Shenzhou 17

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Shenzhou 17
Shenzhou 17 atop a Long March 2F prior to launch
Mission typeTiangong space station crew transport
OperatorChina Manned Space Agency
COSPAR ID2023-164A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.58146Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration183 days, 8 hours and 53 minutes (in progress)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeShenzhou
ManufacturerChina Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Crew
Crew size3
MembersTang Hongbo
Tang Shengjie
Jiang Xinlin[1]
EVAs2
EVA duration15 hours 17 minutes
Start of mission
Launch date26 October 2023, 03:14:02 UTC[2]
RocketLong March 2F
Launch siteJiuquan, LA-4/SLS
ContractorChina Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
End of mission
Landing date30 April 2024, 09:40 UTC (planned)
Landing siteInner Mongolia, China
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination41.5°
Docking with Tiangong space station
Docking portTianhe forward
Docking date26 October 2023, 09:46 UTC[3]
Undocking date30 April 2024 (planned)
Time docked180 days (planned)
183 days, 2 hours and 21 minutes (in progress)

Jiang Xinlin, Tang Hongbo and Tang Shengjie 

Shenzhou 17 (Chinese: 神舟十七号; pinyin: Shénzhōu Shíqī-hào; lit. 'Divine Boat Number 17') is a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 26 October 2023. It carries three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission is the twelfth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the seventeenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.

As of October 2023, Shenzhou 17's crew is the youngest ever sent to the Tiangong space station, with an average age of only 38 years old.[4]

Background

Shenzhou 17 is the sixth spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, and is expected to last approximately six months.

The spacecraft entered the launch area in April 2023, prior to launch was maintained in a state of near-readiness if needed as a lifeboat for the Shenzhou 16 crew.[5]

The crew of Shenzhou 17 was announced on 25 October 2023.[1]

Mission

The flight launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on 26 October 2023 at 09:46 UTC, near the end of the Shenzhou 16 mission. Approximately 6.5 hours after launch, the spacecraft docked with the Tianhe core module's forward docking port.

Following docking, the crew entered the station and were greeted by the crew of Shenzhou 16, with whom they would share a four-day overlap between the two missions prior to Shenzhou 16's departure. The two crews sent a televised message to Mission Control as part of a handover ceremony, which was also livestreamed by Chinese national television broadcaster CCTV.[6]

Spacewalks

On 21 December 2023 BJT, the first scheduled spacewalk of Shenzhou 17 was carried out by Tang Hongbo and Tang Shengjie through the airlock of the Wentian lab module. Tasks included a repair test of the Tianhe core module's solar panels, which have sustained minor damage caused by impacts of space debris and micrometeoroids. The spacewalk lasted for 7 hours and 25 minutes.[7]

On 2 March 2024 BJT, the second scheduled spacewalk of Shenzhou 17 was carried out by Tang Hongbo and Jiang Xinlin through the airlock of the Wentian lab module. Tasks included maintenance of the solar panels of the Tianhe core module, evaluation and analysis of the performance status of the solar panel power generation and also inspection of the status of the space station modules. The spacewalk lasted for 7 hours and 52 minutes.[8]

Crew

Position Crew member
Commander China Tang Hongbo, CMSA
Second spaceflight
Operator China Tang Shengjie, CMSA
First spaceflight
System Operator China Jiang Xinlin, CMSA
First spaceflight

The crew of Shenzhou 17 is the youngest to fly to the Tiangong space station, with Commander Tang Hongbo being 48 and taikonauts Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin being 34 and 35 respectively at the time of the flight.[6] Tang Hongbo is also the first person to visit the station twice, having previously flown to Tiangong on Shenzhou 12.[1] Tang Shengjie is also the youngest taikonaut to perform a spacewalk.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "China unveils Shenzhou-17 crew for space station mission-Xinhua". english.news.cn. 2023-10-25. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  2. ^ China 'N Asia Spaceflight [@CNSpaceflight] (October 19, 2023). "Long March 2F Y17 with Shenzhou-17 on the top has been rolled out to the launch pad in Jiuquan. The launch of 3 astronauts is expected to happen on October 26" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ^ "China's Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship docks with space station combination-Xinhua". english.news.cn. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  4. ^ Massey, Scott (2023-10-26). "Shenzhou-17 launch: China has sent its youngest-ever astronaut crew to the Tiangong space station". CNN. Archived from the original on 21 November 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  5. ^ Jones, Andrew (2023-05-29). "China launches 3 astronauts to Tiangong space station on Shenzhou 16 spacecraft (video)". Space.com. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  6. ^ a b Wall, Mike (2023-10-26). "China's Shenzhou 17 astronauts arrive at Tiangong space station (video)". Space.com. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  7. ^ a b "Shenzhou-17 crew completes first spacewalk – China Military". eng.chinamil.com.cn. 2023-12-22. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  8. ^ "Shenzhou-17 crew completes in-orbit repairs during 2nd extravehicular mission". Xinhua. 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
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