After completing all tasks, the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft separated from the space station assembly at around 4 AM on March 27.
The Tianzhou-2 spacecraft separates from the Tiangong station. (Video: CGTN)
Tianzhou-2 will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere under command from the control center, as announced by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). The spacecraft launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan Province, southern China, on May 29, 2021. This was the first supply mission launched during the technology verification phase of the Tiangong space station.
During its time in orbit alongside the space station, Tianzhou-2 conducted expansion experiments. Currently, the spacecraft is in good condition. Tianzhou-2 carries 6.8 tons of supplies, including 160 cargo items and 2 tons of propellant, according to the manufacturer, the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) in May 2021.
Tianzhou-2 will land in the sea as scheduled to dispose of waste.
Waste from the space station is being stored in Tianzhou-2. After completing its mission and separating from the Tiangong station, the cargo spacecraft will not land directly on the ground but will go to a designated sea area to dispose of waste, according to Yang Hong, chief engineer of the Chinese space station.
The predecessor of Tianzhou-2 was the first supply spacecraft for the Tiangong-2 space station mission. That spacecraft separated from the station on June 21, 2017. After two braking maneuvers under the control and monitoring of ground control specialists, the spacecraft descended into Earth’s atmosphere and burned up on September 22, 2017. China plans to complete the construction of its space station this year. Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft, Shenzhou-14 crewed spacecraft, two experimental modules, Tianzhou-5, and Shenzhou-15 will be deployed in sequence.
