Overview
Tianzhou ("Heavenly Vessel") is China's automated cargo transfer vehicle, designed to resupply 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 |
| 🇺🇸 Dragon | Crew + cargo family | 7 | 6,000 | 9.3 | ♻︎ Yes | 2010 | Operational |
| 🇺🇸 Orion | Deep-space crew capsule | 4 | — | 19.6 | No | 2022 | Pre-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 | Planned | In development |
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.