The Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft and the Long March-7 Y10 rocket stand assembled inside the launch tower at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in South China's tropical Hainan Province on July 14, 2025. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

Towering above rows of coconut trees, the Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft and the Long March-7 Y10 rocket now stand assembled inside the launch tower at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in South China's tropical Hainan Province. Awaiting fuel injection, the mission is set to deliver a record 6.5 tons of supplies to the China Space Station, Global Times reporters learned from mission insiders on Monday. 

It will be the fourth cargo mission at the application and development stage of the China Space Station, said Li Zhiyong, a member of the Tianzhou spacecraft development team with the state-owned space giant China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC). Li disclosed to the Global Times that this time, the spacecraft is delivering approximately 6.5 tons of supplies, about 100 kilograms heavier than previous Tianzhou missions, setting a new record. 

The delivery list includes supplies for the astronaut system, platform materials for the space station system, as well as experimental samples and equipment for space applications, aerospace medicine, and space technology testing. These supplies will provide strong support for the space station's on-orbit operations and the long-term stay of taikonauts, Li explained. 

"We will use a three-hour rapid rendezvous and docking during the Tianzhou-9 launch. If successful, it will mark the third time this fast-track approach has been achieved, following Tianzhou-7 and Tianzhou-8, paving the way for making this mode a new standard norm," Li said. 

Yin Rui, an official with the Astronaut Center of China, highlighted that two new sets of spacesuits dedicated to supporting extravehicular activities, also known as spacewalks, are also aboard the Tianzhou-9 spacecraft. 

Upgraded from the older version, the new spacesuits are capable of supporting taikonauts to carry out 20 spacewalks over four years, an improvement from the previous 15 spacewalks over three years, according to Yin. 

Tianzhou-9 will also ferry a new core muscle training device to the space gym. Yin said that core muscles serve as the central link in the body's kinetic chain, connecting the upper and lower limbs, initiating movement, and acting as the "power source" of the body. The core muscle training device is designed to provide constant-resistance workouts for the core and upper limbs, effectively preventing atrophy of deep muscle groups such as the paraspinal muscles and improving the taikonauts' ability to readapt to Earth's gravity after their return. 

When used in combination with the resistance training device already in orbit, it provides more precise, flexible, and convenient full-body muscle protection, Yin explained, stressing that this significantly enhances the overall effectiveness, comprehensiveness, and intelligence of muscle atrophy prevention for taikonauts.

There is also good news for the taikonauts working and living in the China Space Station - Tianzhou-9 will also bring about 30 new types of space food to the station, expanding the menu for taikonauts to over 190 items, while the meal rotation cycle has been extended from seven days to 10 days. These improvements, according to Yin, are expected to enhance the taste of the food and better meet the dietary needs of the taikonauts.

Gong Yongsheng, with the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times that in terms of the application payloads, Tianzhou-9 will deliver a total upmass of 776.5 kilograms, including experimental payloads, experiment units, samples, critical spare parts, and consumable materials, covering 23 scientific experiments in fields such as space life science and biotechnology, space materials science, microgravity fluid physics, and combustion science. The research is being carried out by 10 research institutes and 11 universities.

Among them, three life science experiments require on-site sample preparation and pre-launch installation at the Wenchang launch site. These experiments involve samples such as skeletal muscle precursor cells, liver cells, and brain organoid-on-a-chip systems, according to Gong. 

The Long March-7 rocket is China's new-generation medium-lift launch vehicle, featuring high reliability, enhanced safety, and an environmentally friendly, non-pollution design. The rocket has a total length of 53.1 meters, a diameter of 3.35 meters, and is equipped with four strap-on boosters. Developed specifically to meet the launch needs of China's space station cargo missions, it can deliver up to 14 tons to low Earth orbit, Global Times learned from the rocket developer, China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) under the CASC.

This mission will be the rocket's tenth flight.