Tianzhou (spacecraft)
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| Country of origin | China |
|---|---|
| Operator | CNSA |
| Applications | Tiangong-2 resupply |
| Specifications | |
| 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) |
| Volume | 15 m3 (530 cu ft) |
| Production | |
| Status | In Development |
| Related spacecraft | |
| Derived from | Tiangong-1 |
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.
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.
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.
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Wikipedia