"Shenjian" successfully launched "Shenzhou 15"! China's space station construction phase launch "full house"

Today, November 29, 2022, we usher in the historic moment when six Chinese astronauts fly in space at the same time.

Video: Long March 2F rocket takes off (Photo by Zhang Xiaoning)

At 23:08, at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center where the temperature was close to -20℃, the Long March 2F carrier rocket ignited and took off, and then accurately sent the Shenzhou 15 manned spacecraft carrying astronauts Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu into the predetermined orbit, marking a complete victory for the launch mission of China's space station construction phase.

Long March 2F rocket takes off (Photo by Zhang Xiaoning)

Long March 2F rocket takes off (Photo by Zhang Xiaoning)

Long March 2F rocket takes off (Photo by Zhang Xiaoning)

Long March 2F rocket takes off (Photo by Zhang Xiaoning)

The space station modules, manned spacecraft, cargo spacecraft, relay satellites and the Long March series of launch vehicles used to launch these spacecraft used in my country's space station project were all developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Relevant units of the Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation also participated in other subsystems of the project.

It is expected that after 6.5 hours of autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking, the Shenzhou XV manned spacecraft will dock at the forward docking port of the space station. Astronauts Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu will enter the Chinese space station and successfully reunite with the Shenzhou XIV crew.

Astronauts Fei Junlong (center), Deng Qingming (right), and Zhang Lu (left) set off (Photo by Zhang Xiaoning)

This will be the first time that two Shenzhou spacecraft will be docked at the Chinese space station and work in orbit at the same time. It will also be the first time that my country will realize the three-module and three-ship combination structure of the space station and the in-orbit residence of six astronauts. The space station combination will reach its largest scale at present, with a total weight of nearly 100 tons and the living space for astronauts will exceed 100 cubic meters.

Schematic diagram of the basic "T" configuration of the three modules of the Chinese space station. The left side is the Wentian laboratory module, the right side is the Mengtian laboratory module, and in the middle from near to far are the Shenzhou spacecraft, the Tianhe core module, and the Tianzhou spacecraft. The Shenzhou spacecraft is at the bottom (provided by the Fifth Academy)

The Shenzhou 15 mission is the last leg of the construction phase of China's space station and the first leg of the application and development phase of the space station. After the six astronauts complete the handover work in orbit, the Shenzhou 14 crew will return to Earth. The Shenzhou 15 crew will continue to carry out a six-month in-orbit mission. They will carry out the verification of the long-term stay in the three cabins of the space station, carry out more than 40 space science experiments and technical tests, carry out extravehicular activities, and verify the cargo airlock cabin extravehicular working mode.

The appearance of the Shenzhou 15 and Shenzhou 14 spacecraft is exactly the same. The developers customized the information "identification code" for each spacecraft to distinguish and control it, and formulated an emergency evacuation plan for two ships and six people to ensure the safety of the astronauts. In the future, the operation mode of "one for attack and one for backup", two ships docking at the same time, and six astronauts handing over in orbit will become the new normal of the space station.

The Long March 2F carrier rocket enjoys the reputation of "magic arrow" and has a launch success rate of 100%. During this mission, the rocket underwent technical upgrades such as take-off time deviation correction, telemetry system transmitter and navigation receiver, enabled new ground equipment, and carried out 45 technical status improvements. The reliability index was improved to 0.9895 and the safety index reached 0.99996, ensuring that the rocket was launched on time, flew stably, and entered orbit accurately, successfully completing the launch mission.

The Long March 2F rocket is being transported (Photo by Zhang Xiaoning)

So far, China's manned space program has successfully carried out 12 launch missions in the "third step". Soon, China's space station will enter a 10-year application and development phase, and the Long March 2F carrier rocket and Shenzhou series spacecraft will continue to carry out launch missions at a frequency of 2 launches per year.

This launch is the 452nd launch of the Long March series of launch vehicles.