China's Cargo Spacecraft Sets New World Record
The Tianzhou 5 cargo spacecraft launched on November 12th docked with the Tiangong space station around noon, setting a world record for the fastest rendezvous and docking operations between the two spacecraft, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
The Tianzhou 5 was placed into a low-Earth orbit by a Long March 7 rocket that blasted off at 10:03 a.m. at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan Province.
After cargo craft entered the orbit, it traveled two hours and seven minutes to rendezvous (交会对接) with the Tiangong space station and then docked with the massive station at 12:10 p.m., the agency said in a news release.
The maneuvers have become the fastest rendezvous and docking processes for spacecraft, replacing the old record set by the Russian spacecraft Soyuz MS-17 on October 14th, 2020, when it used three hours and three minutes since its liftoff to rendezvous and connect with the International Space Station.
The manned space agency said the fast rendezvous and docking are key to establishing the capability to transport supplies to the space station in an emergency.
The cargo ship is carrying about 5.3 metric tons of materials, including living and mission necessities, scientific equipment as well as a mini experimental satellite. The craft also carries nearly 1.4 tons of propellants for the Tiangong station, the designers said.
