China successfully docks cargo spacecraft with its space station module

On Sunday, a Chinese cargo spacecraft containing supplies and equipment docked safely with the core module of the China's future space station, according to state media.

On Saturday, the Tianzhou-2, or Heavenly Vessel in Chinese, was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre on the southern island of Hainan in the South China Sea, according to the China Manned Space Engineering Office.

The Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft, which was filled with basic essentials including food, equipment, and fuel, was launched on a Long March 7 rocket.

According to the China Academy of Space Technology, the cargo spacecraft has been filled with more than 160 large and small packages, containing supplies for astronauts and space scientific equipment, as well as two tonnes of propellent fuel.

Tianzhou-2 is the second of 11 missions required to build China's first space station by 2022, after the April launch of the critical module Tianhe.

With a node that can dock with up to three spacecraft at once for brief visits, the Tianhe module will serve as the management and control centre for the Chinese space station Tiangong.

The core module received a status review 48 hours after Tianhe entered orbit, and Tianzhou-2 initiated its launch countdown procedures.

After the docking of Tianzhou-2 with Tianhe, the Shenzhou-12 manned spaceship will begin countdown preparations for launch, according to Xinhua.

Three astronauts on board Shenzhou-12 will unpack the cargo stashed within Tianzhou-2 to get their living and working resources during their three-month stay in space.

The three-module space station will compete with the only other international space station currently in operation, which is the International Space Station (ISS), which is backed by the US, Russia, and Japan.