Tianzhou 2

Tianzhou 2 was part of the construction phase of the Tiangong space station and was the first cargo resupply mission to dock with the Tianhe core module, which had launched on 29 April 2021.^[5]

The spacecraft initially made an automated docking to Tianhe's aft port, where it remained for approximately 111 days. Following the departure of the crewed Shenzhou 12 mission in September 2021, Tianzhou 2 made an automated relocation to the station's forward docking port to make room for the arrival of Tianzhou 3 at the aft port.^[6]

During its mission, Tianzhou 2 carried out multiple teleoperated and autonomous rendezvous and docking tests.^[7] In one test, the spacecraft undocked and performed a teleoperated rendezvous and docking exercise in which an astronaut aboard Tianhe manually controlled the spacecraft from a station console, simulating a failure of the automated docking system during final approach. In another test conducted two days later, the station's robotic arm grappled Tianzhou 2, unberthed it from the forward port, maneuvered it approximately 20 degrees to the port side, and returned it for manual berthing. The exercise simulated procedures that could be used during the relocation of future laboratory modules if their indexing robotic arms became unavailable.^[8]

Tianzhou 2 undocked on 27 March 2022. It later completed a two-hour fast rendezvous test without docking on 30 March 2022 before making a planned destructive reentry into Earth's atmosphere on 31 March 2022.^[9][10]