Overview
Tianzhou ("Heavenly Vessel") is China's automated cargo transfer vehicle, designed to resupply the modules of the Tiangong space station. With a cargo capacity of 6,500 kg, it is one of the most capable cargo vehicles currently in service — comparable to SpaceX's Cargo Dragon. Tianzhou launches on a Long March 7 rocket from Wenchang Space Launch Centre on Hainan Island.
Like Progress, Tianzhou is expendable and burns up on re-entry. It provides orbital reboost for Tiangong and delivers propellant, food, water, equipment and experiments. China typically launches 1–2 Tianzhou missions per year to maintain its permanent crewed presence.
Key Specifications
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | CAST |
| Type | Uncrewed cargo |
| Total Cargo | 6,500 kg |
| Length | 10.6 m |
| Diameter | 3.35 m |
| Mass | ~13,500 kg (loaded) |
| Launch Vehicle | Long March 7 |
| Launch Site | Wenchang SLC |
| Docking | Automated |
| Return Cargo | None — destructive re-entry |
| Reusability | No |
Mission History
| Mission | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tianzhou-1 | Apr 2017 | Test flight to Tiangong-2 lab |
| Tianzhou-2 | May 2021 | First CSS resupply; docked to Tianhe |
| Tianzhou-3 | Sep 2021 | Supplies for Shenzhou-13 crew |
| Tianzhou-4 | May 2022 | Supplies for Shenzhou-14 crew |
| Tianzhou-5 | Nov 2022 | Supplies for station completion phase |
| Tianzhou-6 | May 2023 | Improved cargo capacity variant |
| Tianzhou-7+ | 2024– | Regular CSS resupply missions |
Which spacecraft for your mission?
Pick a mission profile and we'll rank the world's crewed and cargo spacecraft by suitability — capability, flight heritage, reusability and fit. A live calculation across our spacecraft catalogue, not a static list.
Anatomy & mission profile
- Cargo (up)6,700 kg
- Pressurised vol18.1 m³
- Mass13,500 kg
- Launch vehicleLong March 7
- Heat shield—
- LandingDestructive re-entry
Pressurised volume to scale
Approximate pressurised volume — a sense of how roomy each vehicle is for crew or cargo.
Tianzhou vs every crew & cargo spacecraft
| Spacecraft | Type | Crew | Cargo kg | Vol m³ | Reuse | Debut | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇳 Tianzhou you are here | Cargo spacecraft | — | 6,700 | 18.1 | No | 2017 | Operational |
| 🇺🇸 Crew Dragon | Crew capsule | 7 | — | 9.3 | ♻︎ Yes | 2020 | Operational |
| 🇺🇸 Cargo Dragon | Cargo spacecraft | — | 6,000 | 9.3 | ♻︎ Yes | 2020 | Operational |
| 🇺🇸 Orion | Deep-space crew capsule | 4 | — | 19.6 | No | 2022 | Operational |
| 🇺🇸 Starliner | Crew capsule | 7 | — | 11 | ♻︎ Yes | 2019 | Under review |
| 🇷🇺 Soyuz MS | Crew capsule | 3 | — | 7.5 | No | 1967 | Operational |
| 🇨🇳 Shenzhou | Crew capsule | 3 | — | 7 | No | 2003 | Operational |
| 🇷🇺 Progress | Cargo spacecraft | — | 2,400 | 7.6 | No | 1978 | Operational |
| 🇺🇸 Cygnus | Cargo spacecraft | — | 3,750 | 27 | No | 2013 | Operational |
| 🇺🇸 Dream Chaser | Cargo spaceplane | — | 5,500 | 16 | ♻︎ Yes | Planned | In development |
| 🇺🇸 Starship HLS | Crewed lunar lander | 4 | 100,000 | 100 | ♻︎ Yes | Planned | In development |
| 🇯🇵 HTV-X | Cargo spacecraft | — | 5,850 | 30 | No | 2025 | Pre-operational |
Tap any column to sort · crew = maximum seats, cargo = pressurised + unpressurised upmass · figures are best estimates as of 2026.
Track Tianzhou across Orbital Radar
Frequently Asked Questions
6,500 kg, comparable to Cargo Dragon (6,000 kg) and significantly more than Progress (2,400 kg).
No. Like Progress, Tianzhou burns up on re-entry. Only Cargo Dragon among active cargo vehicles can return payloads.
Wenchang Space Launch Centre on Hainan Island, China's newest spaceport, optimised for heavy-lift launches.