Tianzhou-9 Cargo Spacecraft Re-enters Atmosphere
Summary: China's Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft re-entered the Earth's atmosphere in a controlled manner at 7:49 a.m. Beijing Time (23:49 UTC on May 6), with a small amount of debris falling into designated safe waters, marking the successful conclusion of the Tianzhou-9 mission.
According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), Tianzhou-9 successfully re-entered the atmosphere at 7:49 a.m. Beijing Time on May 7, 2026. The majority of the spacecraft was destroyed during ablative reentry, while a small amount of debris fell into the designated safe waters. The entire operation was conducted in a safe and controlled manner.
Tianzhou-9 was launched on July 15, 2025, from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan Province aboard a Long March-7 Y10 rocket. It subsequently docked with the aft docking port of the Tianhe core module of China's Tiangong space station, delivering approximately 6.5 tonnes of supplies including astronaut consumables for in-orbit stay, propellant, and application experiment equipment for the Shenzhou-20 crew.
On May 6 at 4:34 p.m. Beijing Time, Tianzhou-9 undocked from the space station complex and entered independent flight mode, completing separation operations before entering the reentry window.