Tianzhou 3
 A 1:144 scale paper model of a Tianzhou spacecraft | |
| Mission type | Tiangong space station resupply |
|---|---|
| Operator | China National Space Administration |
| COSPAR ID | 2021-085A |
| SATCAT no. | 49222 |
| Mission duration | 309 days, 20 hours and 20 minutes |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Tianzhou |
| Manufacturer | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation |
| Dry mass | 6,640 kg (14,640 lb) |
| Dimensions | 10.6 × 3.35 m (34.8 × 11.0 ft) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 20 September 2021, 07:10:11 UTC (15:10:11 CST) |
| Rocket | Long March 7 (Y4) |
| Launch site | Wenchang, LC-201 |
| Contractor | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Deorbited |
| Destroyed | 27 July 2022, 03:31 UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 330 km (210 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 340 km (210 mi) |
| Inclination | 41.4° |
| Docking with Tiangong space station | |
| Docking port | Tianhe aft |
| Docking date | 20 September 2021, 14:08 UTC[1] |
| Undocking date | 19 April 2022, 21:02 UTC |
| Time docked | 211 days, 6 hours and 54 minutes |
| Docking with Tiangong space station (relocation) | |
| Docking port | Tianhe forward |
| Docking date | 20 April 2022, 01:06 UTC |
| Undocking date | 17 July 2022, 02:59 UTC[2] |
| Time docked | 88 days, 1 hour and 53 minutes |
 Mission insignia | |
Tianzhou 3 (Chinese: 天舟三号) was a mission of the Tianzhou-class uncrewed cargo spacecraft, launched on 20 September 2021, at 07:10:11 UTC.[1] Like previous Tianzhou missions, the spacecraft was launched from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in Hainan, China on a Long March 7 launch vehicle.
Tianzhou 3 was the second cargo resupply mission to the Tianhe core module (TCM) of the under-construction Tiangong space station, carrying over six tons of supplies. The spacecraft successfully docked at the TCM's aft port seven hours after launch at 14:08 UTC.
On 20 April 2022, Tianzhou 3 successfully relocated itself from Tianhe's aft port to the forward port to make the aft port available for docking by Tianzhou 4.[3] On 17 July it was undocked for deorbiting, making way for the installation of the Wentian module.[2] It reentered the Earth's atmosphere and burned up as planned on 27 July 2022.[4]
Spacecraft
[edit]The Tianzhou cargo ship has several notable differences with the Tiangong stations from which it is derived. It has only three segments of solar panels (against 4 for Tiangong), but has 4 maneuvering engines (against 2).[5]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Jones, Andrew (20 September 2021). "Tianzhou-3 spacecraft docks with Chinese space station". SpaceNews. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- 1 2 Jones, Andrew (19 July 2022). "Tianzhou 3 cargo ship undocks from China's Tiangong space station". Space.com. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ↑ "Tianzhou-3 docks with Tianhe's front docking port". Xinhua. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ↑ "China's Tianzhou-3 cargo craft re-enters atmosphere under control". Xinhua. 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ↑ "Tianzhou 3". Next Spaceflight. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
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