Tianzhou 2 cargo ship docks with Tianhe core module, becoming first visiting spacecraft to station
Tianhe, or Harmony of Heavens, was lifted by a Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket at the Wenchang launch center on April 29. It is the first part of the Chinese space station, named Tiangong, or Heavenly Palace.
Before docking with Tianzhou 2, Tianhe had carried out a series of tests to verify its designs for rendezvous and docking maneuvers, astronaut accommodation as well as experimental equipment.
Hao Chun, director of the manned space agency, said previously that the Shenzhou XII spacecraft, carrying three men, will launch and dock with Tianhe early next month. The crew will stay in the module for three months.
Tianzhou 2's launch was originally scheduled for the early morning of May 20, but mission commanders decided to postpone the launch shortly before the predetermined ignition time because a technical problem on the rocket was detected.
Over the past 10 days, engineers and technicians from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, which designed and built the rocket, raced against time to pinpoint and solve the problem, according to the academy.
