Roll out of Shenzhou 14 | |
Mission type | Tiangong Space Station crew transport |
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COSPAR ID | 2022-060A |
SATCAT no. | 52797 |
Mission duration | 180 days (planned) 49 days, 22 hours and 20 minutes (elapsed) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Shenzhou 14 |
Spacecraft type | Shenzhou |
Manufacturer | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation |
Crew | |
Crew size | 3 |
Members | Chen Dong Liu Yang Cai Xuzhe |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 5 June 2022, 02:44:10 UTC[1] |
Rocket | Long March 2F |
Launch site | Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS |
Contractor | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology |
End of mission | |
Landing date | December 2022 (planned)[2] |
Landing site | Inner Mongolia, China |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Inclination | 41.5° |
Docking with Tiangong Space Station | |
Docking port | Tianhe Nadir |
Docking date | 5 June 2022, 09:42 UTC |
Time docked | 49 days, 15 hours and 22 minutes |
Shenzhou 14 mission patch Cai Xuzhe, Chen Dong and Liu Yang |
Shenzhou 14 (Chinese: 神舟十四号; pinyin: Shénzhōu Shísì-hào; lit. 'Divine Boat Number 14') is a Chinese spaceflight that launched on 5 June 2022 at 02:44 UTC. The flight marks the ninth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the fourteenth flight of the Shenzhou program. The spacecraft carries three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on the third flight to the Tianhe core module, the first module of the Tiangong space station.[3] The launch of the three-person crew with a Long March-2F launch vehicle took place from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
The spaceflight is the second of the upcoming missions set to last six months (180 days).[4] After that, the six-month stay aboard the space station will become the normal duration of the astronaut crew in orbit.[5] The flight marks the third of four crewed missions scheduled to dock with the Tiangong space station by the end of construction in 2022.[6]
The mission is visiting the Tianhe core module following the launch and docking of Tianzhou 4, the third resupply mission to the station. The crew are expected to assist with the assembly of the Wentian and Mengtian laboratories, which are scheduled to arrive at Tiangong in July and October respectively.[7] The Shenzhou 15 crew is scheduled to arrive 10 days before Shenzhou 14 departs, which means that the Shenzhou 14 mission marks the beginning of keeping the station permanently inhabited.[8]
The crew saluted while entering the Tianhe core module later on 5 June 2022, at 12:50 UTC as the third expedition to the Tiangong space station.
At least three spacewalks are planned to occur during the crew's approximately six-month stay in orbit. Shenzhou 15 will be on standby for any possible rescue mission.[9]
Shenzhou 14 spacecraft is based heavily on Soyuz MS technology. Shenzhou was approved in 1992 as part of the Chinese space program Project 921, and has a design similar to the Russian Soyuz spacecraft.[citation needed]
In the front of the spacecraft, there is the orbital module which contains an androgynous docking ring based on APAS technology, which is used to dock to the Tianhe core module. In the middle is the reentry module containing the crew which is a scaled-up version of the Soyuz descent module. The rear of the spacecraft is the service module which is equipped with engines, fuel tanks, and solar panels.[10]
The crew was publicly announced in a press conference on 4 June 2022. Each crew member saluted when introduced, as is required by all taikonauts. [11]
Senior Colonel Chen Dong is a veteran of Shenzhou 11. Senior Colonel Liu Yang previously flew on Shenzhou 9, becoming the first Chinese woman in space. Senior Colonel Cai Xuzhe makes his first flight to space. By the time Shenzhou 14 completes the 180-day mission, Chen will have spent about 213 days in space, setting a new record for a Chinese astronaut.
Position[12] | Crew member | |
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Commander | ![]() Second spaceflight | |
Operator | ![]() Second spaceflight | |
System Operator | ![]() First spaceflight |