Country of origin China Derived from Tiangong-1 | Applications Tiangong-2 resupply | |
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Spacecraft type Automated cargo spacecraft Launch mass Up to 13,500 kg (29,800 lb) Payload capacity Up to 6,500 kg (14,300 lb) Dimensions 9 m × 3.35 m (29.5 ft × 11.0 ft) Operator China National Space Administration Similar Tiangong‑2, Tiangong‑1, Chang'e 2, Chinese large mo, Shenzhou | ||
The Tianzhou (Chinese: 天舟; pinyin: Tiān Zhōu; literally: "Heavenly Ship") is a Chinese automated cargo spacecraft developed from the Tiangong-1 to resupply its future modular space station. It is expected to launch on the Long March 7 from Wenchang. It is scheduled to make its inaugural flight in 2017 to demonstrate autonomous propellant transfer.
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Function
It will function as the main cargo transportation for the Chinese space station. It will have pressurized, semi-pressurized and unpressurized cargo capabilities. It shall be able to transport airtight cargo, large extravehicular payloads and experiment platforms. It is to be launched by a CZ-7 from the Hainan Space Launch Site.
Name
The China Manned Space Engineering Office opened a consultation for the naming of the prospective cargo ship on April 25, 2011. By May 20, it had received more than 50,000 suggestions. On July 8 Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut and deputy director of the Chinese Academy of Sciences revealed that they had a short list of ten names. On October 31, 2013, it was revealed that they spacecraft had been named Tianzhou (Chinese: 天舟; pinyin: Tiān Zhōu; literally: "Heavenly Boat"), a portmanteau of the Chinese names of the Tiangong (Chinese: 天宫; pinyin: Tiān Gōng) space stations and the Shenzhou (Chinese: 神舟; pinyin: Shén Zhōu) spacecraft. They also stated that they would use the two letter identification TZ.
