Tianzhou 8 spacecraft returns, disintegrates as planned

The Tianzhou 8 cargo spacecraft re-entered Earth's atmosphere and burned up as planned on Wednesday morning, the China Manned Space Agency said.

Under the guidance of ground controllers, the robotic vessel re-entered at 6:42 am, the agency said in a statement. Most of the spacecraft disintegrated and burned during re-entry, with a small amount of debris falling into designated areas of the ocean.

Tianzhou 8 detached from the Tiangong space station on Tuesday afternoon, embarking on a short solo flight and leaving the port it used for the upcoming Tianzhou 9 supply mission.

The spaceship, tasked with resupplying propellants to the Chinese space station and delivering living and work necessities for the Shenzhou XIX and Shenzhou XX crews, was launched in November 2024 from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province. Its successor, Tianzhou 9, is scheduled to lift off in the coming days from the same spaceport. It is the only cargo mission scheduled to visit the Tiangong station this year.