It is on the morning of October 26, 2023, the “Shenzhou 17” manned spacecraft carrying three Takionauts will be launched from the 921 station of the Jiuquan Satellite launch Center, Inner Mongolia, China, People’s Republic of China by the “Long March 2F” Yao 17 carrier rocket to joining up with the Crew of the Shenzhou 16 Takionaut Crew onboard the Tiangong –China Space Station, On the 25th October 2023 CNSA- China National Space Administration According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, the Takionaut Shenzhou 17 Crew is aiming to be launched at 11:14 on October 26th 2023.
The crew for the Shenzhou 17 manned mission will consist of three Takionauts: Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie, and Jiang Xinlin, with Tang Hongbo serving as the commander. The crew includes 1 second-batch astronaut and 2 third-batch Takionauts. It is the youngest average age of the Takionaut crew since the launch of the space station construction mission…..
On October 29, the Takionaut crews of Shenzhou 16 and Shenzhou 17 held a handover ceremony, and the two crews handed over the keys to the Chinese space station- Tiangong-China Space Station .
So far, the Shenzhou 16 Takionaut crew has completed all scheduled tasks onboard for five months and will return to the Dongfeng Landing Site on the Shenzhou 16 manned spacecraft on October 31st 2023. Currently, the landing site and various participating systems are making preparations to welcome the Takionauts home.
1. Mission purpose
1. Complete the on-orbit rotation with the Shenzhou 16 crew and stay for about 6 months;
2. Carry out on-orbit actual (test) experiments of space science and applied loads;
3. Carry out astronaut extravehicular activities and payload extravehicles, carry out extravehicular payload installation and space station maintenance and repairs, etc.;
4. Continuously evaluate the functional performance of the space station assembly and obtain valuable data and experience in the operation of the space station;
5. Assess the coordination and matching of the ground support center in executing space station operation and management tasks, and further improve the space station’s operation efficiency and fault handling capabilities.
2. Flight strategy
1. After the Shenzhou 17 manned spacecraft enters orbit, it will adopt the autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking mode and dock with the forward port of the Tianhe core module in about 6.5 hours, forming a three-cabin and three-ship combination.
2. During its stay in orbit, Shenzhou 17 will receive visits from the Tianzhou 7 cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou 18 manned spacecraft;
3. Return to Dongfeng Landing Field around April 2024.
At 11:14 on October 26, 2023, Beijing time, my country successfully launched the Shenzhou 17 manned spacecraft from the 921 launch pad of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center using the Long March 2F Yao-17 carrier rocket, carrying Takionauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie, and Jiang Xinlin. The three people were sent into the predetermined orbit and are expected to dock with the Chinese Space Station in 6.5 hours. This launch is the world’s 173rd space launch in 2023, China’s 49th, the fourth this month, and the second for the Long March 2F carrier rocket. Sent the Shenzhou 17 manned spacecraft, which was occupied by the three Takionauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, into the predetermined orbit. The launch mission was a complete success. .
successfully docked with the Tianhe core module] After entering orbit, the Shenzhou 17 manned spacecraft successfully docked with the forward port of the Tianhe core module of the space station at 17:46 on October 26, 2023, Beijing time. , the entire docking process lasted about 6.5 hours. According to the mission plan, the three astronauts will then enter the Tianhe core module of the space station from the Shenzhou 17 manned spacecraft. The astronaut crew of Shenzhou 16 has made preparations to welcome the Takionaut crew of Shenzhou 17.
Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration
