China on Monday morning successfully launched the cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-10 from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site to deliver supplies to its orbiting Tiangong space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
The Long March-7 carrier rocket, carrying Tianzhou-10, lifted off at 8:14 a.m. (Beijing Time) from Wenchang in south China’s Hainan Province, the agency said.
Around 10 minutes after liftoff, the Tianzhou-10 separated from the rocket and entered its planned orbit, after which its solar panels were deployed. The agency confirmed that the launch was a complete success.
The cargo spacecraft is scheduled to later carry out rendezvous and docking operations with the space station complex.
Tianzhou-10 is carrying essential supplies, including one extravehicular spacesuit, crew consumables for on-orbit living, propellant, and payloads for scientific experiments.
According to the agency, the mission marks the fifth cargo resupply flight of China’s manned space programme since the space station entered its application and development phase. It is also the 641st mission of the Long March rocket series.
