It only takes 6.5 hours! Tianzhou-4 is rendezvous with the space station complex

　　In the early morning of the 10th, the Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft was successfully launched.

At this moment, the Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft is rendezvous and docking with the orbiting space station complex.

The Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft launched this time adopts the rapid rendezvous and docking technology, which takes only 6.5 hours.

　　Li Zhihui, deputy commander of the cargo spacecraft system of the Fifth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group: Autonomous long-distance guidance is to change the orbit through the jet of the engine, so that the Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft can run from the orbit of 200 kilometers to the orbit of 393 kilometers of the space station.

At this time, it turned to close-range autonomous control.

The short-range autonomous control is successively through 5 kilometers, 400 meters, 200 meters and 19 meters of parking points, and finally realizes the rendezvous and docking with the space station. The total time spent is 6.5 hours.

　　Li Zhihui told reporters that compared with 72 hours for Tianzhou-1 to rendezvous and docking, the rapid rendezvous and docking technology adopted by Tianzhou-4 only takes 6.5 hours, which is a great improvement in technology.

The rendezvous and docking time will continue to be shortened in the future.

　　Li Zhihui, deputy commander of the cargo spacecraft system of the Fifth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group: In the future, our goal is to conduct rapid rendezvous and docking in two hours, which is 4.5 hours less than 6.5 hours. From the moment of launch, it is basically two hours and 15 minutes. can be connected.

　What did the Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft bring?

　　Not only does space delivery go faster, it packs a lot more.

As a cargo spacecraft, the main task of Tianzhou-4 is to deliver cargo to the space station.

So, what kind of goods did Tianzhou-4 carry this time, and what were the differences from the past?

　　CCTV reporter Li Ning: There are more than 40 lockers in the cargo spaceship. Each locker will store some daily necessities, leisure and entertainment items that astronauts need, as well as some things we need for experiments. equipment.

　　Li Zhihui, deputy commander of the cargo spacecraft system of the Fifth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group: Tianzhou-4 carried a total of 5 aspects of cargo (and test loads) for this mission. The first aspect is the daily consumption and use of the astronauts.

The second aspect of the goods is some maintenance equipment and products for the space station.

The third aspect is the devices and equipment for carrying out space science experiments, and the use of space science experiments.

The fourth aspect is the low-temperature locker for carrying out space science and medical experiments, commonly known as refrigerators.

　　In addition to carrying necessary experimental equipment and daily necessities, Tianzhou-4 also carried experimental goods collected from the society and universities this time.

　　Li Zhihui, deputy commander of the cargo spaceship system of the Fifth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group: This time, our Tianzhou-4 also carried seeds of various foods from social colleges and universities. These seeds include wheat, soybeans, sorghum, corn and so on.