WNAM REPORT: The combination of the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft and a Long March-7 Y9 carrier rocket was vertically transferred to the launching area on Wednesday.
The cargo spacecraft will be launched in the near future at an appropriate time, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
The facilities and equipment at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China’s Hainan Province are all in good condition. Various function checks and joint tests will be carried out as scheduled before the launch.
What is onboard Tianzhou-8?
The Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft will provide supplies for China’s Shenzhou-19 crew, who entered the space station on October 30, and the Shenzhou-20 crew to support their life and work in orbit.
In addition to essential items, the cargo also includes holiday gift packages for festivals such as the Spring Festival; Mid-Autumn Festival; and Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, as well as personalized birthday gifts for crew members to celebrate their birthdays in space.
Furthermore, Tianzhou-8 carries various equipment and materials for space science experiments, among which are the “lunar soil bricks,” a potential material made by Chinese scientists simulating the composition of lunar soil to build future habitats on the moon.
The space mission will test the mechanical and thermal performance of the bricks, as well as the impact of cosmic radiation on them.
After completing the space experiment, the first brick sample is expected to return to Earth by the end of next year.
