Tianzhou 3 (Chinese: 天舟三号) was a mission of the Tianzhou-class uncrewed cargo spacecraft, launched on 20 September 2021, at 07:10:11 UTC.[1] Like previous Tianzhou missions, the spacecraft was launched from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in Hainan, China on a Long March 7 launch vehicle.

Tianzhou 3

A 1:144 scale Tianzhou 1 model
Mission type	Tiangong space station resupply
Operator	CNSA
COSPAR ID	2021-085A
SATCAT no.	49222
Website	http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/
Mission duration	309 days, 20 hours and 21 minutes
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Tianzhou-3
Spacecraft type	Tianzhou
Manufacturer	China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Launch mass	.
Dry mass	6,640 kg (14,640 lb)
Dimensions	10.6 m × 3.35 m (34.8 ft × 11.0 ft)
Power	watts
Expedition
Space Station	Tiangong space station
Start of mission
Launch date	20 September 2021, 07:10:11 UTC
Rocket	Long March 7
Launch site	Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, LC-201
Contractor	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
End of mission
Decay date	27 July 2022, 03:31 UTC
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Inclination	41.5°
Docking with Tiangong space station
Docking port	Tianhe Aft port
Docking date	20 September 2021, 14:08 UTC[1]
Undocking date	19 April 2022, 21:02 UTC
Time docked	211 days, 6 hours and 54 minutes
Docking with Tiangong space station (Relocation)
Docking port	Tianhe Forward port
Docking date	20 April 2022, 01:06 UTC
Undocking date	17 July 2022, 02:59 UTC[2]
Time docked	88 days, 1 hour and 53 minutes
Tiangong program ← Shenzhou 12 Shenzhou 13 →   Tianzhou program ← Tianzhou 2 Tianzhou 4 →

Tianzhou 3 was the second cargo resupply mission to the Tianhe core module (TCM) of the under-construction Tiangong space station, carrying over six tons of supplies. The spacecraft successfully docked at the TCM's aft port seven hours after launch at 14:08 UTC.

On 20 April 2022, Tianzhou 3 successfully relocated itself from Tianhe's aft port to the forward port to make the aft port available for docking by Tianzhou 4.[3] On 17 July it was undocked for deorbiting, making way for the installation of the Wentian module.[2] It reentered the Earth's atmosphere and burned up as planned on 27 July 2022.[4]

Spacecraft

The Tianzhou cargo ship has several notable differences with the Tiangong stations from which it is derived. It has only three segments of solar panels (against 4 for Tiangong), but has 4 maneuvering engines (against 2).[5]

References