Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft, carrier rocket combination transfered to launching area

The combination of the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft and a Long March-7 Y9 carrier rocket was vertically transferred to the launching area on Wednesday.

The cargo spacecraft will be launched at an appropriate time from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in China's southern island province of Hainan in the coming days, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Following the vertical transfer, a series of tests will be carried out over the next two to three days. These tests will include coordination checks between the rocket and the launch pad, storage tank replacements, air tightness verifications, and other pre-launch preparations before the fuel filling and launching.

"This is our eighth Tianzhou cargo spacecraft mission. Our rockets have entered a maturity stage, as after continuous hard work, the rocket have achieved a 100-percent localization rate. After it arrives at the launch area, our work will revolve around all test and launch procedures scheduled for the launch day," said Zhou Hong, an employee of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

Compared to its predecessors, Tianzhou-6 and Tianzhou-7, the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft boasts a larger cargo capacity -- an increase of more than 200 more liters of space and more than 100 kilograms of cargo load.

Alongside astronaut supplies and experimental facilities, the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft will carry bricks made of varying compositions from lunar soil simulant to the Tiangong space station. These bricks will undergo exposure tests to assess their durability in extreme conditions and their potential use in constructing lunar bases.

Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft, carrier rocket combination transfered to launching area

Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft, carrier rocket combination transfered to launching area

Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft, carrier rocket combination transfered to launching area

Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft, carrier rocket combination transfered to launching area

At the invitation of the government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Jiang Xinzhi, Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy and vice chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attended the inauguration ceremony of Myanmar's President Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyidaw on Friday.

Min Aung Hlaing met with Jiang on the same day.

Noting that the pauk-phaw (fraternal) friendship between China and Myanmar has a long history, Jiang said the two countries have long enjoyed a harmonious relationship and mutual assistance, which fully demonstrates the profound significance of the China-Myanmar community with a shared future. China supports Myanmar in pursuing a development path that suits its own national conditions, Jiang said, adding that the country is willing to work with Myanmar to deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, maintain stability along the China-Myanmar border, and ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and projects in Myanmar.

For his part, Min Aung Hlaing expressed gratitude for China's long-term and valuable assistance to Myanmar's economic and social development.

Myanmar firmly adheres to the one-China principle and supports the four global initiatives proposed by China, Min Aung Hlaing said.

The president pledged that Myanmar would make every effort to ensure China's security interests in the country, and expressed Myanmar's willingness to deepen practical cooperation with China across various fields.

Xi's special envoy attends inauguration of Myanmar's president