posted 05-05-2013 08:34 PM               

China to launch Shenzhou 10 with three-person crew for space lab

China is expected to launch its fifth crewed spaceflight in June 2013 on the second and final manned mission to the Tiangong-1 prototype space lab.

China's Shenzhou 10 spacecraft will liftoff with three crew members, including, according to reports, a female "taikonaut," to dock with the orbiting module.

The spacecraft's carrier rocket, an advanced Long March 2-F, arrived at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on May 2, according to the state-run Xinhua news service.

Credit: Xinhua

Tiangong-1 was launched in September 2011. Two months later, the unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft demonstrated the nation's first rendezvous and docking capabilities.

In June 2012, the crewed Shenzhou 9 mission performed China's first piloted docking with the Tiangong-1 module.

posted 06-10-2013 09:16 AM               

China set to launch Shenzhou 10 mission

China's fifth crewed spaceflight, the Shenzhou 10 mission, will launch on Tuesday (June 11) at 4:38 a.m. CDT (0938 GMT; 5:38 p.m. Beijing Time), Chinese space program officials said Monday.

Credit: Xinhua

The three-member Shenzhou 10 crew, who were also announced on Monday, include Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping. Nie earlier flew on the 2005 Shenzhou 6 mission. Zhang and Wang are making their first spaceflight.

Wang is set to be China's second woman in space with this launch.

The 15-day mission will include two docking tests with the Tiangong-1 space lab module launched in 2011. While living on the prototype for China's planned space station, the crew will take part in medical and technical tests, as well speak with students in China.

"The launch ground and all control systems are ready. Astronauts are in good and stable condition," said Wu Ping, China's manned space program spokesperson, at a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Monday.

posted 06-11-2013 04:47 AM               

China launches Shenzhou 10 to prototype space station

China launched two men and a woman Tuesday (June 11) on the nation's fifth manned spaceflight and final planned mission to its first prototype space lab.

The Shenzhou 10 spacecraft lifted off at 5:38 a.m. EDT (0938 GMT; 5:38 p.m. Beijing Time) atop a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China's north central Gobi desert. Onboard the capsule were three Chinese astronauts ("yuhangyuan"), Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping.

"The Shenzhou 10 spacecraft has entered its orbit," chief commander of China's Manned Space Engineering Office Zhang Youxia said. "The crew is in fine state. I announce the launch of the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft successful."

posted 06-13-2013 02:03 AM               

Shenzhou 10 docks with Tiangong-1

China's Shenzhou 10 manned spacecraft successfully linked up with the country's prototype space station, the Tiangong-1 space module, two days after launching.

The spacecraft, with crew members Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang, Wang Yaping, completed an autonomous docking with Tiangong-1 on Thursday (June 13) at 1:18 a.m. EDT (0518 GMT; 1:18 p.m. Beijing Time).

The computer-guided rendezvous began three hours earlier at 10:48 p.m. EDT on Wednesday (0248 GMT Thursday). Shenzhou 10 made first contact with Tiangong-1 at 1:11 a.m. EDT (0511 GMT).

Haisheng, Xiaoguang and Yaping will next enter the space lab, where they will live and conduct a battery of medical and technical tests.

The Shenzhou 10 crew are slated to conduct a second rendezvous and docking test later in the 15-day mission, under manual, or piloted, control.

posted 06-13-2013 07:48 AM               

Shenzhou 10 crew enters Tiangong-1

China's Shenzhou 10 crew entered the Tiangong-1 space module on Thursday (June 13), three hours after docking their spacecraft at the "Heavenly Palace."

Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping opened the hatch to the prototype Chinese space station at 4:17 a.m. EDT (0817 GMT), after the spacecraft completed an automated docking procedure with the orbiting Tiangong-1 at 1:18 a.m. EDT (0518 GMT).

After a series of preparations, the three astronauts entered the orbital compartment of the Shenzhou 10 capule, took off their launch and entry pressure suits and changed into blue-colored jumpsuits. China's Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC) then gave the "go" to enter Tiangong-1 after ground verifying that the environmental conditions inside the space module were safe.

With the help of Zhang, Nie opened the hatch of Tiangong-1, then the three astronauts floated in, waving to a camera inside Tiangong-1.

Now on board, they will conduct a battery of scientific and technical experiments during the 15-day flight, in a bid to gather experience for a future space station.

The docking procedure was the fifth between a Shenzhou capsule and Tiangong-1. Previous dockings included two automated linkups with the unmanned Shenzhou 8 in 2011 and both an automated and manual, or piloted, docking by the manned Shenzhou 9 in 2012.

posted 06-25-2013 10:23 AM               

Shenzhou 10 undocks, flies around space lab before returning to Earth

China's Shenzhou 10 with its three-member crew will return to the Earth on Tuesday (June 25) around 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT or 8 a.m. Beijing time, June 26) after successfully conducting a fly-around and rendezvous test Tuesday with the Tiangong-1 module, officials at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center said.

The fly-around and rendezvous was China's first ever such test.

Following undocking from the Tiangong-1 at 7:05 p.m. EDT Monday (2305 GMT), the crewed Shenzhou 10 moved back to a point from where the spacecraft changed its orbit and flew around the prototype space station, the Xinhua state news service reported.

Under the command of ground controllers, Shenzhou 10 adjusted its orientation at a point behind Tiangong-1 ("Heavenly Palace"), and approached and rendezvoused with the module.

Shenzhou 10's separation from Tiangong-1 marked end of the space module's planned use. Tiangong-1 has orbited Earth since Sept. 29, 2011.

Earlier, the three astronauts, Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping, closed the hatch leading into Tiangong-1 and moved into to the return capsule of the Shenzhou 10 at around 5 p.m. EDT, after collecting experimental equipment and items inside the space lab.

Before leaving Tiangong-1, the three astronauts radioed and used sign language to express their thanks to their flight controllers.

Launched June 11, Shenzhou 10 docked twice with Tiangong-1 under automated and piloted control. In the 12 days spent on Tiangong-1, the astronauts conducted medical experiments, technical tests and delivered a lecture to students about the physics of microgravity.

posted 06-26-2013 07:52 AM               

China's Shenzhou 10 astronauts land after record-setting mission

Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth Tuesday night (June 25), two weeks after launching on the final flight to China's first prototype space station.

Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping landed aboard their Shenzhou 10 spacecraft at about 8:07 p.m. EDT (0007 GMT) on a sun-lit prairie in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, where it was 8:07 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

The two men and woman, who lifted off atop a Long March rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on June 11, crewed China's fifth manned space flight since 2003. After 15 days circling the Earth, they set a record for the longest mission by a Chinese crew.

See here for discussion about China's Shenzhou 10 mission to Tiangong-1.