China Rolls Tianzhou-10 to Wenchang Pad After Tianzhou-9 Clears Tiangong Port

Overview

• The China Manned Space Agency said the Tianzhou-10 cargo ship and its Long March-7 rocket were moved to the Wenchang launch site, with the launch to occur at a proper time after planned checks and joint tests.
• CMSA reported that the Tianzhou-9 freighter undocked from the Tiangong station and then completed a controlled reentry, which freed a docking port for the next cargo mission.
• Tianzhou cargo craft are designed to deliver supplies, experiments, and propellant to the station, and the station’s orbit was recently adjusted to support automated arrivals, according to program updates.
• CMSA has not set a date for the next crewed flight, Shenzhou-23, and reporting indicates one astronaut is expected to attempt a year-long stay that would make room for a short visit by a Pakistani payload expert on Shenzhou-24.
• China is also preparing reusability trials this month, including a planned cable-net catch of a returning CZ-10B booster using a shipboard frame of tensioned steel lines that the stage aims to settle into during a final hover.