Shenzhou 15 () is a Chinese spaceflight that launched on 29 November 2022 at 15:08 UTC. The flight marked the tenth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the fifteenth flight of the
Shenzhou program
The China Manned Space Program (CMS; ), also known as Project 921 () is a space program developed by the People's Republic of China and run by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), designed to develop and enhance human spaceflight capabilities f ...
. The spacecraft carried three
People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps
The People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC; ), also known as the Chinese Astronaut Corps (), is a Beijing-based sub-corps-level People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF) unit directly under the PLASSF Space Systems Depa ...
(PLAAC)
taikonauts on the fourth flight to the
''Tianhe'' core module, the first module of the
Tiangong space station.
The launch of the three-person crew with a
Long March 2F
The Long March 2F ( ''Changzheng 2F''), also known as the CZ-2F, LM-2F and Shenjian (, "Divine Arrow"), is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket, part of the Long March 2 rocket family. Designed to launch crewed Shenzhou spacecraft, the Long Mar ...
launch vehicle took place from the
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC; also known as Shuangchengzi Missile Test Center; Launch Complex B2; formally Northwest Comprehensive Missile Testing Facility (); Base 20; 63600 Unit) is a Chinese space vehicle launch facility ( sp ...
.
Background
The spaceflight is the third Chinese mission set to last six months (180 days). The flight marked the fourth crewed mission to
dock with the Tiangong space station before the end of 2022.
Mission
The mission visited the Tianhe core module following the launch and docking of Tianzhou 5, the fourth resupply mission to the station in addition also marked the first Chinese crew handover and created a record of 6 taikonauts in space at one same time with
Shenzhou 14
Shenzhou 14 () was a Chinese spaceflight that launched on 5 June 2022 at 02:44 UTC. The flight marked the ninth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the fourteenth flight of the Shenzhou program. The spacecraft carried three People's Liberation Army A ...
. The mission was launched following the launch and docking of the
''Wentian'' and
''Mengtian'' modules, in July and October 2022, respectively. There was a 5 day overlap between Shenzhou 15 and the previous
Shenzhou mission,
Shenzhou 14
Shenzhou 14 () was a Chinese spaceflight that launched on 5 June 2022 at 02:44 UTC. The flight marked the ninth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the fourteenth flight of the Shenzhou program. The spacecraft carried three People's Liberation Army A ...
.
The crew were greeted by the Shenzhou 14 crew while entering the Tianhe core module later on 29 November 2022, at 23:33 UTC as the fourth expedition to the Tiangong space station.
The Shenzhou 15 crew is expected to carry out 3 to 4
spacewalks
Extravehicular activity (EVA) is any activity done by an astronaut in outer space outside a spacecraft. In the absence of a breathable Earthlike atmosphere, the astronaut is completely reliant on a space suit for environmental support. EVA inc ...
, work on payloads both inside and outside the station and carry out other scientific work during the 6-month mission.
In preparation for the mission, Shenzhou 16 was prepped and ready in standby as an emergency rescue mission in case any serious problems were to happen to the Shenzhou 15 mission.
Crew
The crew was publicly announced in a press conference on 28 November 2022.
See also
*
Shenzhou (spacecraft)
Shenzhou (, ; see ) is a spacecraft developed and operated by China to support its crewed spaceflight program, China Manned Space Program. Its design resembles the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, but it is larger in size. The first launch was on 1 ...
*
Tiangong space station
*
China National Space Administration
References
{{Portal bar, China, Spaceflight
2022 in China
Spacecraft launched in 2022
Human spaceflights
Shenzhou program
Tiangong program
Spaceflight