China's cargo spacecraft successfully docks with space lab

Photo taken on April 22, 2017 shows the Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft moving towards the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab for the automated docking on a screen at Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, capital of China.[Photo: Xinhua/Wang Sijiang]

The Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft successfully completed automated docking with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab at 12:23 p.m. Saturday, according to Beijing Aerospace Control Center.

It is the first docking between the spacecraft and space lab.

Photo taken on April 22, 2017 shows the Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft moving towards the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab for the automated docking on a screen at Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, capital of China. [Photo: Xinhua/Wang Sijiang]

Tianzhou-1, China's first cargo spacecraft, which was launched Thursday evening from Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province, began to approach Tiangong-2 automatically at 10:02 a.m. Saturday and made contact with the space lab at 12:16 p.m.

The Tianzhou-1 cargo ship and Tiangong-2 space lab will have another two dockings.

The second docking will be conducted from a different direction, which aims to test the ability of the cargo ship to dock with a future space station from different directions.

In the third docking, Tianzhou-1 will use fast-docking technology. It normally takes about two days to dock, while fast docking will take only six hours.

Technical personnel work at Beijing Aerospace Control Center to monitor the automated docking between Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft and Tiangong-2 space lab in Beijing, capital of China, April 22, 2017. [Photo: Xinhua/Yu Tao]

Refueling will also be conducted, a process with 29 steps that takes several days.

Tiangong-2, which went into space on Sept. 15, 2016, is China's first space lab "in the strict sense" and a key step in building a permanent space station.

Cargo ships play a crucial role maintaining a space station and carrying supplies and fuel into orbit.