(Yicai) April 28 -- China's next-generation cargo spacecraft, named Qingzhou, has made its public debut at the 2025 "Space Day of China" exhibition in Shanghai. The spacecraft, whose primary function will be to deliver supplies to China’s space station, is slated for its first test flight later this year.

The first Qingzhou spacecraft should be ready for delivery next year and will begin providing freight transportation services to China’s Tiangong space station, Chang Liang, chief designer of the Qingzhou, told Yicai. The project has integrated commercial space concepts and technologies from the very beginning.

Even though it is relatively small and lightweight, the Qingzhou spaceship can carry a payload of over 1.8 tons on the way up, and 2 tons on the way down, said Chang, who also serves as director of the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites at the China Academy of Sciences.

The spacecraft has nine cubic meters of cargo storage space, enough for astronaut supplies, scientific gear and experimental payloads, Chang said. It also supports carrying out scientific experiments in space, whether it is manned or not.

One of the Qingzhou spacecraft’s most notable features is its cold chain transportation abilities. Each rocket can carry up to 300 liters of fresh produce, which will allow the astronauts to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables while in space, said Shu Rong, chief commander of the Qingzhou cargo spacecraft project.

The Qingzhou spaceship’s primary function is to transport freight. But the plan is to put any excess space to different uses so as to maximize the utilization of the cargo hold and improve the economic efficiency of each mission, Chang said.

For example, the development team aims to enable the cargo spacecraft to conduct small experiments on the way to and from the space station. They might even have the rocket deploy small satellites during missions.

The team worked closely with many parts suppliers when designing and building the spacecraft, and this helped trim costs, Chang said.

At the moment, it is the Tianzhou series of spaceships that is ferrying supplies to China’s space station.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Kim Taylor