China to launch cargo spaceship with Tiangong-2  

貨運飛船將隨天宮二號上天 研制成功后發射將成常態

昨天，全國人大代表、中國航天科技集團第五研究院載人空間站工程載人飛船系統總設計師張柏楠介紹，貨運飛船目前研制進展順利，將隨天宮二號發射上天，主要負責運輸推進劑、航天生活物資、科學實驗設備以及航天垃圾等。他表示，現在貨運飛船還處于試驗階段，試驗成熟后，上天會成為常態。[查看全文]

(ECNS) -- A space scientist said on Tuesday that China's research and development of a cargo spaceship is on track, and a cargo spaceship will be launched into space to serve the Tiangong-2 space laboratory, the Beijing Times said on Wednesday.

The information was released by Zhang Bonan, deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) and a chief designer at the country's spaceship program.

The cargo ship can send supplies to the space station, including propellants, daily necessities for astronauts and equipment for scientific research. It can also destroy various wasted materials, he said.

Tiangong-1, China's first space lab and target orbiter, was sent into orbit on Sept 29, 2011. China is expected to launch the Tiangong-2 space lab around 2015.

The cargo spaceship is still in the experimental stage, according to Zhang.

"Sending such a cargo ship into space will become a regular practice in China after the technology of space transportation systems is fully mastered by scientists," Zhang said. "In the future, cargo spaceships will undertake transportation tasks as the Shenzhou spacecraft did."