Update 4 Dec 2022: Shenzhou-14 astronauts out of return capsule
Astronaut Liu Yang is out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-14 manned spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Dec. 4, 2022. The return capsule of the Shenzhou-14 manned spaceship, carrying astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site safely on Sunday. (Xinhua/Lian Zhen)
Astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe are out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-14 spaceship, all in good physical condition.
Historic moment as China launches Shenzhou-15 manned spaceship
At 5:42 a.m. Wednesday, the Shenzhou-15 spaceship conducted a fast automated rendezvous and docked with the front port of the space station’s Tianhe module. The space station was expanded to its largest configuration with three modules and three spaceships, having a total mass of nearly 100 tonnes. At 7:33 a.m., Chen Dong, the commander of the Shenzhou-14 crew, opened the hatch. The three space station occupants greeted the new arrivals Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu with warm hugs and then they took a group picture with their thumbs up, shouting in chorus — “China’s space station is always worth looking forward to.”
The space reunion has kicked off the first in-orbit crew rotation in China’s space history, said the CMSA. The rotation can verify the feasibility of the regular rotation mode that will follow, according to Gao Xu, a senior spaceship designer at the China Academy of Space Technology. The Shenzhou-14 astronauts, who were sent to the space station in June, plan to complete the in-orbit work handover in about five days, and then return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. During the rotation of the two groups, they will complete a work handover concerning the status of the space station combination and materials, as well as the experimental projects. Meanwhile, the Shenzhou-14 crew will continue to make preparations for their return, said Ji Qiming, assistant to the CMSA director, at a press conference on Monday. With six astronauts in orbit, it’s a challenge to allocate resources such as space, equipment and materials rationally for more efficient utilization, according to the China Astronaut Research and Training Center.
Shenzhou-15: China sends new crew to Tiangong space station
The three astronauts will live on the space station for six months
Three Chinese astronauts have taken off for the Tiangong space station to make its first in-orbit crew handover. It will be the second permanently inhabited space outpost, after the Nasa-led International Space Station from which China was excluded in 2011.
The fresh crew will live on the station for six months, taking over from three colleagues who arrived in June. There will be a week-long handover period, in part to trial the station's ability to house six astronauts. The new crew lifted off on Tuesday in the Shenzhou-15 spacecraft or "Divine Vessel" from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert in north-west China.
It is the last of 11 missions required to assemble the station that is expected to operate for around a decade and run experiments in near-zero gravity. The outgoing crew is expected to return to Earth early next month. A spokesperson for the China Manned Space Administration said the new crew would focus on installing equipment and facilities around the space station. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of the year. China's space programme has previously landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon, and it was the third country to put humans in orbit.
Shenzhou-15 crew visits China Space Station
(From left) Taikonauts Zhang Lu, Fei Junlong and Deng Qingming of the upcoming Shenzhou-15 mission, meet the media at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China on Nov. 28, 2022. XINHUA PHOTO © Provided by The Manila Times
CHINA on Monday unveiled the lineup of three taikonauts for the Shenzhou-15 manned spaceflight mission that is set to be launched on Tuesday night. The trio — led by mission commander Fei Junlong; two space newcomers Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu are the other two — are going to conduct a direct handover in orbit with the Shenzhou-14 crew at the China Space Station in construction, which shall mark a first in China's aerospace history.
The upcoming Shenzhou-15 crewed spaceflight mission is not only the anchor-leg launch mission at the China Space Station construction stage, but also is the first one to embark on the next operational stage, Fei, the 57-year-old veteran taikonaut who visited the space as the mission commander in the China's Shenzhou-6 mission in 2005, remarked at a news conference on Monday at the Jiuquan Satellite Space Launch Center in northwestern China's Gansu province. The crew will carry out more experiments in orbit, operate, maintain and repair relevant equipment and above all execute even more challenging extravehicular activities, or known as spacewalks, with more complicated paths to take on, Fei said on Monday. The Shenzhou-15 crew has undergone great amount of specific training, which made them very confident to deliver all the set goals and to successfully complete their space run, Fei said.
