The crew of China's Shenzhou-19 mission received a supply of materials from Earth on Saturday, after the Tianzhou-8 spacecraft successfully docked with the Tiangong space station where they are located.
At 8:26 AM, astronaut Cai Xuzhe opened the hatch of Tianzhou-8 and entered the cargo ship. China launched Tianzhou-8 on Friday night to deliver supplies to its orbiting space station, Tiangong. The spacecraft carried approximately six tons of materials, including consumables for the astronauts' stay in orbit, propellant, experimental equipment, and more than 400 kilograms of scientific research supplies.
The Shenzhou-19 mission crew will proceed with the cargo transfer and other related tasks as planned. About three hours later, the cargo ship successfully docked with the space station, highlighted the Xinhua news agency.
The scientific supplies onboard will support 36 experiments in various fields, such as space life sciences, biotechnology, materials science, fluid physics, and combustion in microgravity, as well as testing new technologies for space applications.
In the areas of space life sciences and biotechnology, China will study for the first time aboard the space station the effects of submagnetic microgravity on the genes, behavior, and reproduction of fruit flies.
Researchers will also study the potential for 3D growth and development of human pluripotent stem cells, and the development of mammalian embryos after implantation. The experiments will also focus on space materials science and new space application technologies, among other areas.
These studies are expected to contribute to the development of advanced components for spacecraft and the application of high-performance protective materials for solar cells and construction materials for lunar bases.
