China Sends Uncrewed Spacecraft to Space Station

China has launched the uncrewed Shenzhou-22 spacecraft to the Tiangong space station, marking the latest step in the country’s rapidly expanding human spaceflight program.

The spacecraft lifted off at 12:11 p.m. local time (04:11 GMT) on Tuesday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, with state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) airing the launch live.

Shenzhou-22 is being dispatched to replace the spacecraft that was used unexpectedly for the return of the Shenzhou-20 crew. That crew had been scheduled to return to Earth on November 5 following a six-month mission, but their departure was delayed due to a collision with small space debris.

They ultimately returned on November 14 aboard Shenzhou-21, after the new crew of Shenzhou-21 arrived at the orbital complex on November 1 and formally assumed control of the station on November 4.

China began building the Tiangong space station on April 29, 2021, with the launch of its Tianhe core module. Assembly of the station’s primary configuration was completed on November 3, 2022. Tiangong, arranged in a T-shaped structure, consists of the Tianhe core module and two laboratory modules, Wentian and Mengtian. Together, the modules weigh about 69 tons.

The station provides roughly 110 cubic meters of habitable volume and can support three taikonauts continuously, or six during handover periods. Tiangong is designed for a 15-year operational lifespan, extending its mission through 2038.