The spacecraft, which carries supplies for future missions, conducted an automated rendezvous and docking with the orbiting space station, which consists of the
The Tianzhou-6, the ninth spacecraft to visit the Chinese space station and the first to do so since it was completed in late 2022, successfully docked at the rear port of the space station's
The spacecraft was launched at
It is carrying some 260 packages with a total weight of almost 5.8 metric tons, including food, water, scientific equipment and fuel for the station.
Among the food items are about 70 kilograms (154 pounds) of fresh fruit, twice that transported by the previous Tianzhou-5 cargo mission.
The ship has an improved cargo capacity of up to 7.4 tons and a life span of more than one year. It also has more space in the airtight payload containers due to an interior redesign.
The Tianzhou-6 will remain docked to the station for several months and will perform several fuel transfer operations.
By 2024, it could become the world's only space station if the
In recent years, the Chinese space program has achieved successes such as landing the Chang'e 4 probe on the hidden side of the Moon - the first time it has been achieved - and reaching Mars for the first time, becoming the third country to do so after the US and the former
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