GPS News
DRAGON SPACE
China prepares Qingzhou cargo ship for low cost resupply flights
illustration only

China prepares Qingzhou cargo ship for low cost resupply flights

by Riko Seibo
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 11, 2025

Qingzhou, or light vessel, China's new-generation cargo spacecraft, has achieved breakthroughs in multiple key technologies and is scheduled to make its maiden flight next year, according to its developer, the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Innovation Academy for Microsatellites.

Designed with a focus on low cost, high reliability, high adaptability and high intelligence, the compact spacecraft delivers expanded cargo capabilities for China's crewed orbital complex.

The spacecraft weighs approximately 5 tonnes. Its cargo module has a stowage volume of 9 cubic meters within a total internal volume of 27 cubic meters. The module uses a four-tier rack system with 40 standard slots that can be configured for crew supplies and scientific equipment to meet space station logistics demands.

An intelligent onboard cargo management system enables automated identification, tracing and management of goods. Astronauts can locate items through voice commands, which improves retrieval efficiency and reduces in-orbit workload.

For special supplies, the spacecraft is equipped with modular space refrigerators, each providing 60 liters of cold-chain capacity. The units can be grouped up to a combined 300 liters, and precise temperature control keeps sensitive cargo within required limits during transport.

Qingzhou adopts an integrated single-module design that reduces external dimensions, improves internal space utilization and maintains compatibility with multiple launch vehicles to support rapid deployment.

The spacecraft's launch system has been developed as an optimized, integrated transportation solution, with a current transportation cost of about 100,000 yuan, or 14,134 dollars, per kilogram of payload, a figure expected to decrease with mass production and expanded commercial cooperation.

Related Links
Chinese Academy of Sciences Innovation Academy for Microsatellites
The Chinese Space Program - News, Policy and Technology
China News from SinoDaily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
DRAGON SPACE
Wenchang spaceport hits record cadence with double-digit launches in 2025
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 08, 2025
China's Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site has reached a new milestone in 2025, logging its 10th orbital mission of the year and achieving double-digit annual launches for the first time since operations began. The latest mission used a modified Long March 7 to deploy the Shijian 28 satellite into its planned orbit at 8:20 pm Beijing time, marking the 611th flight of the Long March rocket family and underscoring the maturing cadence of China's newest coastal spaceport. Designed from the outset as a " ... read more

DRAGON SPACE
Ghostwriters, polo shirts, and the fall of a landmark pesticide study

Denmark targets farm nitrogen emissions to boost water quality

EU reaches accord on new generation of genetically modified crops

Robotic model boosts success rate for tomato picking

DRAGON SPACE
Trump says US will allow sale of Nvidia AI chips to China

The US-China chip war in dates

AAC Clyde Space secures ESA funding to develop Sirius EDGE on board computer

Nanoscience breakthrough puts low-cost, printable electronics on the horizon

DRAGON SPACE
NASA prepares long duration Antarctic balloon campaign to probe neutrinos and dark matter

South Korea, Japan protest over China, Russia aircraft incursions

Milei welcomes Argentina's first F-16 fighter jets

Crew killed in Sudan army plane crash; Russia says no survivors in cargo plane crash

DRAGON SPACE
EU pushes back 2035 combustion-engine ban review to Dec. 16

Will EU give ground on 2035 combustion-engine ban?

Trump scraps Biden's fuel-economy standards, sparking climate outcry

Electric vehicle prowess helps China's flying car sector take off

DRAGON SPACE
Markets mostly up as traders prepare for expected US rate cut

Stocks in retreat as traders eye Fed decision, tech earnings

EU says to boost import controls as Mercosur deadline looms

Bleak year for German engineering firms amid US, China turmoil

DRAGON SPACE
How deforestation turbocharged Indonesia's deadly floods

In blow to Lula, Brazil Congress revives controversial environmental bill

Restoration potential on urban fringes identified in Brazil

First saplings from felled UK tree to be planted; EU states back new delay to anti-deforestation rules

DRAGON SPACE
Outage Prevention from Orbit: Why Utilities Are Turning to Satellites and Geospatial Analytics

IHI SAT2 hyperspectral CubeSat enters orbit to support forest monitoring and carbon data

Aechelon links Vantor 3D terrain with Orbion SkyBeam to boost ICEYE SAR AI

Gilat wins 10 million dollar order for transportable direct downlink earth observation system

DRAGON SPACE
Bright emission from hidden quantum states demonstrated in nanotechnology breakthrough

Novel technique reveals true behavior of next-generation MXenes

Unique phase of water revealed in nanoscale confinement

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.