Scheduled for May 20, the launch of the Tianzhou-2 cargo vehicle to the base module of the new Chinese orbiting space station was canceled without explanation. No new launch date has been set. At the same time, already on June 10, the first manned flight to the station was to take place to start commissioning, and the Tianzhou-2 truck was assigned a special mission before that.

A missile with a Tianzhou-2 truck that never took off. Image source: Xinhua

The Tianzhou-2 cargo ship was not only supposed to deliver the cargo to the station, but also was supposed to be the object of an important experiment, the success of which would have a serious impact on the operation of the station in the future. After pumping fuel to the Tianzhou-2 station, it was planned to undock, and then, using a 10-meter robotic arm, to dock to another station dock. Successful execution of this manipulation will mean that Chinese technology for remote and even autonomous control of grabs in orbit is mature enough for exploitation.

Such technologies are viewed as promising for space debris removal in orbit and even as military technologies. With the help of a manipulator, you can capture and destroy enemy satellites, about which the US Department of Defense has already begun to worry.

It should also be noted that the Tianzhou-2 truck will become the record holder in its field. It can carry 6,5 tons of payload, which is almost twice as much as the Russian Progress MS-12 and American NASA Cygnus. According to this parameter, SpaceX’s Dragon ship is approaching Tianzhou-2, which can deliver 6 tons of cargo into orbit. The large capacity of Tianzhou-2 means that in order to provide the station with everything it needs, it will have to fly once every 6-8 months, while cargoes to the ISS are delivered by trucks of smaller capacity once every 2-3 months, which is quite expensive.