Test cargo vehicle paves way for future Chinese space station supply services

A Lijian-2 Y1 carrier rocket with three satellites onboard blasts off from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone in northwest China, March 30, 2026. (Photo by Wang Jiangbo/Xinhua)

BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The newly launched Qingzhou cargo spacecraft test vehicle will be followed by a final version that will dock with the Chinese space station and provide cargo supply services, according to the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAMCAS).

The test vehicle was launched aboard the Lijian-2 Y1 carrier rocket on Monday from a commercial aerospace innovation pilot zone in northwest China and was successfully placed into its designated orbit.

Developed by IAMCAS, the test vehicle weighs 4.2 tonnes and is compatible with multiple rocket types and highly adaptable for launch. The test mission carries 27 projects, including in-orbit verification tasks, scientific research and outreach initiatives, with a total payload of 1.02 tonnes. It will conduct in-orbit tests at altitudes ranging from 200 to 600 kilometers.

The spacecraft consists of a sealed main cabin and an unsealed rear section. The main cabin contains 40 cargo compartments, offering a total volume of 27 cubic meters to carry supplies such as daily necessities for astronauts, scientific equipment and research payloads.

What makes it especially unique is that it can carry a 300-liter refrigerator composed of five 60-liter cold chain units, which will provide storage for astronauts' daily needs as well as biological experiment samples that require low-temperature preservation.

The unsealed rear section can carry additional payloads and equipment that need to be exposed to the space environment, helping maximize the spacecraft's transport efficiency.