Beijing, 25 April 2024, (GNP): The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced the launch of the Shenzhou-18 crewed spacecraft on Thursday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
At 8:59 p.m. Beijing Time, a Long March-2F carrier rocket launched the Shenzhou-18 spacecraft, carrying three Chinese astronauts.
Approximately 10 minutes later, the spacecraft separated from the rocket and entered its intended orbit.
The spacecraft is set to autonomously perform rapid rendezvous and docking maneuvers with the space station. During their mission, the Shenzhou-18 crew will alternate in-orbit duties with the Shenzhou-17 crew.
This mission marks China’s inaugural manned trip to the space station in 2024, the third since the station’s application and development phase began, the nation’s 32nd manned spaceflight overall, and the 518th flight mission of the Long March series rockets.
This mission signifies China’s 13th manned spaceflight since the initiation of the manned space program and marks the first crewed mission to the China Space Station in 2024.
The three-member crew is planned to reside at the China Space Station for approximately six months before returning to the Dongfeng landing site in late October, situated in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu form the Shenzhou-18 crew. Ye previously participated in China’s Shenzhou-13 mission.
Both Li Cong and Li Guangsu belong to China’s third group of astronauts, and this mission marks their debut spaceflight. All three were born in the 1980s.
Throughout their stay in orbit, the Shenzhou-18 crew will receive supplies from the Tianzhou-8 cargo ship and the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship.
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The Shenzhou-18 crew will conduct six cargo outbound deliveries using the station’s cargo airlock module and undertake two to three extravehicular activities (EVAs).
During these EVAs, the astronauts will install space debris protection reinforcements for extravehicular piping, cables, and critical equipment.
They will also perform extravehicular inspections as needed to enhance the safety of the China Space Station, as announced by the CMSA on Wednesday.
The crew will utilize scientific experiment cabinets and extravehicular payloads to conduct over 90 experiments spanning basic physics in microgravity, space material science, space life science, space medicine, and space technology.
“The world’s first in-orbit stem cell study on theplant’s stem tips will be made to reveal themechanism of plant evolutionary adaptationto gravity and provide theoretical support forspace cropping,” Lin added.