China launches Tianzhou-9 cargo ship to Space Station

By Alimat Aliyeva

China has successfully launched the Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft, which will deliver food, equipment, and other essential supplies to astronauts aboard the Chinese space station, Azernews reports.

The launch took place at 05:34 Beijing time, using a CZ-7 rocket from the Wenchang Cosmodrome, located on the east coast of Hainan province in southern China.

Guo Zhonglai, a representative from the Xichang Space Launch Center—which oversees operations at the Hainan Star Harbor—confirmed the success of the launch: "Tianzhou-9 has reached its designated orbit, the solar panels have deployed, and the spacecraft is operating normally."

Currently, three taikonauts from the Shenzhou-20 mission are aboard the station: Chen Dong (crew commander), Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie, who arrived in orbit on April 25. Tianzhou-9 will deliver approximately 6.5 tons of cargo to the station, including new spacesuits, muscle training equipment, and scientific instruments for experiments in space medicine and other fields.

The CZ-7 is a modern two-stage liquid-fueled rocket with a fairing diameter of 4.2 meters and a length of 53 meters. It can deliver up to 14 tons to low Earth orbit (and about 5.5 tons to geostationary orbit). This mission marks the CZ-7’s 20th flight overall and its third in 2025.

Interesting fact: The Tianzhou cargo ships are designed to autonomously dock with the space station, showcasing China’s advanced capabilities in automated space rendezvous—a technology crucial for future deep-space exploration missions.