China launches Tianzhou-9 cargo craft to send space station supplies

China launched the cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-9 in the early morning on Tuesday to deliver supplies for its orbiting Tiangong space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The Long March-7 Y10 rocket, carrying Tianzhou-9, blasted off at 5:34 a.m. (Beijing Time) from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, the agency said.

After about 10 minutes, Tianzhou-9 separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. Its solar panels soon unfolded. The agency declared the launch a complete success.

The cargo craft will later conduct the rendezvous and docking with the space station combination.

Tianzhou-9 is loaded with essential supplies, including consumables for the orbiting crew, propellant, and equipment for application experiments and tests.

The mission is the fourth cargo resupply flight of China's manned space program since the space station entered the application and development phase. It is also the 584th mission of the Long March rocket series.