China prepares to launch Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft

This photo taken on Nov. 13, 2024 shows the combination of the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft and a Long March-7 Y9 carrier rocket being vertically transferred to the launch area. The combination of the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft and a Long March-7 Y9 carrier rocket was vertically transferred to the launching area on Wednesday.(Photo by Huang Guochang/Xinhua)

The Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft and Long March-7 Y9 carrier rocket combination was vertically transferred to the launch site on Wednesday.

The cargo spacecraft will be launched at an appropriate time in the near future, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

The facilities and equipment at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in China's southern island province of Hainan are all in good condition, and various pre-launch function checks and joint tests will be carried out as planned, the agency said.

The supplies aboard the spacecraft are primarily intended to support the Shenzhou-19 and Shenzhou-20 crews, and include gift packages for major Chinese holidays such as Spring Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Dragon Boat Festival. Personalized birthday packages have also been prepared for each astronaut who will celebrate a birthday in space.

The spacecraft will carry various equipment and materials to be used for space science experiments. For the first time, a brick made of synthetic lunar soil will be brought aboard the space station and subject to an exposure experiment to test whether it could be used to construct buildings on the moon. It is expected that the lunar soil brick will be returned to Earth by the end of next year, following the experiment.