What Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft is going to deliver to China's space station?

The Tianzhou-8 cargo spaceship is about to be launched from China's Wenchang Spacecraft launch site at 11:13 p.m. Beijing time on Friday. The mission will deliver living and working facilities needed for the newly-arrived Shenzhou-19 and the following crews at the China Space Station. So what is included in the 6 tonnes of load ?

Fruits, holiday gifts, lunar soil bricks

The Tianzhou-8 spacecraft carries approximately six tonnes of supplies, which not only meet the daily needs of the Shenzhou-19 and Shenzhou-20 astronaut crews but also enable the transport of fresh fruits and vegetables within 24 hours. Additionally, gift packages for the Spring Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and more, along with personalized birthday gifts, have been prepared for the astronauts.

This mission also includes 458 kilograms of scientific experiment materials to support 36 experiments in areas such as space life and biotechnology, materials science and microgravity fluid physics. Seven of these life science experiments require sample preparation and last-minute installation at the launch site.

Notably, the Tianzhou-8 spacecraft is carrying "lunar soil bricks" made from simulated lunar soil for the first time. These bricks will undergo exposure experiments aboard the space station to test their mechanical, thermal and radiation resistance properties, providing valuable data for future lunar base construction.

New crew ready to work

The Shenzhou-19 crew of three astronauts have been aboard the space station since October 30, sharing a five-day overlap with the Shenzhou-18 crew to complete handovers, material transfers and more.

After Shenzhou-18 returned to Earth, the Shenzhou-19 astronauts transitioned to regular operations, including unloading Tianzhou-7's remaining supplies, disposing of waste back to Tianzhou-7 and conducting thorough maintenance checks to ensure the station's stability.