Supplies launched to China’s new space station for next crew

A Tianzhou-4 spacecraft docks with China’s under-construction space station, as seen on a video screen at the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre in Beijing, on Tuesday May 10 2022 (Guo Zhongzheng/Xinhua/AP)

A Chinese cargo vessel has docked with the country’s under-construction space station ahead of a new three-person crew expected to arrive next month.

The Tianzhou-4 spacecraft was slung into space atop a Long March-7 Y5 rocket at 1.56am on Tuesday from the Wenchang Launch Base in the southern island province of Hainan.