The Long March-7 Y6 rocket, carrying Tianzhou-5. blasted off at 10:03 a.m. (Beijing Time) on Saturday from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Tianzhou-5 is equipped with the fuel cell power generation system payload independently developed by the 529 Factory of the Fifth Institute of Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, which plans to carry out China's first in-orbit space test of fuel cells.

According to the scientific researchers at Factory 529. as China develops its manned spaceflight missions, manned lunar exploration missions would encounter challenging conditions such extended periods of darkness during moonlit nights. Traditional energy storage power generation systems would add significantly to weight and be unable to provide the energy needed for manned lunar exploration missions. As a result, it is critical to research and implement new energy systems to enable the regular operation of manned space missions.

The fuel cell-based renewable energy system has several times the specific energy of the smallest high-energy rechargeable battery available right now. The fuel cell reaction consumes hydrogen and oxygen to generate water, and it can also be combined with propulsion, thermal management, environmental control, and other subsystems to increase resource usage efficiency. This has implications for the adaptability of future manned space missions. They have successfully produced the first domestic engineering prototype of fuel cells for space applications after years of study in important fields such static drainage of aircraft fuel cells, water and gas heat management in space environments, and system steady-state control.