Congratulations! The Shenzhou 17 manned spacecraft was launched successfully

On October 26, the Long March 2F Yao 17 carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou 17 manned spacecraft was ignited and launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Gang

According to Xinhua News Agency, the Shenzhou 17 manned spacecraft successfully separated from the rocket and entered the predetermined orbit. The astronaut crew is in good condition and the launch was a complete success.

The astronaut crew for the Shenzhou 17 manned flight mission consists of three astronauts, Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, with Tang Hongbo as the commander. The crew includes one astronaut from the second batch and two astronauts from the third batch, and is the youngest astronaut crew since the launch of the space station construction mission. This flight mission will be the first to conduct experimental maintenance work outside the space station.

The Shenzhou 17 crew is conducting full-program mission simulation training (photo taken on September 25, 2023). Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Wang Xiayang)

By then, there will be 20 Chinese people who have left their footprints in the vast space in the 20 years since Yang Liwei questioned the sky in 2003.

The main purpose of the Shenzhou 17 manned flight mission

Completed the in-orbit rotation with the Shenzhou 16 crew, stayed for about 6 months, carried out in-orbit experiments (tests) on space science and application payloads, implemented astronaut and payload extravehicular activities, installed extravehicular payloads, and carried out space station maintenance and repair.

At the same time, we will continue to evaluate the functional performance of the space station complex, accumulate valuable data and experience in space station operation, assess the coordination and matching of the ground support center in performing space station operation and management tasks, and further improve the space station operation efficiency and fault handling capabilities.

The Shenzhou 17 astronauts are scheduled to return in April next year

During the Shenzhou-17 manned spacecraft's stay in orbit, the Shenzhou-17 astronaut crew will welcome visits and dockings from the Tianzhou-7 cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft, and is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site around April next year.

After completing the in-orbit rotation mission with the Shenzhou 17 astronaut crew, the Shenzhou 16 crew aims to return to the Dongfeng landing site on the 31st of this month. Currently, the crew is still on a "business trip" in space, and various in-orbit work is progressing smoothly. Some space application projects have achieved phased application results.

In addition, before the Shenzhou 16 crew returns, the astronauts will use handheld high-definition cameras to fly around the spacecraft and take pictures of the space station complex, depending on the lighting conditions . It is hoped that for the first time in orbit, a full image of the space station complex with the Earth as the background will be obtained. This will be the first "working photo" reflecting the full configuration of the space station.

Let’s look forward to the third space reunion of Chinese astronauts!

Comprehensive sources: Xinhua News Agency, China Manned Spaceflight, CCTV News, etc.