奇速英语

中国首艘货运飞船天舟1号发射

China launched its first cargo spacecraft at 7:41 pm on Wednesday on a mission to test technology designed for the nation’s planned manned space station.

Tianzhou-1, the largest and heaviest spacecraft ever built by China, was on the top of a Long March 7 carrier rocket that blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan Province. According to the China Manned Space Agency, after entering an orbit about 380 kilometers above the Earth, Tianzhou-1 will conduct three autonomous dockings with the Tiangong II space laboratory to supply fuel and other items. This mission will allow scientists to test in-orbit resupply technology, which is important to run a manned space station. Tianzhou-1 will remain in space for about five months, spending two months with Tiangong II and three months in a separate orbit.

If the mission goes to plan, it will make China the second nation to successfully conduct in-orbit refueling, following Russia. The cargo vessel, developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, is 10.6 meters long and has a diameter of 3.35 meters. Its maximum takeoff weight is 13500 kilos and it can carry up to 6500 kilos of supplies. China's largest and heaviest spacecraft before Tianzhou-1 was Tiangong II, which is 10.4 meters long, has a diameter of 3.35 meters and weighs 8600 kilos. Tianzhou-1's 6500-kilo payload capacity also makes it the world's most capable cargo spacecraft in service: Japan's H-II Transfer Vehicle has 6000 kilos of payload capacity; the Cygnus and Dragon, both US-made craft, have 3500 kilos and 3300 kilos respectively; and Russia's Progress-MS has 2200 kilos.

In the future, the Tianzhou series will be tasked with transporting supplies of fuel and other necessities to China's manned space station. Construction of the station will begin next year, and it is expected to enter service by around 2022.