天和号核心舱
The Long March 7 rocket is planned to launch the roughly 13.5-metric-ton Tianzhou-4 cargo vessel next month to the Tianhe space station core module.
Tianzhou-4 will launch to Tianhe ahead of a new crew aboard Shenzhou-14, with Shenzhou-14 expected to launch around mid-to-late May.
Tianzhou-2 completed automated rendezvous and docking with Tianhe just over eight hours after its 2021-05-29 launch.
Shenzhou-14 will deliver a three-person crew to the Tianhe core module in 2022.
CASC plans to launch the Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft on a Long March 7 from Wenchang to dock with the Tianhe core module around March or 2022-04-01.
CASC launched the Tianhe core module of China’s space station in April 2021, and the module subsequently received two Tianzhou cargo spacecraft and two Shenzhou crewed missions.
Jonathan McDowell identified Tianhe orbit adjustments at about 0950 UTC on 2021-07-01 and 0316 UTC on 2021-10-21.
Tianhe launched in April 2021 as the first of three modules to form the Tiangong space station.
China submitted a notification dated 2021-12-06 under Article V of the Outer Space Treaty stating the Tianhe space station module conducted preventive collision avoidance on 2021-07-01 and 2021-10-21.
The Shenzhou-13 astronauts delivered a live science lecture from Tianhe on 2021-12-09 that provided a tour of Tianhe and demonstrated phenomena in microgravity.
China plans tests next year involving a Tianzhou cargo spacecraft currently docked with Tianhe and plans to launch two new modules designed to host science research.
The Tianhe core module has a mass of 22,500 kg and launched in late April 2021 as the first of three planned modules for the Chinese space station.
Tianzhou-2 will be used to test Tianhe’s robotic arm’s ability to manipulate future modules and transfer them from the forward to lateral docking ports.
China’s next launch after the 2021-10-14 mission was the Shenzhou-13 crewed mission to the Tianhe core module scheduled for 12:23 Eastern on 2021-10-15.
Tianzhou-3 completed automated rapid rendezvous and docking maneuvers with Tianhe at 10:08 p.m. Eastern on the day of launch.
Tianhe, the station’s 22.5-ton first module, launched on 2021-04-28 and is currently in a 386 by 380-kilometer orbit inclined by 41.5 degrees.
The Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft launched in May 2021 to deliver supplies, EVA suits, experiments, and propellant to the Tianhe core module ahead of Shenzhou-12.
Tianzhou-2 is planned to undock from the Tianhe aft port, dock with the forward docking port to test microgravity propellant transfer, and then be deorbited over the South Pacific.
Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming, and Tang Hongbo completed a 90-day stay aboard the Tianhe core module from 2021-06-17 to 2021-09-15.
Tianzhou-3 will provide supplies and other equipment for a six-month visit to Tianhe by the Shenzhou-13 crew.