BEIJING, (MILLAT ONLINE/APP/Xinhua): China’s first cargo spacecraft
Tianzhou-1 is to be launched into space between April 20 and 24, according to the office of China’s manned space program.
The cargo spacecraft was transferred with a Long March-7 Y2 carrier
rocket from the testing center to the launch zone in Wenchang, southern China’s Hainan Province, according to a statement from the office Monday.
The transfer took 2.5 hours.
“The completion of the transfer signals the Tianzhou-1 mission has
entered its launching stage,” the statement said.
Technicians have performed several tests during the assembling of the
spacecraft and rocket since February.
In the following days, technicians will continue testing the spacecraft
and rocket, and inject fuel before the launch, it said.
Tianzhou-1 is the first cargo ship independently developed by the
country.It is expected to dock with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab and conduct in-orbit refueling.
The cargo spacecraft will also carry out space experiments, including
one on non-Newtonian gravitation, before falling back to earth.