Synopsis
Here is a summary of the key points about the research and development of the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft:
- The Tianzhou cargo spacecraft (TZ) was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology to support China’s manned space station program. It is an automated cargo spacecraft designed to transport supplies to the Tiangong space station.
- The conceptual design of TZ started in 2010 and preliminary design in late 2011. The first Tianzhou spacecraft, TZ-1, was launched in April 2017.
- TZ is about 10.6 meters long and 3.35 meters in diameter, with a launch mass of 13,500 kg and cargo capacity of 6,500 kg. It consists of a pressurized cargo module and unpressurized propulsion module.
- Key technologies developed for TZ include autonomous rendezvous and docking, cargo transportation, propellant transfer, and integrated propulsion/cargo modules. TZ can dock with the space station in 6.5 hours.
- TZ-1 conducted China’s first in-orbit propellant transfer tests in 2017, laying the foundation for space station assembly and operations.
- TZ-2 launched in May 2021 carried out the first Tianzhou cargo mission to the Tiangong space station. TZ-3 launched in September 2021 began routine cargo transport missions.
- Compared to other cargo vehicles like Progress, ATV, HTV, Cygnus and Dragon, TZ has high cargo efficiency but currently lacks return/reuse capabilities.
- Future improvements planned for TZ include lower-cost variants, larger cargo modules, reusable variants, and increased rideshare capabilities.
In summary, the Tianzhou program has successfully developed China’s first dedicated cargo spacecraft to enable the Tiangong space station logistics. Multiple Tianzhou missions have demonstrated core capabilities like autonomous docking, cargo transfer and propellant resupply.
