Nation's first cargo spacecraft arrives in Hainan

China's first cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou 1, arrived at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in the island province of Hainan on Monday, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Tianzhou 1 left its manufacturing facility in Tianjin on Feb 5 and was transported by sea, the agency said in a statement. The spacecraft is due to be launched by a Long March 7 carrier rocket in late April and dock with the Tiangong II space lab.

Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, Tianzhou 1 is 10.6 meters long and has a diameter of 3.35 m. Its takeoff weight is about 13 metric tons, which will enable it to carry nearly 6 tons of supplies to the space lab. The Tianzhou 1 mission will test in-orbit fuel supply technologies for the future space station, the statement said.

China plans to start construction of a permanent space station in 2018 and aims to put it into service by about 2022.

It will consist of three parts — a core module attached to two space labs, each weighing about 20 tons — and will operate for at least 10 years, according to the agency.