China to launch uncrewed cargo ship to Tiangong station

Long March 7 rocket will carry Tianzhou 3 into orbit in mid to late September

China is preparing to launch an uncrewed cargo ship to its Tiangong Heavenly palace" space station in preparation for the arrival of its second human crew this autumn.

The Long March 7 rocket was delivered to the Wenchang space launch site in Hainan on 16 August, where it will undergo final assembly and testing. It will carry the Tianzhou 3 cargo ship into orbit sometime in mid to late September. Simultaneously, at the Jiuquan satellite launch centre in the Gobi desert, the Shenzhou 13 mission is being readied to transport the crew of three astronauts.