DEPLOYDatabase

Deployment

Tianzhou at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station)

Autonomous cargo spacecraft performing fast autonomous rendezvous-and-docking with the Tiangong space station.

Tianzhou by China Manned Space Agency · Catalog entry · 2 sources · not yet field-verified

Track Tianzhou at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station)

Recent coverage

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Machine-readable surfaces

Footage

PRIMARY SOURCE
Courtesy of CGTN

Chinese state broadcaster (CGTN) explainer on the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft's rapid autonomous rendezvous and docking with the Tiangong space station. An operating program, attributed to the CNSA.

The Tianzhou cargo spacecraft operates in low Earth orbit to deliver supplies and propellant to the Tiangong space station. It supports resupply missions for the station's crew and operational needs.

Key facts

Station
Tiangong
Status
Autonomous fast rendezvous + docking with Tiangong; Tianzhou-2 holds a ~2-hour ultrafast autonomous docking record; routine operational cargo service
Use Case
Delivers supplies and propellant to Tiangong space station
Use Case
Supports resupply missions for station crew and operational needs

Safety record

No incidents on record for Tianzhou at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station).

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Trust tier
Catalog entry · 2 sources · not yet field-verifiedhow tiers work →
Last updated
2026-06-28
Model
Tianzhou
Company
China Manned Space Agency
Location
Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station)
Status
operational
First seen
2021-05-29
ID
b486b0e3-9573-4e83-8152-fae0bea8e67d

Timeline

  1. May 2021
    First recorded
    Tianzhou first documented operating at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station).
  2. May 2021
    created
  3. Jun 2026
    Current status: operational, reviewed
    Latest recorded state. New status transitions append here as the deployment-status recorder produces them.

On the deployment map

Tianzhou operates in Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station). Explore the full verified map:

Sources (2)

  1. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202211/1279331.shtml
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tianzhou_(spacecraft)
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-06-28

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-06-28

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: production

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: space

Sources by quality tier

1
unclassified
Unclassified source
1
knowledge-base
Knowledge base

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Tianzhou at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station).

Common questions

What is the Tianzhou deployment at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station)?
Tianzhou, built by China Manned Space Agency, is recorded as a deployment at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station) on the DEPLOY registry. China Manned Space Agency operates the deployment directly.
Who operates Tianzhou at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station)?
China Manned Space Agency, the manufacturer of Tianzhou, operates this deployment directly. This is a maker-deploys-its-own-product arrangement rather than a customer pilot.
When did the Tianzhou deployment at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station) go live?
The deployment is recorded as starting May 29, 2021 on the DEPLOY registry. Earlier activity may exist but is not yet sourced.
Have there been incidents at the Tianzhou deployment at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station)?
No active incidents affecting this deployment are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Absence of recorded incidents is not a guarantee no incident occurred; DEPLOY records only sourced incidents and suppresses retracted ones.

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