This simulated image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 11, 2023 shows China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou 6 docking with the combination of the space station Tiangong. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING – China's Tianzhou 6 cargo spacecraft burned up as it reentered Earth's atmosphere as planned on Friday evening, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

The agency said in a news release that under ground control guidance, the robotic craft flew back into the atmosphere at 8:37 pm. After that, most of the spaceship burned up, and a small amount of debris fell into secure sea areas.

The Tianzhou 6 robotic cargo ship was launched in early May from Wenchang Space Launch Center in the country's southernmost island province of Hainan.

READ MORE: Tianzhou-6 separates from space station combination

As the ninth spaceship to visit the Tiangong space station, Tianzhou 6 carried about 260 packages with a combined weight of nearly 5.8 metric tons, including living necessities enough for a three-member crew for 280 days.

It departed from the Chinese space station on Jan 12 and then entered into the solo-flight mode. During the solo flight, it deployed an experimental satellite, built by Dalian University of Technology, into a preset orbit.

ALSO READ: Tianzhou 6 cargo craft docks with space station combination

Tianzhou 6's successor, the Tianzhou 7 cargo vessel was launched on Wednesday night in Hainan province, becoming the first spacecraft to visit China's Tiangong space station this year.

Tianzhou 7 is carrying more than 260 packages with a combined weight of nearly 5.6 metric tons, including several items of scientific apparatus, each of which weighs more than 100 kilograms.