PEKIN, 12 Nov. (DPA/EP) –
The China Space Agency on Saturday sent another spacecraft with supplies for its new space station, which will be independent of the International Space Station.
A ‘Long March 7’ rocket carrying the ‘Tianzhou 5’ (Heavenly Ship) cargo ship took off this Saturday from the Wenchang spaceport on the southern Chinese island of Hainan, successfully docking with the recently completed ‘Tiangong’ (Palace of Heaven) two hours later, the space program reported and the DPA agency collected.
The cargo flight is part of preparations for a step forward in China’s space program, which is its first crew change in space.
Three more astronauts — called taikonauts in China — are expected to follow later this month and live with fellow astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe on the newly completed space station.
The current crew is scheduled to return to Earth in December. ‘Tianzhou 5’ is the 10th construction and supply mission of the Chinese space station.
Tiangong underpins China’s ambitions to become a space power and catch up with the leading space nations, the United States and Russia.
