Shenzhou 11

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Shenzhou 11
神舟十一号
Tiangong 2 - Shenzhou 11 paper model.png
Mockup of Shenzhou 11 spacecraft (right) docking with the Tiangong-2 (left)
Operator China National Space Administration (CNSA)
COSPAR ID 2016-061A OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
SATCAT no. 41812 OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Mission duration32 days, 6 hours and 29 minutes
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type Shenzhou
Manufacturer CASC
Crew
Crew size2
Members Jing Haipeng
Chen Dong
Start of mission
Launch date16 October 2016, 23:30 UTC
Rocket Long March 2F
Launch site Jiuquan LA-4/SLS
End of mission
Landing date18 November 2016, 05:59 UTC
Landing site Inner Mongolia
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Docking with Tiangong-2
Docking date18 October 2016, 17:24 UTC
Undocking date17 November 2016, 4:41 UTC
Shenzhou 11 Crew Montage.jpg
(L-R) Haipeng and Dong

Shenzhou 11 was a crewed spaceflight of the Shenzhou program of China, launched on 17 October 2016 (16 October UTC) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. [1] It was China's sixth crewed space mission, at 33 days, [2] it was the longest until the follow-up Shenzhou 12 mission which lasted 3 months. Two days after launch, it docked with the Tiangong-2 space laboratory, which had been launched on 15 September 2016. [1] [3] [4] Shenzhou 11 was the first and only expedition and mission to Tiangong-2 in this portion of the Tiangong program.

Contents

Crew

The crew consisted of two taikonauts. [1] [5] Commander Jing celebrated his 50th birthday while in orbit. [6]

Position Crew member
Commander Jing Haipeng Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
Third spaceflight
Operator Chen Dong Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
First spaceflight
Back-up crew
Position Crew member
CommanderTBA, PLAAC
Operator Deng Qingming, PLAAC

The mission selected two crew instead of three to extend supplies to increase mission length for their long duration stay. [7]

Mission

The Shenzhou 11 launched at 07:30 on 17 October 2016 local time (23:30 UTC on 16 October) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center using a Long March 2F launch rocket. [1]

The mission's main objective was to rendezvous and dock with the Tiangong-2 space laboratory and gain experience from a 30-day residence, [5] and to test its life-support systems. [1]

In the two days after the launch, it changed its orbit five times to arrive 52 kilometres behind the Tiangong-2 space lab. It autonomously rendezvoused and docked with Tiangong-2 at 3:24 p.m. EDT on 18 October 2016, while both spacecraft were at an altitude of 393 km (244 mi). [4]

The crew landed successfully after the 33-day mission on 18 November 2016. The reentry module of the Shenzhou 11 spacecraft landed in Dorbod Banner, Inner Mongolia around 2:15 p.m. (China time) after undocking from the space lab on 17 November. [8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "China's Shenzhou 11 blasts off on space station mission". BBC News. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  2. ↑ Perlez, Jane (16 October 2016). "China Astronauts to Attempt Nation's Longest Space Mission". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  3. ↑ de Selding, Peter B. (20 June 2016). "China prepares assembly of its space station, invites collaboration through U.N." SpaceNews. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  4. 1 2 Wall, Mike (19 October 2016). "Chinese Astronauts Dock with Tiangong-2 Space Lab". Space.com. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  5. 1 2 Huang, Jin (8 March 2016). "Why will Shenzhou-11 carry only two astronauts to space?". People's Daily. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "China launches longest manned space mission". Reuters. 16 October 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  7. ↑ Clark, Michael (19 October 2016). "Shenzhou 11 and Tiangong 2". Space Pod. TMRO. Retrieved 25 June 2021– via YouTube.
  8. ↑ Griffiths, James (18 November 2016). "Shenzhou-11 astronauts return home after China's longest-ever space mission". CNN. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
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