Shenzhou 18 (Chinese: 神舟十八号; pinyin: Shénzhōu Shíbā-hào; lit. 'Divine Boat Number 18') was 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 was the thirteenth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the eighteenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.[2]
 Liftoff of Shenzhou 18. | |
| Mission type | Tiangong space station crew transport |
|---|---|
| Operator | China Manned Space Agency |
| COSPAR ID | 2024-078A |
| SATCAT no. | 59591 |
| Mission duration | 192 days, 4 hours and 25 minutes |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Shenzhou |
| Manufacturer | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 3 |
| Members | Ye Guangfu Li Cong Li Guangsu |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 25 April 2024, 12:59:00 UTC (20:59 CST)[1] |
| Rocket | Long March 2F |
| Launch site | Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS-1 |
| Contractor | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 3 November 2024, 17:24 UTC |
| Landing site | Inner Mongolia, China |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 41.5° |
| Docking with Tiangong space station | |
| Docking port | Tianhe nadir |
| Docking date | 25 April 2024, 19:32 UTC |
| Undocking date | 3 November 2024, 08:12 UTC |
| Time docked | 191 days, 12 hours and 40 minutes |
 Li Guangsu, Li Cong and Ye Guangfu | |
The three crew members in this mission contributed to breaking the record for the most people (19) simultaneously in orbit, set after the Soyuz MS-26 mission launched on 11 September with its three crew members, along with the four crew members of the private Polaris Dawn mission launched on 10 September, and the nine crew members on the International Space Station.
Background
editShenzhou 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
editThe 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
editOn 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
editShenzhou 18 successfully returned to Earth at 17:24 UTC on November 3, 2024.[7]
Crew
edit| Position | Crew member | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander |  Ye Guangfu, PLAACSecond spaceflight | |
| Operator | Li Cong, PLAAC First spaceflight | |
| Science Operator | 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
edit- ^ https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1797311647459199760
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "China unveils Shenzhou-18 crew for space station mission". Xinhua. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Wall, Mike (28 May 2024). "Chinese astronauts perform record-breaking spacewalk outside Tiangong space station (video)". Space.com. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ "Shenzhou-18 taikonauts complete second spacewalk-Xinhua". english.news.cn. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
- ^ https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/chinas-shenzhou-18-astronauts-return-to-earth-today-after-6-months-in-space
