Three astronauts, including China’s first civilian astronaut, have been sent to space on the Shenzhou-16 manned spaceship. They will remain in orbit for around five months, making China the only nation on Earth to have its own space station.
On Tuesday, the Shenzhou-16 manned spaceship was launched by China. Three astronauts, including the country’s first civilian astronaut, have been sent on a five-month trip to China’s space station combination.
According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), the launch took place at 9:31 a.m. (Beijing Time) and originated from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China. The spaceship was launched atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket.
Shenzhou-16 successfully broke free from the rocket around ten minutes after it was launched and entered the orbit that had been predetermined for it. The CMSA has announced that all of the crew members are in good health and that the launch was a full and resounding success.
After a voyage of fewer than seven hours, the astronauts are scheduled to dock with the Tianhe core module of the space station located around 400 kilometers above the ground.
A member of the general public has been given a position on China’s rotating crew for the space station, which had previously been reserved only for members of the country’s armed forces.
One of the three astronauts was a professor at Beihang University in Beijing named Gui Haichao. He was known as a payload specialist in the field.
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The other two are mission’s commander Jing Haipeng, who is also making history by becoming the first Chinese astronaut to travel into space for a record fourth time, and Yang Liwei, who is creating history by becoming the first Chinese astronaut to go into space for a record fifth time.
Zhu Yangzhu, an astronaut who serves as a flight engineer, is also embarking on his very first trip into space.
Lin Xiqiang, the deputy director of the China Manned Space Flight Administration (CMSA), spoke to the media on Monday about how the Shenzhou-16 will be the first crew trip after China’s space station program reached the stage of application and development.
According to him, the three of them will remain in orbit for around five months.
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When it is completed, China will be the only nation on Earth to have its own space station. This is due to the fact that the International Space Station (ISS), which is managed by Russia, is a product of international cooperation. In addition, the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled to be shut down in the year 2030.
The two robotic arms that are attached to the Chinese space station are the most notable aspect of the facility. The longer of the two arms has the capacity to capture things, including satellites that are orbiting in space.
After reaching orbit, the Shenzhou-16 spacecraft will perform a rapid and fully automated rendezvous and docking procedure with the space station after it has completed its orbital ascent.
In accordance with the plans, the astronauts aboard Shenzhou-16 will carry out extensive in-orbit testing and experiments in a variety of sectors. It is anticipated that they will accomplish significant scientific breakthroughs in the investigation of unique quantum phenomena, high-precision space-time-frequency systems, the validation of general relativity, and the discovery of the genesis of life.
In addition, it commemorates the 475th flying mission of the Long March carrier rocket series, which was launched on Tuesday.
