Long March 7 Tianzhou-10: Launch Recap (11 May 2026)

What launched and when?

China successfully launched the Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft aboard a Long March 7 rocket on 11 May 2026 at 00:14:32 UTC from Pad 201 at the Wenchang Space Launch Site on Hainan Island. Tianzhou-10 is an uncrewed automated resupply freighter built to deliver propellant, food, water, and experiment hardware to China's Tiangong space station.

The mission was operated by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and was declared a success shortly after the freighter separated and began its automated rendezvous sequence with the orbiting station.

What is the Long March 7?

The Long March 7 is a medium-lift, two-stage rocket that burns clean-burning liquid oxygen and kerosene (RP-1). Standing roughly 53 meters tall and flanked by four liquid-fueled boosters, it can loft around 13,500 kg to low Earth orbit. The vehicle was designed specifically to launch the Tianzhou cargo fleet and has become the workhorse for keeping Tiangong supplied.

Pad 201 at Wenchang is a coastal launch complex that gives boosters a clear over-water flight path and a lower-latitude advantage for reaching the station's orbit.

What is the payload?

Tianzhou-10 is the tenth flight in China's automated cargo spacecraft series. Each Tianzhou freighter can carry several tonnes of pressurized and unpressurized cargo, with the newer configuration capable of delivering upward of 6,500 kg of supplies in a single flight. The vehicle carries:

• Consumables for the resident astronaut crew — food, water, and air
• Refueling propellant to boost the station's orbit and offset atmospheric drag
• Scientific experiment payloads and replacement equipment

Once its mission is complete, a Tianzhou freighter is loaded with waste and deorbited for a destructive re-entry over the ocean, following the same disposal model used by other resupply craft servicing crewed stations.

Where does Tianzhou-10 dock?

The freighter targets China's Tiangong space station, a three-module orbital outpost flying at roughly 340–450 km altitude and inclined about 41.5 degrees to the equator. Tianzhou vehicles perform an autonomous rendezvous and dock at one of the station's ports, after which the crew opens the hatch and begins transferring cargo. Tiangong has been permanently crewed since 2021 and hosts rotating three-person expeditions.

Did the launch succeed?

Yes. The mission carried a status of Success. The Long March 7 delivered Tianzhou-10 to its planned insertion orbit, from which the spacecraft's own propulsion system carries out the multi-orbit chase to reach the station.

Launch at a glance

Why does this mission matter?

Regular Tianzhou flights are what make continuous human presence aboard Tiangong possible. Without periodic resupply and reboost, the station could not sustain its crew or maintain its orbital altitude. Each successful cargo run extends the operational life of the outpost and keeps China's crewed spaceflight program on schedule.

The Long March 7's clean kerolox propulsion also reflects a broader shift away from the toxic hypergolic fuels used by older Chinese rockets, making the vehicle a cornerstone of the country's next generation of launchers.

How to track it live

You can follow Tiangong and the newly arrived Tianzhou-10 in orbit right now on the Cosmik live 3D solar system and satellite map. Compare its rendezvous path with the ISS tracker, browse upcoming missions on the rocket launch schedule, and read more coverage in our latest launch news. Launch data is sourced from The Space Devs Launch Library.

Follow Tianzhou-10 and Tiangong live on Cosmik, and enable free launch alerts so you never miss the next mission to China's space station.