China to launch Shenzhou XV manned spacecraft
A photo taken on Nov 21, 2022 shows China's Shenzhou XV manned spacecraft and a Long March 2F Y15 rocket being transferred to the launch area. [Photo by Wang Jiangbo/For chinadaily.com.cn]
China's Shenzhou XV manned spacecraft and its carrier — a Long March 2F Y15 rocket — were moved to their launch area on Monday to undergo final tests before their upcoming flight, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
Shenzhou-14 astronauts complete first extravehicular activities
Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Sept. 1, 2022 shows Shenzhou-14 astronauts Chen Dong (Top), Liu Yang conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) out of the space station lab module Wentian. China's Shenzhou-14 astronauts Chen Dong and Liu Yang successfully exited the space station lab module Wentian on Thursday to conduct EVAs, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA)
This was the first time Chinese astronauts have used Wentian's airlock cabin, aided by its small mechanical arm, to carry out EVAs, said the CMSA, who has declared Friday's mission a complete success. The pair returned to the lab module at 0:33 a.m. (Beijing Time) after about six hours of EVAs, according to the CMSA. Under the coordination between space and Earth, and coordination with astronaut Cai Xuzhe inside the lab module, the pair completed a series of tasks, including the installation of the extended pump set of the Wentian lab module, lifting the lab module's panoramic camera, and the verification of capability for independent transfer and emergency return to the spacecraft.
The EVAs tested the cooperation ability between astronauts and the small mechanical arm, and tested the function and performance of Wentian's airlock cabin and support equipment related to EVAs, the CMSA said. China launched the Shenzhou-14 spaceship on June 5, sending three astronauts to its space station combination for a six-month mission.
Wentian's small mechanical arm completes in-orbit tests
Simulated image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on July 25, 2022 shows that Wentian lab module has successfully docked with the front port of Tianhe core module combination
The small mechanical arm mounted with Wentian, the first lab module of China's space station, has successfully completed in-orbit tests, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
With the support of the ground team, the small mechanical arm has completed a series of in-orbit function and performance tests. All indexes performed well, achieving expected results, said the CMSA. The weight and length of the small mechanical arm are about half that of the 10-meter-long large mechanical arm on the core module Tianhe. It is quite flexible and can perform operations with greater precision.
The Shenzhou-14 crew will, for the first time, be aided by the small mechanical arm to carry out extravehicular activities. The small arm can also be held with the large arm to form a combined arm that is capable of performing extravehicular operations with greater accuracy at a larger range. China on July 24 launched the Wentian lab module, which consists of a work cabin, an airlock cabin and a resource cabin.
China launches Wentian module to Tiangong space station
China's first lab module for space station
China on Sunday launched Wentian, the first lab module of its space station. The new module will function both as a backup of the core module and as a powerful scientific experiment platform. The Wentian module is 17.9 meters long, has a maximum diameter of 4.2 meters and a takeoff mass of 23 tonnes, almost the size of a subway car in Beijing. It is the heaviest single-cabin active spacecraft in orbit in the world, according to Liu Gang, deputy chief designer of the China manned space program's space station system with the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).
The Wentian module consists of a work cabin, an airlock cabin and a resource cabin. The Long March-5B Y3 carrier rocket, carrying Wentian, blasted off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on the coast of the southern island province of Hainan at 2:22 p.m. (Beijing Time), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). About 495 seconds later, Wentian separated from the rocket and entered the planned orbit. The launch is a complete success, the CMSA declared.
This is the 24th flight mission since the country's manned space program was approved and initiated. The construction of China's Tiangong space station is expected to be completed this year. It will then evolve from a single-module structure into a national space laboratory with three modules -- the core module Tianhe, and lab modules Wentian and Mengtian. The Tianhe module was launched in April 2021, and the Mengtian module is set to be launched in October this year.
