Beijing: The Long March-2F Y13 carrier rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-13 crewed spaceship, which blasted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 00:23 (Beijing Time) of October 16, 2021, successfully completed orbital status setting after entering the orbit and conducted a fast autonomous rendezvous and docking with the nadir port of Tianhe core module at 06:56 (Beijing Time) on October 16, 2021, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) news.
They will form a four-module/ship combination with the Tianzhou-2 and Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft, which had docked with Tianhe earlier. The whole process took approximately 6.5 hours. Three astronauts will then enter Tianhe core module from Shenzhou-13 spaceship as planned.
Earlier, about 582 seconds of the launch, Shenzhou-13 spaceship successfully separated from the rocket and entered the preset orbit, sending astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu into space. The Shenzhou-13 crew is in good condition and the launch is a complete success.
It is China’s twenty-first flight mission since the launch of the manned space program, and also the second crewed mission in the construction stage of the space station.
Less than a month ago, Shenzhou-12 had successfully returned after the space odessey.
The Shenzhou 13 manned mission is the sixth mission in the key technology verification phase of China’s space station. It marks a decisive end of this phase and a crucial juncture for the future construction of the space station in orbit, which demonstrates China’s new endeavor and contribution to manned space mission.
“We noticed the differences in crew assignments between the Shenzhou-13 mission and the Shenzhou-12 mission. For example, it will be the first time that a Chinese female astronaut has visited China’s space station and carried out extravehicular activities. It will be the first time that Chinese astronauts have stayed in orbit for six months. And it will be the first time that Chinese people have celebrated the Spring Festival in space,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian had stated earlier on the eve of the launch.
– global bihari bureau
