posted 10-20-2023 12:01 PM               

China prepares to launch Shenzhou-17 crewed spaceship

The combination of the Shenzhou-17 crewed spaceship and a Long March-2F carrier rocket was transferred to the launching area on Thursday (Oct. 19), the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said.

According to the CMSA, the facilities and equipment at the launch site are in good condition, and various pre-launch function checks and joint tests will be carried out as planned. The spaceship will be launched at an appropriate time in the near future.

posted 10-25-2023 09:19 AM               

China to launch Shenzhou-17 crewed space mission

The Shenzhou-17 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 11:14 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 26 (Beijing Time) [11:14 p.m. EDT Oct. 25] from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, announced the China Manned Space Agency on Wednesday.

Above: Chinese astronauts Tang Hongbo (at center), Tang Shengjie (at right) and Jiang Xinlin will carry out the Shenzhou-17 mission, with Tang Hongbo as the commander. (Xinhua)

Shenzhou-17 crew unveiled

Chinese astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie, and Jiang Xinlin will carry out the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceflight mission, and Tang Hongbo will be the commander.

• Tang Hongbo

  As the commander of the Shenzhou-17 mission, Tang Hongbo will be the first astronaut to return to China's space station.

  Tang joined the second batch of Chinese astronauts in 2010, and flied to space for the first time in the three-month Shenzhou-12 mission in June 2021, the first crewed mission for China's space station construction.

• Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin

  Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin are new comers to space. They joined China's third batch of astronauts in September 2020.

The crew will stay in orbit for about six months.

Main tasks

The Shenzhou-17 astronauts will perform various in-orbit space science and application payload tests and experiments.

They will carry out extravehicular activities, install extravehicular payloads and conduct space station maintenance and other tasks.

For the first time, the astronauts will do extravehicular experimental maintenance.

Extension module to be launched

China will launch an extension module at an appropriate time and upgrade the basic configuration of the space station from the current T shape to a cross shape.

The extension module will install space science experiment cabinets and large extra-vehicular experiment equipment in multiple fields with expanded application scale to meet the new needs of space science research and application.

Shenzhou-16 crew to return on Oct. 31

The Shenzhou-16 crew is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site on Oct. 31, after completing the in-orbit work handover to the Shenzhou-17 crew.

posted 10-25-2023 10:30 PM               

China launches Shenzhou-17 crew for a six-month stay on Tiangong space station

China has launched a new three-person crew to its space station, led by the first taikonaut to make a return visit to the orbiting outpost.

Tang Hongbo, who was a member of the Tiangong space station's first resident crew in 2012, lifted off as commander of China's Shenzhou-17 spacecraft on Wednesday (Oct. 25), together with first time fliers Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin. The three launched atop a Launch March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 11:14 p.m. EDT (0314 GMT or 11:14 a.m. Beijing Time on Oct. 26).

posted 10-26-2023 10:34 AM               

Shenzhou-17 docks, taikonauts enter space station

The three astronauts aboard China's Shenzhou-17 spaceship have entered the country's space station and met with another astronaut trio on Thursday, starting a new round of in-orbit crew handover.

The Shenzhou-16 crew opened the hatch at 7:34 p.m. (Beijing Time) [7:34 a.m. EDT (1134 GMT)]. The three space station occupants greeted the new arrivals, and they took group pictures.

Preceding the crew's arrival, Shenzhou-17 made a fast, automated rendezvous and docking with the front port of the space station's core module Tianhe at 5:46 p.m. Thursday (Beijing Time) [5:46 a.m. EDT (0946 GMT)]. The whole process took approximately 6.5 hours, said the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The space get-together of the two crews kicked off the third in-orbit crew rotation in China's space station.

According to the CMSA, the six astronauts will live and work together for about four days to complete planned tasks and handover work.

posted 12-21-2023 09:26 AM               

Shenzhou-17 crew completes first spacewalk

The Shenzhou-17 crew members on board China's orbiting space station completed their first spacewalk at 9:35 p.m. Beijing Time on Thursday Dec. 21 (8:35 a.m. EST or 1335 GMT), according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Commander Tang Hongbo completed his second extravehicular activity (EVA) and Tang Shengjie became China's youngest taikonaut to conduct an EVA. The spacewalk lasted approximately 7.5 hours.

Tang and Shengjie completed all of the tasks set out for them, including demonstrating a solar wing repair test outside the Tianhe core module.

posted 02-26-2024 07:15 PM               

Tang Hongbo becomes Chinese astronaut with longest spaceflight time

Tang Hongbo, a crew member on China's space station, has become the Chinese astronaut with the most spaceflight time, with a total of 215 days in orbit as of Monday (Feb. 26).

Tang was launched into space via the Shenzhou-17 spaceship, together with Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, on Oct. 26, 2023.

He completed a 92-day manned mission in 2021 via the Shenzhou-12 spaceship.