The Shenzhou 14 mission
Shenzhou 14 (Chinese: 神舟十四号; pinyin: Shénzhōu Shísì-hào; lit. 'Divine Boat Number 14') is a Chinese spaceflight that launched on 5 June 2022 at 02:44 UTC. The flight marks the ninth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the fourteenth flight of the Shenzhou program. The spacecraft carries three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on the third flight to the Tianhe core module, the first module of the Tiangong space station. The launch of the three-person crew with a Long March-2F launch vehicle took place from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
The spaceflight is the second of the upcoming missions set to last six months (180 days). After that, the six-month stay aboard the space station will become the normal duration of the astronaut crew in orbit. The flight marks the third of four crewed missions scheduled to dock with the Tiangong space station by the end of construction in 2022. The mission is visiting the Tianhe core module following the launch and docking of Tianzhou 4, the third resupply mission to the station. The crew are expected to assist with the assembly of the Wentian and Mengtian laboratories, which are scheduled to arrive at Tiangong in July and October respectively.
The Shenzhou 15 crew is scheduled to arrive 10 days before Shenzhou 14 departs, which means that the Shenzhou 14 mission marks the beginning of keeping the station permanently inhabited. The crew saluted while entering the Tianhe core module later on 5 June 2022, at 12:50 UTC as the third expedition to the Tiangong space station. At least three spacewalks are planned to occur during the crew's approximately six-month stay in orbit. Shenzhou 15 will be on standby for any possible rescue mission.
related: Shenzhou 15
3 Chinese astronauts arrive at Tiangong space station for 6-month stay
The Shenzhou 14 mission docked to China's Tianhe space station module on June 5, 2022. (Image credit: CMSA)
During their time in orbit, the trio will conduct a variety of scientific experiments and educational outreach activities, perform several spacewalks and install some new equipment inside and outside Tianhe, Chinese space officials have said. The astronauts will also oversee the arrival of Tiangong's other two modules, Wentian ("Quest for the Heavens") and Mengtian ("Dreaming of the Heavens"), which are scheduled to launch in July and October, respectively. Wentian and Mengtian will attach on either side of Tianhe, forming a T-shaped orbiting outpost about 20% as massive as the International Space Station (ISS).
The two previous crewed missions to Tianhe, Shenzhou 12 and Shenzhou 13, also sent three astronauts to the core module. Shenzhou 12 launched in June 2021 and lasted for three months, and the six-month-long Shenzhou 13 launched in October and returned to Earth in mid-April. Shenzhou 15 is expected to launch around the end of the year. (It's tough to know for sure; China tends not to reveal many details about its space missions until they're just about to happen.) If all goes according to plan, Shenzhou 15 will overlap with Shenzhou 14, marking the Tiangong space station's first-ever crew handover.
Shenzhou-14 astronauts enter space station core module
On June 5, China launched the crewed spaceship Shenzhou-14, sending astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe to its space station combination for a six-month mission. The trio will cooperate with the ground team to complete the assembly and construction of China's space station, developing it from a single-module structure into a national space laboratory with three modules.
The three Shenzhou-14 astronauts successfully entered the Tianzhou-4 cargo craft at 12:19 p.m. BJT on Monday, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced. The trio was sent to China's space station on June 5. China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4, with supplies for the Shenzhou-14 crewed mission, docked with the combination of the space station core module Tianhe and the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft in May.
China's manned spacecraft Shenzhou-14 was successfully launched into orbit from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Sunday morning. Three taikonauts, Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe, will stay in orbit for six months and help complete the construction of China's space station by the end of this year.
Three Chinese astronauts arrive at space station
Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe (L to R), Chen Dong and Liu Yang take part in a ceremony prior to the launch of the Shenzhou-14 mission (Photo: AFP/STR)
Three Chinese astronauts arrived at the country's space station on Sunday (Jun 5), the Chinese space agency for human flights said, the latest stride in Beijing's aim to become a major space power. The trio blasted off in a Long March-2F rocket at 2.44am GMT (10.44am Singapore time) from the Jiuquan launch centre in north-western China's Gobi desert, reported state broadcaster CCTV.
The team is tasked with "completing in-orbit assembly and construction of the space station", as well as "commissioning of equipment" and conducting scientific experiments, state-run CGTN said on Saturday. The astronauts entered the central module of the Tiangong station at around 12.50pm GMT (8.50pm Singapore time), the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said. The journey took about "seven hours of flight", CCTV reported.
