Tiangong Space Station, operational altitude 378KM.
Tang Weitian and He Tang squeezed into the spherical bulging viewing window of the XS-62 and watched the entire process of the Glory capturing the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft, with its cargo bay and mechanical arm outstretched not far away.
It was now December 15, and four days had passed since Glory entered orbit, but the spacecraft hadn't returned as planned.
On the 13th, ground control decided to have Glory stay in space for an additional two days and use its remaining fuel to maneuver near the Tiangong Space Station. This was to complete a capture-and-repair exercise with the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft as the target.
Both the Tianzhou-1 and Tianzhou-2 spacecraft were older models of cargo ships that had been built before. They were small and not very efficient in weight usage. The newer generation Tianzhou-3 could carry more cargo and was cheaper, launched by CZ-7 rockets.
