Chinese crew completed record day in human spaceflight – Spaceflight Now

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Shenzhou’s 12 astronauts Tang Hongbo, Liu Boming and Nie Haisheng outside their landing pod on Friday.Credit: Xinhua

Three Chinese astronauts landed in northwest China’s remote Gobi Desert on Friday, returning to Earth after a three-month mission to the new Tiangong space station, and ending a historic day of spaceflight that has set a new record with 14 people in low earth orbit.

With the return of the Chinese Shenzhou 12 crew on Friday, 11 people remained in orbit – seven on the International Space Station and four on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on the all-civilian Inspiration4 mission. The Inspiration4 launch Wednesday night from Kennedy Space Center briefly brought the total number of humans into orbit 14.

The new record of 14 people in orbit is one more than the previous record of 13, set several times since 1995.

The Shenzhou 12 mission parachuted down to the Dongfeng landing site in the Gobi Desert on Friday. The landing took place at 1:34 a.m. EDT (5:34 a.m. GMT; 1:34 p.m. Beijing time), according to the Chinese Manned Space Agency.

Astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo have landed after 92 days in orbit, China’s longest manned space mission to date. Shenzhou 12, the first crew mission to China’s Tiangong space station, was a “complete success,” the Chinese Space Agency said in a statement.

Chinese State TV broadcast the return live, showing tracking infrared views of the Shenzhou 12 crew capsule passing through the atmosphere. A trail of superheated plasma stretched behind the capsule as it plunged back to Earth.

The re-entry and landing followed the undocking of the Shenzhou 12 spacecraft from China’s Tiangong space station at 8:56 p.m. EDT Wednesday (0056 GMT Thursday).

After moving away from the station, the Shenzhou 12 spacecraft performed a “radial rendezvous” test, a circumnavigation maneuver to fly the spacecraft from a position in front of the space station to a point below the complex.

The test demonstrated an approach to another docking port in Tiangong, which will be used by future missions to connect to the space station.

Shenzhou 12 aborted its radial approach prior to docking as planned, then pulled away from the station as the three-man crew prepared to return.

The spacecraft fired two orbit control thrusters for desorbit combustion within an hour of landing. Prior to the combustion of the desorbit, the landing capsule released its orbital dwelling module, which will remain in space until aerodynamic drag brings it back into the atmosphere to burn on reentry.

Following the combustion of the desorbit, the propulsion section of Shenzhou 12 separated, leaving the landing capsule – protected by a heat shield – to fall back into the atmosphere.

The mission’s return area in the Inner Mongolia region, known as Dongfeng, is a new location for the Shenzhou landings. Dongfeng Landing Ground is near Jiuquan Launch Center, where Shenzhou 12 took off on June 16. Previous Shenzhou missions have parachuted into another part of Inner Mongolia known as Siziwang Banner.

Nie, a former Chinese Air Force fighter pilot and Shenzhou 12 mission commander, completed his third orbit flight with Friday’s landing. He spent 100 days in orbit on three missions, making him the most experienced space pilot in the Chinese Astronaut Corps.

Liu Boming has completed his second space mission. First-time spaceman Tang Hongbo was the third crew member.

“I believe that with the continuous improvement of China’s strength, as well as China’s scientific and technological capabilities, we can expect more Chinese astronauts in the future,” Nie said by the through an interpreter during an interview after landing on Chinese State TV.

“They will make new inroads and set new records. As Chinese astronauts, we will rise to the occasion and continue to contribute to China’s manned space mission.

Tang said he felt great after three months in space.

“We have accomplished a lot of tasks,” Tang said after landing on Friday. “We have been engaged in many science experiments and have been amazed by the beauty of outer space.

“At this point, I miss my family,” said Tang, a Chinese air force colonel. “I miss my fellow soldiers and colleagues. I want to tell my parents, mum and dad, I’m back… I’m in great shape.

Shenzhou 12 was the seventh crewed space flight in the Chinese space program since 2003. Astronauts from Shenzhou 12 docked at the Tiangong space station about six hours after launch, becoming the first crew to enter China’s new space laboratory.

The first element of the Tiangong space station was launched in April. The Tianhe Basic Module contains a Regenerative Lift Support System, which produces respiratory oxygen by electrolysis and recycles urine to produce potable water.

The Tianhe module also includes accommodation for astronauts, medical equipment, a command and control element, as well as an airlock and exterior handrails for spacewalks. There are three berths – one for each astronaut – and a toilet on the central module in Tianhe, Chinese officials said.

The central module of the Chinese space station also has a treadmill and a stationary bicycle for astronauts to exercise.

A supply spacecraft named Tianzhou 2 was launched in May and docked at the Tianhe module, pre-positioning supplies and provisions to support the Shenzhou 12 crew once arrived in June.

During their three months in Tiangong, the 12 Shenzhou astronauts carried out two spacewalks on July 4 and August 20 totaling more than 12 hours. The astronauts also tested the robotic arm of the space station and performed science experiments, according to Chinese state media.

After the return from Shenzhou 12, Chinese authorities plan to launch the Tianzhou 3 freighter on Monday to the Tiangong space station aboard a Long March 7 rocket from the Wenchang space center on Hainan Island.

The Tianzhou 2 spacecraft, currently attached to the rear port of the Tianhe central module, is expected to detach soon and move to the front port freed by Shenzhou 12. Tianzhou 2 will perform in-orbit refueling tests there.

The next mission to be launched to the space station after the Tianzhou freighter will be the Shenzhou 13 piloted flight, which is scheduled to launch in October. The Shenzhou 13 mission is expected to last up to six months, breaking the Chinese spaceflight endurance record set by Shenzhou 12.

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Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @ StephenClark1.



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