China has launched a new resupply mission to its module and the astronauts and space station to which it is connected in orbit above the Earth, sending food, fuel, scientific gear, and updated spacesuits. The Long March 7 rocket, taking it aloft, took off from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Centre on Hainan Island at 5:34 p.m. EDT July 14 (5:34 a.m. China Standard Time July 15), carrying the Tianzhou 9 cargo spacecraft. The vehicle is carrying about 7.2 tons (6.5 metric tons) of supplies to support the three taikonauts currently on the station for the ongoing Shenzhou 20 crewed mission.
China Enhances Tiangong Station with New Spacesuits and Fitness Gear in Tianzhou 9 Mission
As per a report by China Global Television Network (CGTN), the cargo includes two new spacesuits that should last three to four years and allow for up to 20 spacewalks, rather than 15 for the old generation. Also along for the ride is a core muscle training device meant to boost the station’s gym for astronauts with better tools to fight muscle atrophy in microgravity conditions. The report emphasised that these improvements are key to ensuring crew health during long-duration missions.
Tianzhou 9 marks the ninth cargo launch China has executed for its human spaceflight program since 2017. The first such spacecraft docked with Tiangong 2, a prototype lab that tested critical technologies ahead of the current space station’s development. Subsequent missions have supplied either the fully assembled Tiangong station or its core module, Tianhe, which was launched in April 2021.
Launched in October 2022, the Tiangong space station, a 3-module space station, is a significant step in China’s independent space ambitions. And while its mass is but 20 percent of what the International Space Station allotted to its construction, Chinese officials have signalled plans for growing the outpost, possibly boosting its stature in low Earth orbit activities worldwide.
Cargo deliveries like Tianzhou 9 are essential to keeping Tiangong in business and the Chinese space program’s long-term human presence in space running. Thanks to improvements in equipment, preparations, and life support, the nation looks prepared to further cement its place in orbital science and discovery.
