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Final preparation starts for Chinas first cargo spacecraft launch
March 10, 2017
Source: Xinhua 2017-03-09 21:14:18
XI'AN, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Final preparation for the launch of China's first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 has begun as the team responsible for the power system arrived at the launch center in Wenchang, south China's Hainan province on Thursday.
The team will prepare the Long March-7 carrier rocket that will carry Tianzhou-1 into space.
According to Liu Zhirang, head of the Sixth Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, the difficulty lies in refueling in space.
Tianzhou-1, to be launched in April, is expected to dock with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab three times before falling back to earth, while the latter will remain in orbit and continue its work.
The Tianzhou-1 mission will complete the second phase of China's manned space program and is a crucial step for China in establishing a space station around 2022.