On September 20 at 07:00 UTC, a Chinese Long March 7 launched the Tianzhou 3 resupply spacecraft to Tianhe, the first module of the new Chinese space station, from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island.

Wenchang is the first Chinese launch site by the ocean. Normally, China launches rockets from complexes further inland and away from the ocean, where the lower stages of the rockets can impact the ground instead of water. This sometimes means that rocket parts fall on highways or villages, causing a lot of damage. In the last few years, they seem to have started work on decreasing the risk of damage to infrastructure and humans by trying methods such as parachutes and grid fins to control where the discarded stages land, aiming for smaller, unoccupied areas. Currently, only the Long March 5 and 7 rockets are able to launch from this coastal launch complex.

So, how does this mission help prepare for China’s next crewed venture to space? Tianzhou 3 brought supplies necessary for the upcoming 180-day flight of Shenzhou 13, which is currently expected to launch in mid-October. In all, it delivered 5.6 metric tons of supplies, including a third spacesuit, consumables such as food and pressurized canisters of oxygen, emergency supplies for use by the crew in the event that they need to stay more than 180 days, propellant for the station, and experiments.

Compared to Tianzhou 2, Tianzhou 3 carries more cargo thanks to denser packages and increased packing efficiency. Because of these improvements, only one resupply spacecraft will be needed for Shenzhou 13’s six-month mission.

As is typical for high-profile events, the launch was covered live but with a time delay on state television. The docking six and a half hours later was also covered on state television.

Before Tianzhou 3 could dock to Tianhe, a bit of rearranging needed to happen. One of Tianzhou 3’s missions is refueling the station, and the engines and fuel tanks are at the back of the station. Tianzhou 2 was in the way so it had to be undocked and moved from the back port of the station to the front port of the station. This bit of musical chairs leaves a Tianzhou at both ends of the station.

More Information

CASC launch press release (Chinese)

Out of the box! Let’s see what Tianzhou III brought to the sky (Xinhuanet) (Chinese)

CASC docking press release (Chinese)

Launch video

Docking video