The unmanned Shenzhou XXII spacecraft arrived at the Tiangong space station on Tuesday afternoon, delivering crew provisions and mission payloads to the orbiting outpost. This marked the first emergency-response flight mission in the history of the nation's manned space program.

A Long March 2F rocket, carrying the spacecraft, lifted off at 12:11 pm from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

About 10 minutes after the launch, the spaceship separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. After flying for about three-and-a-half hours on an elaborately designed trajectory, the vessel docked with the front port of the Tianhe core module of the space station.

The Shenzhou XXII spacecraft was originally scheduled to transport the mission's crew to Tiangong in April 2026. However, China's space authorities had to rearrange plans following an unexpected situation.

The Shenzhou XX vessel, which was meant to bring that mission's astronauts back to Earth on Nov 5, was deemed unfit to fly after tiny cracks were discovered on the viewport window of its return capsule — damage suspected to be caused by the impact of space debris.

As the Shenzhou XX crew used the Shenzhou XXI vessel for their return journey on Nov 14, Tiangong was left without a flight-worthy crew ship for 11 days, a safety risk that the arrival of the Shenzhou XXII vessel removed.

Shenzhou XXII carries a full cargo load, including packaged premade meals, fresh fruits and vegetables, medicines, equipment needed for Tiangong's operations and tools to fix the damage on the Shenzhou XX vessel, the agency said. Shenzhou XX will continue to remain docked at the space station and serve as a platform for tests and experiments, it added.

The three Shenzhou XX astronauts, who returned safely to Earth nine days later than their planned landing, represented China's 15th manned spaceflight and the ninth group of residents aboard Tiangong. The crew spent 204 days in orbit, setting a record for the longest in-orbit stay by Chinese astronauts.

Orbiting Earth at an altitude of about 400 kilometers, Tiangong is currently the only operational space station independently run by a single nation.

zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn