China Launches Manned Spaceship Shenzhou-18
China launched a manned spaceship into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The Long March-2F carrier rocket blasted off the Shenzhou-18 spacecraft with three Chinese astronauts on board.
Key Details of the Mission
- The space mission is China’s first manned mission this year and the 32nd manned flight so far.
- The flight is scheduled to reach the Tiangong space station 6.5 hours after launch.
Astronauts and Mission Objectives
The three Chinese astronauts on board are Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu, all born in the 1980s. They will stay at the China Space Station for six months and return to the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in October this year.
The astronauts will carry out six cargo outbound deliveries via the station’s cargo airlock module and implement two to three extravehicular activities (EVAs).
Mission Goals and Research
The mission aims to install space debris protection reinforcements and conduct extravehicular inspections to safeguard the safety of the China Space Station. Experimental equipment and related samples will be taken to space, including the country’s first in-orbit aquatic ecological research project.
The project involves establishing a self-cycling aquatic ecosystem in orbit using zebrafish and hornwort. Additionally, the mission includes the world’s first in-orbit stem cell study on plant stem tips to understand plant evolutionary adaptation to gravity and support space cropping.
Development of Tiangong Space Station
China began constructing its Tiangong space station in 2021 and completed the T-shaped facility in late 2022. The space station has been hosting crews of three astronauts for six-month periods since then.
