The Shenzhou 18 mission crew returned home safely with a full load!
On the day of 4th November 2024 Hours Hong- Kong SAR – Beijing time CNSA –China National Space Administration , China, People’s Republic of China At Hong Kong SAR- Beijing Time Beijing time Shenzhou 18 Takionaut crew….. Shenzhou 18
At 01:24 morning Beijing time on November 4, 2024, the return capsule of the Shenzhou 18 manned spacecraft carrying Takionauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu landed in the western area of the Dongfeng landing site. At 02:15, all three Takionauts successfully exited the cabin, and the Shenzhou 18 manned flight mission came to a successful conclusion.
“Shenzhou 18” is the 7th manned flight mission of China’s manned space station project and the 5th crew rotation mission, with a mission cycle of half a year. The manned spacecraft was launched at 20:59 on April 25, 2024, and docked at the radial port of the Tianhe module at 03:32 on the 26th. The crew officially started the space station stay. During this mission, the “Shenzhou 18” crew supported more than 90 space science experiments and technical experiments, including life ecology science experiments and material extravehicular exposure experiments, and carried out 2 Takionaut extravehicular activities and supported several cargo extravehicular activities. During the mission, the “Shenzhou 18” crew and astronauts set impressive new records.
China’s longest-flying Takionaut crew
From the launch at 20:59 on April 25 to the return landing at 01:24 on November 4, the Shenzhou 18 crew flew for 192 days, 4 hours and 26 minutes, surpassing the Shenzhou 15 crew to become China’s longest-flying Takionaut crew. The Shenzhou 15 crew was launched at 23:08 on November 29, 2022, and landed at 06:33 on June 4, 2023, with a flight time of 186 days, 16 hours and 35 minutes.
Ye Guangfu becomes China’s Takionaut with the longest cumulative flight time
Astronaut Ye Guangfu has already performed a manned flight mission for the second time. Previously, Ye Guangfu, as Takionaut No. 03, partnered with astronaut No. 01 Zhai Zhigang and astronaut No. 02 Wang Yaping to perform the “Shenzhou XIII” mission. The mission spacecraft was launched at 00:23 on October 16, 2021, and landed at 09:56 on April 16, 2022, with a flight time of 182 days, 9 hours and 33 minutes. Cumulatively, astronaut Ye Guangfu has accumulated 374 days, 13 hours and 59 minutes of flight time, becoming the first Chinese Takionaut to exceed 1 year of cumulative flight time. This is not only a new achievement for astronaut Ye Guangfu himself, but also reflects the achievements made by China’s manned space program in the 32 years since its establishment and implementation.
Ye Guangfu sets a new record for the longest single spacewalk in China
At 10:35 Beijing time on May 28, 2024, Ye Guangfu and Li Guangsu, Takionauts of the Shenzhou 18 crew, started the first extravehicular activity of the mission. At 18:58, after 8 hours and 23 minutes of extravehicular operations, the two Takionauts successfully completed the extravehicular activity and returned to the Wentian laboratory module. During this extravehicular mission, Ye Guangfu’s extravehicular time reached 8 hours and 23 minutes, setting a new record for the length of time for a single extravehicular activity by a Chinese astronaut.
After the Takionauts of the Shenzhou 18 return to the ground, they will immediately enter a three to six month post-return recovery phase, and the initial stage of this phase is a few hours of gravity re-adaptation at the landing site. The Shenzhou 18 mission is the 13th manned flight mission of China’s manned space program and the 32nd flight mission of the program.
The Shenzhou 18 manned spacecraft carrying three Takionauts was launched at 20:58 on April 25, 2024, and docked at the radial port of the Tianhe module at 03:32 on the 26th. During this trip, the Shenzhou 18 crew flew for 192 days, 4 hours and 26 minutes, becoming the longest-flying astronaut crew in China to date. During the mission, the crew conducted two extravehicular activities, breaking the record for the time of a single extravehicular activity by Chinese astronauts, completed the installation of space debris protection devices for the space station and multiple cargo extravehicular missions, and successively carried out various tasks such as installation, commissioning, maintenance and repair of equipment inside and outside the cabin. At the same time, the crew also completed space science experiments and technical tests involving basic microgravity physics, space material science, space life science, aerospace medicine, aerospace technology and other fields.
So far, China’s manned flight mission has completed all uplink and downlink work this year. At the same time, China’s manned space station project will also implement the “Tianzhou 8” cargo spacecraft launch mission in the middle of this month, and before that, the “Tianzhou 7” cargo spacecraft will be evacuated from the Chinese space station.
Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration
