China today (January 19) deorbited its robotic transport spacecraft Tianzhou 6 after completing its mission to serve the country’s space station.
The 35-foot (10.6-meter) Tenshu 6 probably re-entered the South Pacific ocean. frequently used Countries announce deorbiting of spacecraft due to remote locations — Today at 7:37 a.m. ET (12:37 GMT, 8:37 p.m. Beijing Time), China’s Manned Space Flight Agency announced.
On Thursday (January 18), Tianzhou-6 unveiled Dalian-1, a small satellite developed by Dalian University of Technology. The spacecraft has remote sensing capabilities and is equipped with a solar sail. according to To university.
Related: China’s space station, Tiangong: The complete guide
Tenshu 6 launched May 10, 2023, atop the Long March 7 rocket transporting supplies, propellant, experiments and other cargo to China Amamiya Space Station.
This was the fifth cargo transport mission to Tiangong, and the first to involve an improved version of the Tianghu freighter. The new spacecraft can accommodate approximately 1,100 pounds (500 kg) more payload than previous spacecraft.
China launches latest cargo supply mission, Tenshu 7, Wednesday (January 17). Tenshu 6 undocked from Tiangong a week ago in preparation for the arrival of Tenshu 7.
Tianshu 7 delivered supplies to the ongoing manned mission of Shenzhou 17, among others. This year, China will launch two manned missions to Tiangong (Shenzhou 18 and 19) and another Tianzhou resupply mission, scheduled to fly around August.
China plans to launch a Tianzhou probe every eight months as part of its plan to maintain continuous occupation of Tiangong for at least 10 years.