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Home » The Chinese Space Station is Launched into Orbit by the Shenzhou-16 Mission

The Chinese Space Station is Launched into Orbit by the Shenzhou-16 Mission

China launches Shenzhou-16 mission to Chinese space station

China launches Shenzhou-16 mission to Chinese space station

China has successfully launched three astronauts to its fully operational space station as part of crew rotation, marking the fifth manned mission to the Chinese space outpost since 2021. The spacecraft, named Shenzhou-16, which means “Divine Vessel”, and its three passengers lifted off atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert in northwest China at 9:31 a.m. on Tuesday. The astronauts on Shenzhou-16 will replace the three-member crew of the Shenzhou-15, who arrived at the space station late in November.

The space station, comprising three modules, was completed at the end of last year after 11 crewed and uncrewed missions since April 2021. China has already announced plans to expand its permanently inhabited space outpost, with the next module slated to dock with the current T-shaped space station to create a cross-shaped structure.

Leading the Shenzhou-16 mission was Jing Haipeng, 56, a senior spacecraft pilot from China’s first batch of astronaut trainees in the late 1990s, who had travelled to space three times before, including two trips as mission commander. Jing flew with Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao, both 36, and part of China’s third batch of astronauts. The mission is Zhu’s and Gui’s first spaceflight. Former military university professor Zhu will serve as spaceflight engineer while Gui, a professor at Beihang University, will serve as the payload specialist on the mission, managing science experiments at the space station.

Beijing is expected to launch one more crewed mission to the orbiting outpost this year. Also by the end of 2023, China is due to launch a space telescope the size of a large bus. Known as Xuntian, or “Surveying the Heavens” in Chinese, the orbital telescope will boast a field of view 350 times wider than that of the Hubble Space Telescope, which was launched 33 years ago.

FAQs

What is China’s space station?

China’s space station is a human-made structure in space that is designed to support astronauts and experiments in order to advance scientific research and exploration. The space station is made up of three modules and is set to expand in the future.

How many manned missions has China had to its space station?

China has had five manned missions to its space station since 2021.

Who are the astronauts on China’s Shenzhou-16 mission?

The Shenzhou-16 mission is led by Jing Haipeng, a senior spacecraft pilot from China’s first batch of astronaut trainees. He is joined by Zhu Yangzhu, a former military university professor who will serve as spaceflight engineer, and Gui Haichao, a professor at Beihang University who will serve as the payload specialist on the mission.

What is China’s next space mission?

Beijing is expected to launch one more crewed mission to the orbiting outpost this year. Additionally, by the end of 2023, China is set to launch a space telescope the size of a large bus, known as Xuntian, or “Surveying the Heavens” in Chinese.

China launches Shenzhou-16 mission to Chinese space station
China launches Shenzhou-16 mission to Chinese space station

Shenzhou-16 mission by China set to launch towards its space station

China has successfully sent three astronauts to its fully operational space station as part of a crew rotation mission. The Shenzhou-16 spacecraft, nicknamed the “Divine Vessel,” and its passengers lifted off atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert in northwest China at 9:31 a.m. According to state media, the three astronauts will be replacing the crew of Shenzhou-15, who arrived at the space station late last November. The space station, which comprises of three modules, was completed in 2022 after 11 crewed and uncrewed missions since April 2021. Following the launch of the first module, China has announced plans to expand its permanently inhabited space outpost by creating a cross-shaped structure with the addition of a new module. Leading the Shenzhou-16 mission is Jing Haipeng, a senior spacecraft pilot, who has traveled to space three times before, including two trips as mission commander. Jing will fly with two other astronauts, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao, both part of China’s third batch of astronauts. Beijing is expected to launch one more crewed mission to the orbiting outpost this year, and also plans to launch a space telescope called Xuntian, or “Surveying the Heavens” in Chinese, by the end of 2023. The telescope will boast a field of view 350 times wider than that of the Hubble Space Telescope.

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