Tianzhou-9 cargo ship delivers record load with emergency launch capabilities

China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-9, modified with emergency launch capabilities, sent a record volume of supplies to the country's space station on Tuesday.

The cargo spacecraft was launched in the early morning to deliver equipment and supplies for the Tiangong space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The Long March-7 Y10 rocket, carrying Tianzhou-9, blasted off at 05:34 (Beijing Time) from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, the agency said.

Tianzhou-9, the fourth cargo spacecraft in the application and development phase of China's space station, was loaded with about 6.5 tonnes of essential supplies, including consumables, propellants, and equipment for application experiments and tests, support the in-orbit life and working of China's Shenzhou-20 and Shenzhou-21 astronauts.

It was the biggest cargo payload delivered to Tiangong in the application and development phase.

"[Tianzhou-9] has a huge payload volume, the largest compared with the previous cargo spacecraft [since Tianzhou-6]. The cargo packages have completely filled the storage cabin," said Li Zhiyong, a member of the Tianzhou spacecraft development team with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

With Tianzhou-9, a cargo craft emergency response system is established to ensure the long-term, stable operation of China's space station.

"Tianzhou-9 is the first cargo spacecraft capable of emergency launch, able to be launched to the space station within three months if required. This is the significance of an emergency response spacecraft," Li said.

Following Tianzhou-7 and Tianzhou-8, Tianzhou-9 also conducted a three-hour fast rendezvous and docking with the space station combination.

"The rendezvous and docking duration has been shortened from the initial two days to 6.5 hours, and to the current three hours, which has now become a fixed procedure that that we frequently use. The three-hour approach helps us reduce fuel consumption and takes relatively less time, plus we have a lot of autonomous control to ensure the reliability of the rendezvous and docking," he said.

Tianzhou-9 is also equipped with a relay terminal that autonomously connects with China's Tianlian relay satellite network, establishing a communication link between the spacecraft and ground control at all times.

Tianzhou-9 cargo ship delivers record load with emergency launch capabilities

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Saturday strongly condemned an Israeli attack on a Lebanese Army patrol that killed two officers and one soldier.

Condemning the attack on the Khardali-Nabatieh road earlier in the day as a flagrant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and international laws and norms, Aoun said in a statement that the strike was part of Israel's ongoing escalation, which threatens stability and security in southern Lebanon, despite Beirut's efforts in Washington negotiations to end the ongoing Israeli attacks.

Aoun said the fallen servicemen had joined a long list of military and civilian victims, including children, women, paramedics, rescue workers, and journalists killed in Israeli attacks.

He extended his condolences to the Lebanese Army command and the families of the victims, praising the sacrifices of the officers, soldiers, and other military personnel who had given their lives in defense of the country and its sovereignty.

He stressed that Lebanon would not waver in protecting its land and people. Such attacks, he added, would not deter the country from upholding its full national rights.

Aoun also called on the international community to assume its responsibilities, put an end to the repeated attacks, and ensure respect for relevant international resolutions to preserve Lebanon's security and stability.

On the same day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement confirming the attack and said it had launched an investigation into the incident.

According to the statement, the IDF spotted a vehicle "moving suspiciously" across an "active combat zone" in the Tebnit area of southern Lebanon on Saturday.

The IDF said it had previously received intelligence indicating that Hezbollah militants would open fire on Israeli troops from that area. Citing this intelligence and asserting that the vehicle posed a "threat to Israeli soldiers", the military carried out the strike.

Lebanese president slams Israeli attack killing 3 servicemen