The Chinese have launched their fifth crewed space mission on Tuesday via the Shenzhou-10 mission. The launch of the Long March 2F/G rocket was on schedule at 09:38 UTC, taking place from Pad 921 at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center’s LC43 Launch Complex.
Shenzhou-10:
This new space chapter for the Chinese represents the final occupation of the Tiangong-1 space module and the launch of the second female “yu hang yuan” – the Chinese term for astronaut, as opposed to the more commonly used “taikonaut”. The three member crew comprises of part of Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping.
The 15 day mission will be highlighted by the docking to the Tiangong-1 unmanned space module, which was launched on September 29, 2011. The experimental space laboratory was involved with the rendezvous and docking test with Shenzhou-8 in November, 2011 – as well as testing the technologies for the future construction, management and operation of a space station.
Should the mission go to plan, Shenzhou-10 should dock with Tiangong-1 on June 13. The two spacecraft will remain docked for a period of 12 days which will include a second re-docking test, after which Shenzhou-10 will return to Earth on June 26.
Preparations For Launch:
Following the launch of Tiangong-1, Chinese space officials noted the space module would be visited by three Shenzhou spacecrafts, during one unmanned and two manned missions. The Shenzhou-8 unmanned mission was eventually launched on October 31, 2011, automatically docking for the first time on November 3 and then again on November 14, before returning to Earth on November 17.
The successes paved the way for the crewed Shenzhou-9 mission, which was launched on June 16, 2012, with a crew comprising of Jing Haipeng, Liu Wang and Liu Yang – the first female taikonaut. Shenzhou-9 executed the first crewed docking – in automatic mode – with Tiangong-1 on June 18.
After a six day stay on the orbital module, the crew entered Shenzhou-9 on June 24 and separated from the vehicle, redocking some minutes later in manual mode. After a second stay on board Tiangong-1, the three member crew returned to Earth on June 29, 2012.
During the Shenzhou-9 mission the Party secretary of CALT, Liang Xiaohong, noted Shenzhou-10 was ready to launch at any time. It was then reported the mission would take place at the end of 2012 or early 2013, with a duration of around 20 days. In middle November Tiangong-1′s orbit was raised in twice in two days. With this, observers of the Chinese space program conclude that Shenzhou-10 mission would only take place in 2013.
During a conference in Shanghai in October, Yang Liwei, the first Chinese taikonaut noted that the three person crew of Shenzhou.10 would mainly be composed of spaceflight veterans and that a female member was not ruled out. Also, the final choice on the prime crew had yet to be made and that selection would be made in early 2013.
Shortly after the Shanghai conference, Xinhua news agency reported that Chinese astronauts were training in manual space docking techniques and receiving physical training to prepare for the next mission of the country’s manned space program.
China’s Manned Space Engineering Office vice-director Niu Hongguang then confirmed Shenzhou-10 was going to be launched in early June 2013 on a 15 day mission and would be manned by a crew of three probably composed by two man and a woman. The mission would have back-up launch windows in July and August.
On February 18 CALT revealed that the Long March 2F/G launch vehicle had completed the assembly and the factory testing phases, followed in March by the news Shenzhou-10 had passed its system review. Launch vehicle and spacecraft underwent integration processing on April 10 – with the electrical testing of the spacecraft ranging from April 16 to May 6.
The Yuanwang-III and Yuanwang-VI tracking ships left home port on April 16 as part of the preparations for the launch, while the launch vehicle departed the Beijing plant on April 29 by train, arriving to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on May 2.
On May 9, the assembly of the CZ-2F launch vehicle began, followed by the May 18 Launch Readiness Review (LRR). The spaceccraft was fuelled on May 23. Around this time, the landing site recovery team was already stationed on the Mongolian grasslands for a full dress rehearsal simulation.
On May 21, Tiangong-1′s orbit was lowered for the final time before the mission, while a rescue drill of the coast of Shanghai that simulated an emergency water landing for Shenzhou.
After the launch of Tiangong-1, the Beijing Special Engineering Design and Research Institute, the main designer of the launch system used at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, renovated and upgraded the equipment at the launch site. The new equipment dramatically increased the reliability of satellite launches and greatly shortened the launch time preparation.
On June 2, the fairing with the Shenzhou-10 was transported to the launcher assembly and integration building for stacking on the rocket’s third stage, with the launch vehicle rolled out to the pad on the morning of June 3. Once at the pad, Chinese technicians started a series of functional tests on the spacecraft, along with their version of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT), which was classed as a success.The 72 hour countdown began on June 7.
The crew:
China finally revealed the names of the prime crew as Nie Haisheng (Commander), Zhang Xiaoguan (Operator) and Wang Yaping (Laboratory Assistant) – the three taikonauts that had served as the back-up crew for Shenzhou-9. The Chinese did not reveal the back-up crew for this mission, but unofficial Chinese sources point to Liu Boming (Commander), Panzhan Chun (Operator) and Deng Qingming (Laboratory Assistant).
Born on October 13, 1964 in Zaoyang, Yangdang Hubei province, Nie Haisheng is the Commander of Shenzhou-10. He is a fighter pilot in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), selected to taikonaut in January 1998. On his PLAAF training, Nie Haisheng assumed the tasks of Flight Squadron Commander, Deputy Commander and Master Navigator, graduating in 1987. He reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel on the PLAAF.
In 1998, he was selected for the Chinese spaceflight program and was one of three candidates selected for the final training group for the first Chinese manned spaceflight, Shenzhou-5. Eventually, Yang Liwei was selected to be the first Chinese in space, while Zhai Zhigang was his back-up and Nie Haisheng the second back-up.
Nir Haisheng first space flight took place between October 12 and 16, 2005. Together with Fei Junlong, Nie Haisheng manned the Shenzhou-6 on the first two person flight of the Shenzhou capsule in a mission that lasted four days, 19 hours, 32 minutes and 46 seconds. He is married to Nie Jielin and they have a daughter.
Debut taikonaut Zhang Xiaoguang was born on May 1966 in the Liaoning province. He was selected as a taikonaut in January 1998 after joining the PLAAF where he was a Squadron Commander, having accumulated more than 1,000 hours of flight time.
Born on January 27, 1980 in Yantai, Shandong province, Wang Yaping is the second Chinese woman to fly in space. She was a cargo plane pilot before being selected to the taikonaut team in March 2010. She was a Captain in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. Wang Yaping was an Air Force cadet at the age of 17 and became part of the seventh batch of female pilots to fly four kinds of aircraft.
She participated in several readiness exercises such as the Wenchuan earthquake relief operations, and the “cloud extinction operations” during the Beijing Olympics to create less rain. In May 2009 she passed the selection process to become China’s first female astronaut...
