BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th September, 2021) The Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft, which docked with the Chinese orbital station on September 20, brought not only food, equipment and water for the future crew, but also New Year's gifts and cosmetics for female astronauts, assistant to the chief engineer of the spacecraft Fang Fang said.
The launch of the Long March-7 carrier rocket with the Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft took place on Monday at 15:10 local time (10:10 GMT) at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China, and seven hours later the cargo spacecraft successfully docked with the core module of the Tiangong space station. While there is no one at the station yet, the Shenzhou 12 crew spent three months at the station and returned to earth on September 17, and the Shenzhou 13 crew will leave for Tiangong in early October.
Tianzhou-3 is to provide cargo for the Shenzhou 13 crew, which will be staying at the space station for six months. The Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft, with a total length of 10.6 meters (35 feet) and a maximum diameter of 3.35 meters, has the same structure as the Tianzhou-1 and Tianzhou-2, but its interior is significantly optimized as it had to deliver much more cargo to the station to ensure the life of the astronauts than its predecessor, Fang told Central China Television.
The previous crew stayed at the station for 90 days, while the next one must spend at least 180 days there, so that the food, water and basic necessities are three times that of Tianzhou-2. Among other things, the cargo included clothing, hygiene products and cosmetics for women. The cargo spacecraft also brought gifts and supplies for the Chinese New Year, which falls on February 1, 2022, the assistant to the chief engineer said.
The composition of the crew has not yet been officially announced, but the Chinese media report that in October the experienced Zhai Zhigang will leave for the station, who in September 2008 became the first Chinese to be sent to the open space. The crew is also expected to have female cosmonaut Wang Yaping, a member of the crew of the Shenzhou-10 spacecraft, whose mission took place in the fall of 2013. Ye Guangfu is also expected to go to space for the the first time in his career. All three were on the Shenzhou 12 backup crew.
