CARGO spacecraft Tianzhou-3 separated from the country’s space station core module Tianhe and redocked with the module yesterday.

Tianzhou-3 detached from the rear docking port of Tianhe at 5:02 a.m., moved to the module’s front port and completed a computer-orchestrated rendezvous and docking at 9:06 a.m., according to the China Manned Space Agency.

It also said the combination of Tianhe and Tianzhou-3 is in good condition, waiting to dock with the Tianzhou-4 cargo craft, the Shenzhou-14 manned spaceship and the lab module Wentian.

China plans to complete the in-orbit construction of its space station by the end of 2022.

A total of six missions are planned for this year, including the launch of the Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft in May, the Shenzhou-14 manned spacecraft in June, the lab module Wentian in July, and the lab module Mengtian in October.

The three modules will form a T shape to complete the in-orbit construction of China’s space station.

In another development, the Tianqin-1 satellite has acquired the global gravity field data during its in-orbit operation, according to Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong Province.

The satellite was launched in December 2019 to test the technologies of the space-based gravitational wave detection program “Tianqin.” The program Tianqin, meaning “harp in the sky,” was initiated by the university in 2015.

(Xinhua)