Of the 20 Chinese astronauts on the country's space missions, Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong have also racked up in-orbit stays of more than 200 days.

posted 03-02-2024 03:53 PM               

Shenzhou-17 crew completes in-orbit repairs during 2nd extravehicular activty

The Shenzhou-17 crew aboard China's orbiting space station carried out their second extravehicular mission on Saturday (March 2), the China Manned Space Agency has said.

Taikonauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin successfully completed all assigned tasks at 1:32 p.m. Beijing time (12:32 a.m. EST), after approximately eight hours of extravehicular activities. They worked together closely with the support of the space station's robotic arm and scientific researchers on Earth.

A spacewalk was conducted by Tang Hongbo and Jiang Xinlin, who have since returned safely to the Wentian lab module.

China launched the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship on Oct. 26, 2023. Its crew conducted a repair test in their first extravehicular mission on Dec. 21 last year.

During their second extravehicular mission, the three taikonauts completed maintenance work on the Tianhe core module's solar wings, addressing the impact of small space particles. According to the agency, the solar wing's power generation function is operating normally after evaluation and analysis.

It was the first time the taikonauts completed the in-orbit maintenance of extravehicular facilities. The Shenzhou-17 crew also inspected the status of the space station's modules during their spacewalk.

The three taikonauts are scheduled to carry out a variety of space science and technology experiments during the remainder of their space journey, the agency said.

posted 04-29-2024 08:20 PM               

Shenzhou-17 separates from space station

China's Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship separated from the country's space station combination at 8:43 a.m. Tuesday (April 30) Beijing Time (8:43 p.m. EDT Monday or 0043 GMT), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Three astronauts aboard, Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie, and Jiang Xinlin, are returning to Earth after staying in orbit for about half a year.

The CMSA said that prior to the separation, the Shenzhou-17 crew, with the assistance of the ground staff, completed various tasks such as setting the status of the space station combination, processing and transmitting the experimental data, and transferring remaining supplies, and then carried out handover work with the Shenzhou-18 crew.

posted 04-30-2024 10:18 AM               

Chinese astronauts return safely with six-month space station mission accomplished

The three Shenzhou-17 astronauts returned to Earth safely on Tuesday afternoon (April 30), after completing a six-month space station mission.

Shenzhou-17's return capsule, carrying astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 5:46 p.m. Beijing Time (5:46 a.m. EDT or 0946 GMT), and the crew all left the return capsule by 6:37 p.m. (6:37 a.m. EDT or 1037 GMT), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The three astronauts, after staying in orbit for 187 days, are all in good health and the Shenzhou-17 manned mission was a success, the CMSA said.

Tang Hongbo has accumulated a total of 279 days in space over the course of two missions, Shenzhou-12 and Shenzhou-17, setting a new record for the longest spaceflight duration by a Chinese astronaut. His experience has been invaluable to regular crew rotations and spaceflight mission training, according to the CMSA.

Above: Astronaut Tang Hongbo is out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Bei He)

"I am proud and honored for my motherland," the 48-year-old mission commander said, sitting in front of the capsule. "While completing my tasks, I missed my motherland and hometown very much."

Tang Shengjie, 34, who has just completed his first space trip and is the youngest astronaut to have entered China's space station, said that the six months had been a journey of learning and exploration, during which he gained a lot of valuable experience. "I believe that fulfilling my dream of flying into space was not an endpoint but a new start."

Above: Astronaut Tang Shengjie is out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Bei He)

Jiang, 36, who has also just finished his first spaceflight, said, "Now that I am back in the embrace of our motherland, my heart is filled with excitement. In the coming days, I will continue to work diligently on the recovery tasks and strive to return to space as soon as possible."

The return capsule separated from Shenzhou-17's orbital capsule at 4:56 p.m. (4:56 a.m. EDT or 0856 GMT). Then the brake engine ignited, and the return capsule separated from the propulsion capsule, the CMSA said.

Soon after the return capsule landed, the ground search team arrived at the landing site.

Above: Astronaut Jiang Xinlin is out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Lian Zhen)

China launched the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship on Oct. 26, 2023. It was the second crewed mission for the application and development stage of China's space station.

The Shenzhou-17 crew carried out 84 space application experiments and tests in orbit, and produced more than 200 samples covering multiple fields, including space life science and biotechnology, space medicine and space material science, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, at a press conference on April 24.

Scientists will conduct further in-depth analysis of and research on these samples, aiming to achieve significant scientific application results in areas such as the preparation of high-performance multivariant alloys and functional crystal materials, and the inhibition of bone loss through the differentiation of stem cells.

Above: The return capsule of the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship, carrying astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, touches down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Lian Zhen)

"In addition, the Shenzhou-17 mission also saw Chinese astronauts complete the first in-orbit maintenance of extravehicular facilities, fully showcasing the role of humans in addressing unforeseen issues encountered in space," Lin said.

The space station's core module, Tianhe, had previously suffered a partial loss of power supply due to the impact of space debris on the solar wing's power cables.

The Shenzhou-17 crew, in two extravehicular activities, completed maintenance work on the Tianhe core module's solar wings, solving the impact problem, according to Lin.