Tianzhou 4
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 A 1:144 scale Tianzhou 1 model | |
| Mission type | Tiangong space station resupply |
|---|---|
| Operator | CNSA |
| COSPAR ID | 2022-050A |
| SATCAT no. | 52509 |
| Website | www |
| Mission duration | 6 months and 5 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Tianzhou-4 |
| Spacecraft type | Tianzhou |
| Manufacturer | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation |
| Dry mass | 6,640 kg (14,640 lb) |
| Dimensions | 10.6 m × 3.35 m (34.8 ft × 11.0 ft) |
| Power | 2 |
| Expedition | |
| Space station | Tiangong space station |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 9 May 2022, 17:56:37 UTC[1] |
| Rocket | Long March 7 |
| Launch site | Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, LC-2 |
| Contractor | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Deorbited |
| Decay date | 14 November 2022, 23:21 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 | 10 May 2022, 00:54:00 UTC |
| Undocking date | 9 November 2022, 06:55 UTC |
| Time docked | 183 days, 6 hours and 1 minute |
Tianzhou 4 (Chinese: 天舟四号) was the fourth mission of the Tianzhou-class uncrewed cargo spacecraft, and the third resupply mission to Tiangong Space Station carrying 5 tons of cargos and 1 ton of propellant. It is the largest load capacity cargo spacecraft that is on active duty. It launched on 9 May 2022,[1] docking successfully with the Tiangong space station at the aft port 6 hours after launch.[2] Like previous Tianzhou missions, the spacecraft launched from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in Hainan, China on a Long March 7 rocket.[3]
It is a part of the construction of the Tiangong space station, and is the third cargo resupply mission to the already launched Tianhe core module (CCM).
The Tianzhou cargo spacecraft has several notable differences with the Tiangong-1 from which it is derived. It has only three segments of solar panels (against 4 for Tiangong), but has 4 maneuvering engines (against 2 for Tiangong).[4]
