China Launches Cargo Supply to Tiangong Space Station

A new shipment of supplies has been sent to China’s Tiangong space station. Using a Long March 7 rocket, the Tianzhou 9 cargo spacecraft launched from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan island at 5:34 p.m. EDT (2134 GMT) on July 14. It carries approximately 7.2 tons of cargo to support the station’s crew and operations.

The supplies include food, fuel, scientific equipment, and hardware. Notably, the mission delivers two advanced spacesuits with a longer operational lifespan—designed to support up to 20 spacewalks over four years, compared to 15 over three years previously. Additionally, a new core muscle training device is part of the cargo, aimed at helping astronauts mitigate muscle loss caused by microgravity conditions.

Tianzhou 9 is part of China’s ongoing effort to sustain its space station in low Earth orbit. This is the ninth cargo mission in the series, which began with the launch of Tianzhou 1 in April 2017. The earlier Tianzhou missions docked with either Tiangong 2 or the main Tiangong module, launched in April 2021. The Chinese space station, completed in October 2022, is roughly 20% the size of the International Space Station, with plans for further expansion in the future.

These new spacesuits are designed for extended usage, with enhanced durability to support more spacewalks and longer missions, marking a significant upgrade for China’s crewed space activities.