Tianzhou-1 China’s First Cargo Spacecraft Sent Onto Launching Tower

Preparation for launching China’s first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 entered final stage as the spacecraft and its carrier rocket were transported to the launch tower on Monday in Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China’s Hainan Province. The transportation of Tianzhou-1 and its carrier rocket Long March-7 Y2 began at 7:30 this morning and took about two and a half hours. According to China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO)，the spacecraft and its carrier were transported to the launch site in February and after assembling and a series of testing, the rocket-spacecraft combination was installed onto the tower on Monday morning. After the transportation, the combination needs to pass another series of tests. It is expected to be launched sometime between April 20 to 24. “Once the combination is transported onto the launching tower, this mission enters its final stage. At present, all work is going smoothly, and we are ready for refueling and launching,