April 25, 2024

China’s First Space Station Crew is Back From Orbit

On Friday, Sept. 17th, three Chinese astronauts returned securely from space following a three-month stay aboard the new Tiangong spaceport station. This was a significant milestone for the Chinese Manned Space (CMS) program, which beats its previous record for the longest crewed objective to area. Whereas the Shenzhou 11 objective (2016) lasted 33 days, the crew of Tang Hongbo, Nie Haisheng, and Liu Boming spent an overall of 92 days in orbit.

The astronauts effectively landed in their Shenzou 12 pill at the Dongfeng Landing Site, located in the Gobi Desert in the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia. According to a statement released by the CMS, the astronauts securely were and left the capsule in great physical condition. They were then flown to Beijing on an objective plane, where they were welcomed by Li Shangfu, the commander of Chinas crewed space job and the project leaders.
The search and rescue group inspecting the Shenzhou 12 pill after the astronauts left the automobile. Credit: Xinhua
As the state-run Xinhua News Agency specified in a recent news release:
” Three Chinese astronauts, the first sent out to orbit for spaceport station construction, have actually completed their three-month objective and returned to Earth safely on Friday. The return pill of the Shenzhou-12 manned spaceship, carrying astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming, and Tang Hongbo, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north Chinas Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).”.
The three astronauts released in June and were the first of 4 planned crewed objectives to the station during the building period (which is expected to be total sometime in 2022). This was Chinas first crewed mission to space in 5 years and represented several turning points for the China National Space Administration (CNSA). For one, the astronauts carried out several crucial station-related tasks while aboard the station.
” During the orbiting flight, two astronaut out-of-vehicle activities were brought out, and a series of space science experiments and technical tests were carried out,” said the CMS in another declaration. “In orbit, the key technologies for the building and construction and operation of spaceport station such as rail repair work [sic] The total success of the Shenzhou 12 manned objective has actually laid a solid foundation for the building and operation of the subsequent area station.”.
The Shenzhou 12 area pill landing in the Gobi desert. Credit: Xinhua.
This mission was likewise the very first time personnel were dispatched from the Dongfeng Landing Field to perform a search and recovery mission involving a crewed spacecraft. Most importantly, this was the very first mission to the Tiangong (” Heavenly Palace”) area station considering that it was introduced in April of 2021. This third-generation habitat develops on the experiences gained from the Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2 stations.
The space station presently includes the Tianhe Core Module (” Harmony of the Heavens”), which will be augmented with the addition of the Laboratory Cabin Modules (LCMs). These include the Wentian (” Quest for the Heavens”) and Mengtian (” Dreaming of the Heavens”) modules, which are arranged to launch during the summer of 2022. China hopes to perform a complete variety of clinical experiments and research study in orbit when these are incorporated.
These activities are indicated to equal those that have actually been performed aboard the International Space Station (ISS), which has actually been in orbit for 22 years and is because of be decommissioned by 2024 at the earliest. While it is unclear if the Tiangong area station will stay in orbit that long (or after the ISS retires), it is clear that China plans to maintain a spaceport station in orbit indefinitely.
Further Reading: digitaltrends, Xinhua.
Like this: Like Loading …

On Friday, Sept. 17th, three Chinese astronauts returned securely from area following a three-month stay aboard the brand-new Tiangong area station. They were then flown to Beijing on an objective airplane, where they were welcomed by Li Shangfu, the leader of Chinas crewed space job and the task leaders.
The total success of the Shenzhou 12 manned mission has laid a strong foundation for the construction and operation of the subsequent space station.”.
Most importantly, this was the first mission to the Tiangong (” Heavenly Palace”) space station because it was introduced in April of 2021. The space station currently consists of the Tianhe Core Module (” Harmony of the Heavens”), which will be enhanced with the addition of the Laboratory Cabin Modules (LCMs).