HELSINKI — China’s most recent team of three astronauts arrived at the Tiangong space station on Thursday after being launched from Jiuquan spaceport in the Gobi Desert.
The Shenzhou-18 spacecraft successfully met and joined with Tiangong’s radial docking port at 3:32 p.m. Eastern (1932 UTC), April 25, according to China’s human spaceflight agency. announced right after the occasion.
The Shenzhou-18 astronauts—commander Ye Guangfu and new recruits Li Cong and Li Guangsu—will soon be welcomed aboard Tiangong by the Shenzhou-17 crew when the hatch opens.
The latter crew, made up of Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, have been operating Tiangong since late October 2023. The trio are set to return to Earth early April 30 after handing over control of the station to the incoming Shenzhou-18 astronauts.
Shenzhou-18 was launched earlier on Thursday. The Long March 2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-18 took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert at 8:59 a.m. Eastern (1259 UTC). The spacecraft separated from the upper stage about 10 minutes later.
Shenzhou-18 is China’s seventh manned mission to Tiangong and the country’s 13th human spaceflight mission overall. The Shenzhou-18 mission is anticipated to last around six months and will be resupplied by the Tianzhou-8 spacecraft around August.
The crew will conduct over 90 experiments, two to three activities outside of the vehicle, and carry out six cargo deliveries through the station’s cargo airlock during their mission.
China approved its space station plan in 1992 and began constructing the three-module, T-shaped low Earth orbit outpost in 2021. Commander Ye was among the first visitors to the under-construction space station in 2021-2022. Shenzhou-13 mission.
Foreign astronauts and tourists to visit Tiangong
An official with China’s human spaceflight agency restated prior to launch that the country is seeking to accommodate international astronauts aboard Tiangong. It is also looking into tourist visits.
“We will accelerate the examination of the possibility of inviting international astronauts and tourists to the space station,” Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO), told media at a pre-launch press conference at Jiuquan, April 24.
CMSEO officials have expressed similar views previously but once again did not give specifics or timelines for such activities.
“In the near future, China’s space station will undoubtedly open the door to astronauts from various backgrounds,” Lin said.
China is preparing to extend Tiangong in the next few years. The first step will involve sending a multi-functional expansion module with six docking ports to the orbital outpost. This expansion could allow for greater opportunities for international, tourist and commercial visits without disrupting core operations.
Lin also stated on April 24 that the selection of the country’s fourth group of astronauts is soon to be completed. They will participate in the space missions alongside the current astronauts. They may be involved in China’s planned manned moon landing mission, according to Lin.
Lin updated on the progress of their lunar plans. China's goal is to send its astronauts to the moon before the decade ends.
“The development of key flight products, such as the Long March 10 rocket, the Mengzhou crew spacecraft, the lunar lander Lanyue, and the lunar landing suits, has been completed. Their prototype production and testing are currently underway,” Lin stated.