Tiangong, which means "heavenly palace", is expected to become fully operational by the end of the year. China's heavily promoted space programme has already seen the nation land a rover on Mars and send probes to the Moon.
Shenzhou (spacecraft)
Shenzhou consists of three modules: a forward orbital module (轨道舱), a reentry module (返回舱) in the middle, and an aft service module (推进舱)
Shenzhou (Chinese: 神舟; pinyin: Shénzhōu, /ˈʃɛnˈdʒoʊ/; see § Etymology) is a spacecraft developed and operated by China to support its crewed spaceflight program, China Manned Space Program. Its design resembles the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, but it is larger in size. The first launch was on 19 November 1999 and the first crewed launch was on 15 October 2003. In March 2005, an asteroid was named 8256 Shenzhou in honour of the spacecraft.
The literal meaning of the native name 神舟 (p: Shénzhōu; /ˈʃɛnˈdʒoʊ/) is "the Divine vessel [on the Heavenly River]", to which Heavenly River (天河) means the Milky Way in Classical Chinese. 神舟 is a pun and neologism that plays on the poetic word referring to China, 神州, meaning Divine realm, which bears the same pronunciation. For further information, refer to Chinese theology, Chinese astronomy and names of China.
Shenzhou consists of three modules: a forward orbital module (轨道舱), a reentry module (返回舱) in the middle, and an aft service module (推进舱). This division is based on the principle of minimizing the amount of material to be returned to Earth. Anything placed in the orbital or service modules does not require heat shielding, increasing the space available in the spacecraft without increasing weight as much as it would if those modules were also able to withstand reentry. The Shenzhou spacecrafts are:
Tiangong space station
Rendering of Tiangong Space Station between October 2021 and March 2022, with Tianhe core module in the middle, Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft on the left, Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft on the right, and Shenzhou-13 crewed spacecraft at nadir
Tiangong (Chinese: 天宮; pinyin: Tiāngōng; lit. 'Palace in the Sky'), officially the Tiangong space station (Chinese: 天宫空间站), is a space station being constructed by China in low Earth orbit between 340 and 450 km (210 and 280 mi) above the surface. Being China's first long-term space station, it is the goal of the "Third Step" of the China Manned Space Program. Once completed, Tiangong will have a mass between 80 and 100 t (180,000 and 220,000 lb), roughly one-fifth the mass of the International Space Station and about the size of the decommissioned Russian Mir space station.
The construction of the station is based on the experience gained from its precursors, Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2. The first module, the Tianhe ("Harmony of the Heavens") core module, was launched on 29 April 2021, followed by multiple crewed and uncrewed missions and two more modules to be launched in 2022. Chinese leaders have expressed the hope that the research conducted on the station will improve researchers' ability to conduct science experiments in space, beyond the duration and capacity offered by China's existing space laboratories.
According to CMSA, which operates the space station, the purpose and mission of Tiangong is listed as: Further development of spacecraft rendezvous technology; Breakthrough in key technologies such as permanent human operations in orbit, long-term autonomous spaceflight of the space station, regenerative life support technology, and autonomous cargo and fuel supply technology; Test of next-generation orbit transportation vehicles; Scientific and practical applications at large-scale in orbit; Development of technology that can aid future deep space exploration. In addition, private sector commercial activities being encouraged, according to the designer of China's human spaceflight program: “When our space station is completed and running, we will actively encourage the private sector to engage in space through various ways.” “We hope there will be competitive, cost-efficient commercial space players to participate in areas including space applications and space resource development.” Operations will be controlled from the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center in China. To guarantee the safety of astronauts on board, a Long March 2F with a Shenzhou spacecraft will always be on standby for an emergency rescue mission.
China's Space Station Will Be Open to Science from All UN Nations
3D illustration of the Chinese space station Tiangong, Tianhe core module in the middle, Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft on the top, Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft at nadir, Wentian & Mengtian on the left & right, scheduled to launch in Jul & Dec 2022
China is working with the United Nations to help arrange scientific experiments aboard that country's space station.
