China will launch the first cargo spacecraft in April

The Chinese manned aerospace agency (CMSA) said on February 13 that the country is planning to launch its first cargo spacecraft with Y2-7 Y2 boosters in April.

This vessel can also connect to Thien Cung-2 station and refuel.

The reporter quoted the CMSA as saying that the cargo ship, named Thien Chu-1 on Feb. 5, left Tianjin port city in northern China, and on February 13 came to the Security Center. Wen Xuong in Hainan Province to conduct assembly and testing.

Thien Chu-1 has a takeoff weight of 13 tons, carries up to 6 tons of cargo and can stay in space for 3 months.

The vessel can also connect to Thien Cung-2 station and refuel to conduct other tests.

According to CMSA, Truong Chinh-7 Y2 boosters are expected to arrive at Van Xuong Satellite Launch Center in March 2017.

The launch of Thien Chu-1 will be an important step for China in the construction of the space station before 2020 by the cargo spacecraft designed to transport necessities to astronauts working on this station. .