posted 04-24-2024 11:34 PM               

China to launch Shenzhou-18 crewed space mission

The Shenzhou-18 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 8:59 p.m. Thursday, April 25 (Beijing Time) [8:59 a.m. EDT or 1459 GMT] from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, announced the China Manned Space Agency on Wednesday.

The spaceship will carry three astronauts — Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu — to carry out the Shenzhou-18 spaceflight mission, and Ye will be the commander, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, at a press conference.

Above: Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu (at center), Li Cong (at right) and Li Guangsu will carry out the Shenzhou-18 mission, with Ye as the commander. (Xinhua)

Shenzhou-18 is the 32nd flight mission of China's manned space program, and the third manned mission during the application and development stage of China's space station.

The crew will stay in orbit for about six months, and they are scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in late October this year.

The launch will use a Long March-2F carrier rocket, Lin said.

The Shenzhou-17 crew is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site on April 30 after completing the in-orbit work handover to the Shenzhou-18 crew, Lin added.

posted 04-25-2024 08:07 AM               

China launches Shenzhou-18 crew for six-month stay on Tiangong space station

China has launched a new mission to its space station, including three taikonauts and a school of aquatic "crewmates."

Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu lifted off on China's Shenzhou-18 spacecraft on Thursday (April 25), together with a group of zebrafish as part of their country's first in-orbit underwater research project. The crew rode atop a Long March-2F rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 8:59 a.m. EDT (1259 GMT or 8:59 p.m. Beijing Time).

posted 04-25-2024 10:11 PM               

Shenzhou-18 docks, astronauts enter space station

The three astronauts aboard China's Shenzhou-18 spaceship have entered the country's space station and met with another astronaut trio on Friday (April 26), starting a new round of in-orbit crew handover.

The Shenzhou-17 crew opened the hatch at 5:04 a.m. Beijing Time (5:04 p.m. EDT or 2104 GMT on April 25). The three space station occupants greeted the new arrivals, and they took group pictures.

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

According to the China Manned Space Agency, the six astronauts will live and work together for about five days to complete planned tasks and handover work.

The Shenzhou 18 spacecraft docked with the radial port of the space station's core module Tianhe at 3:32 a.m. Beijing Time (3:32 p.m. EDT or 1932 GMT on April 25), approximately 6.5 hours after launch.