Shenzhou 18

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Shenzhou 18
Liftoff of Shenzhou 18.
Mission typeTiangong space station crew transport
OperatorChina Manned Space Agency
COSPAR ID2024-078A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.59591Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration190 days (planned)
188 days and 12 hours (in progress)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeShenzhou
ManufacturerChina Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Crew
Crew size3
MembersYe Guangfu
Li Cong
Li Guangsu
Start of mission
Launch date25 April 2024, 12:59:00 UTC (20:59 CST)[1]
RocketLong March 2F
Launch siteJiuquan, LA-4/SLS-1
ContractorChina Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
End of mission
Landing dateNovember 2024 (planned)
Landing siteInner Mongolia, China
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination41.5°
Docking with Tiangong space station
Docking portTianhe nadir
Docking date25 April 2024, 19:32 UTC
Undocking dateNovember 2024 (planned)
Time docked188 days, 5 hours and 27 minutes (in progress)

Li Guangsu, Li Cong and Ye Guangfu

Shenzhou 18 (Chinese: 神舟十八号; pinyin: Shénzhōu Shíbā-hào; lit. 'Divine Boat Number 18') is a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 25 April 2024. It carried three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission is the thirteenth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the eighteenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.[2]

Background

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Shenzhou 18 is the seventh flight to the Tiangong space station, and is expected to last approximately 6 months. It will depart following the arrival of the Shenzhou 19 crew.

The crew of Shenzhou 18 was announced on April 24, 2024.[3]

Mission

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The mission launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on board a Long March 2F rocket on 25 April 2024 at 12:59:00 UTC (20:59 China Standard Time), near the end of the Shenzhou 17 mission. Approximately 6.5 hours after launch, the spacecraft docked at the nadir port of the station's Tianhe core module.[4]

Spacewalks

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On 28 May 2024, Ye Guangfu and Li Guangsu carried out China's longest spacewalk to date, exiting the airlock of the Wentian lab module and spending approximately 8.5 hours installing space debris protection shields and inspecting the exterior of the station.[5]

Another spacewalk was conducted on 3 July 2024, during which Ye Guangfu and Li Cong installed further space debris protection shields on pipelines, cables, and other equipment.[6]

Return

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Shenzhou 18 is scheduled to return to Earth on November 4, 2024.[7]

Crew

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Position Crew member
Commander China Ye Guangfu, PLAAC
Second spaceflight
Operator China Li Cong, PLAAC
First spaceflight
Science Operator China Li Guangsu, PLAAC
First spaceflight

Commander Ye Guangfu is the second person to visit the station twice, having previously flown to Tiangong on Shenzhou 13.[3]

References

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  1. ^ https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1797311647459199760
  2. ^ Jones, Andrew (2023-11-22). "China's next cargo spacecraft arrives at launch site ahead of early 2024 liftoff". Space.com. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  3. ^ a b "China unveils Shenzhou-18 crew for space station mission". Xinhua. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  4. ^ "神舟十八号｜神舟十八号载人飞船与空间站组合体完成自主快速交会对接" [Shenzhou 18 | Shenzhou 18 manned spacecraft and space station complex complete autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking] (in Chinese). Xinhua. 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  5. ^ Wall, Mike (28 May 2024). "Chinese astronauts perform record-breaking spacewalk outside Tiangong space station (video)". Space.com. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Shenzhou-18 taikonauts complete second spacewalk-Xinhua". english.news.cn. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  7. ^ https://english.news.cn/20241029/aff3a26debee4600a364976e608ea5ae/c.html
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