China’s Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft re-enters atmosphere

China successfully completed the controlled re-entry of its Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft on Thursday after the vehicle separated from the orbiting Tiangong space station earlier this week.

According to the China Manned Space Agency, the spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere at 7:49 a.m. local time on Thursday. Most of the spacecraft burned up during atmospheric re-entry, while a small amount of remaining debris fell into pre-designated safe waters, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

Tianzhou-9 had been launched last year to deliver essential supplies to China’s space station program, including astronaut consumables, propellant and scientific experiment equipment.

The cargo spacecraft separated from Tiangong on Wednesday before entering an independent flight phase ahead of its planned deorbit operation.

The mission is part of China’s expanding long-term space program, which includes regular cargo deliveries and crewed missions to the Tiangong station as Beijing continues to strengthen its presence in low-Earth orbit.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada