of cargo transportation capacity and cargo-to-weight ratio," Dong said. 

Moreover, the Tianzhou-6 has the holding and transportation capacity of up to 98 pieces of payload and experiment materials weighing some 714 kilograms, the Global Times learnt from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft completes its status configuration on May 11, 2023. Photo: VCG

Student representatives witness the spectacular take-off of the Long March 7 rocket at Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan Province on May 10, 2023. Photo: Fan Wei/GT

The Long March 7 carrier rocket makes final preparations inside the rocket assembly and test building in Hainan Province. Photo: Fan Wei/GT

The Tianzhou-6 spacecraft is transferred onto the launch pad on May 7, 2023 in Hainan Province. Photo: VCG 

Scientists and engineers make preparations for the launch of Tianzhou-6 craft on May 9, 2023. Photo: VCG