Supplies launched to China's new space station for next crew
ABC News
A Chinese cargo vessel has docked with the country's under-construction space station before a new crew arrives next month
BEIJING -- A Chinese cargo vessel docked with the country’s under-construction space station Tuesday ahead of a new three-person crew expected to arrive next month.
The Tianzhou-4 spacecraft was slung into space atop a Long March-7 Y5 rocket at 1:56 a.m. from the Wenchang Launch Base in the southern island province of Hainan. State media said it docked with the station about seven hours later.
The cargo vessel is carrying supplies for the next crew's six-month stay, along with research equipment and spare parts for maintaining the station.
The station's last crew returned to Earth last month after six months on the station, China's longest space mission to date.