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and China's Manned Space Agency have invited applications from UN member states to conduct experiments on China's space station (CSS). In 2016, the two signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to develop the space capabilities of UN member states via opportunities to use the station, which China expects to be operational by 2022. [Gallery: Tiangong 1, China's First Space Laboratory]
The "announcement of opportunity" and application instructions for this initiative were released at a ceremony hosted by UNOOSA and the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Vienna on Monday (May 28).
related: China's Tiangong space station
Long March (rocket family)
Comparison of Long March rockets
The Long March series has performed more than 350 launches, including missions to low-Earth orbit, sun-synchronous orbit, geostationary transfer orbit, and Earth-moon transfer orbit. The new-generation carrier rockets, Long March 5, Long March 6, Long March 7, Long March 11, and Long March 8, have made their maiden flights. Among them, the Long March 5 has a low-Earth orbit carrying capacity of 25,000 kilograms, and a geosynchronous transfer orbit carrying capacity of 14,000 kilograms. The Long March rockets have subsequently maintained an excellent reliability record. Since 2010, Long March launches have made up 15–25% of all space launches globally. Growing domestic demand has maintained a healthy manifest. International deals have been secured through a package deal that bundles the launch with a Chinese satellite, circumventing the United States embargo.
The Long March rockets are organized into several series (There is no Long March 10):
related: List of Long March launches
Chinese space program
Lunar Lander on 144 Dec 2013 & Martian Lander on 6 Jun 2021
The PRC is a member of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and a signatory to all United Nations treaties and conventions on space, with the exception of the 1979 Moon Treaty.[29] The United States government has long been resistant to the use of PRC launch services by American industry due to concerns over alleged civilian technology transfer that could have dual-use military applications to countries such as North Korea, Iran or Syria. Thus, financial retaliatory measures have been taken on many occasions against several Chinese space companies.
Due to security concerns, all researchers from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are prohibited from working with Chinese citizens affiliated with a Chinese state enterprise or entity. In April 2011, the 112th United States Congress banned NASA from using its funds to host Chinese visitors at NASA facilities. In March 2013, the U.S. Congress passed legislation barring Chinese nationals from entering NASA facilities without a waiver from NASA. The history of the U.S. exclusion policy can be traced back to allegations by a 1998 U.S. Congressional Commission that the technical information that American companies provided China for its commercial satellite ended up improving Chinese intercontinental ballistic missile technology.[33] This was further aggravated in 2007 when China blew up a defunct meteorological satellite in low Earth orbit to test a ground-based anti-satellite (ASAT) missile. The debris created by the explosion contributed to the space junk that litter Earth's orbit, exposing other nations' space assets to the risk of accidental collision. The United States also fears the Chinese application of dual-use space technology for nefarious purposes. The U.S. imposed an embargo to the U.S. - China space cooperation throughout the 2000s and by 2011, a clause inserted by then-Congressman Frank Wolf in the 2011 U.S. federal budget forbids NASA from hosting or participating in a joint scientific activity with China. The Chinese response to the exclusion policy involved its own space policy of opening up its space station to the outside world, welcoming scientists coming from all countries. American scientists have also boycotted NASA conferences due to its rejection of Chinese nationals in these events.
China launches Tianhe module to Tiangong space station
Rendering of Tianhe core module with the robotic arm at docking position
Tianhe (Chinese: 天和; pinyin: Tiānhé; lit. 'Harmony of the Heavens'), officially the Tianhe core module (Chinese: 天和核心舱), is the first module to launch of the Tiangong space station. It was launched into orbit on 29 April 2021, as the first launch of the final phase of Tiangong program, part of the China Manned Space Program (Project 921).
Tianhe follows in the footsteps of Salyut, Skylab, Mir, International Space Station, Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2 space stations. It is the first module of a third-generation Chinese modular space station. Other examples of modular station projects include the Soviet/Russian Mir, Russian OPSEK, and the International Space Station. Operations will be controlled from the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center.
In 2018, a fullscale mockup of Tianhe was publicly presented at China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai. In October 2020, China selected 18 new astronauts ahead of the space station construction to participate in the country's space station project.
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