Shenzhou 17

Shenzhou 17 atop a Long March 2F prior to launch
Mission type	Tiangong space station crew transport
Operator	China Manned Space Agency
COSPAR ID	2023-164A
SATCAT no.	58146
Mission duration	180 days (planned) 161 days, 2 hours and 55 minutes (in progress)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Shenzhou
Manufacturer	China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Crew
Crew size	3
Members	Tang Hongbo Tang Shengjie Jiang Xinlin[1]
EVAs	2
EVA duration	15 hours 17 minutes
Start of mission
Launch date	26 October 2023, 03:14:02 UTC[2]
Rocket	Long March 2F
Launch site	Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS
Contractor	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
End of mission
Landing date	April 2024 (planned)
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 forward
Docking date	26 October 2023, 09:46 UTC[3]
Undocking date	April 2024 (planned)
Time docked	180 days (planned) 160 days, 20 hours and 22 minutes (in progress)
Jiang Xinlin, Tang Hongbo and Tang Shengjie China Manned Space Program ← Shenzhou 16 Shenzhou 18 →

Shenzhou 17 (Chinese: 神舟十七号; pinyin: Shénzhōu Shíqī-hào; lit. 'Divine Boat Number 17') is a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 26 October 2023. It carries three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission is the twelfth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the seventeenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.

As of October 2023, Shenzhou 17’s crew is the youngest ever sent to the Tiangong space station, with an average age of only 38 years old.^[4]

Background

Shenzhou 17 is the sixth spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, and is expected to last approximately six months.

The spacecraft entered the launch area in April 2023, prior to launch was maintained in a state of near-readiness if needed as a lifeboat for the Shenzhou 16 crew.^[5]

The crew of Shenzhou 17 was announced on 25 October 2023.^[1]

Mission

The flight launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on 26 October 2023 at 09:46 UTC, near the end of the Shenzhou 16 mission. Approximately 6.5 hours after launch, the spacecraft docked with the Tianhe core module's forward docking port.

Following docking, the crew entered the station and were greeted by the crew of Shenzhou 16, with whom they would share a four-day overlap between the two missions prior to Shenzhou 16's departure. The two crews sent a televised message to Mission Control as part of a handover ceremony, which was also livestreamed by Chinese national television broadcaster CCTV.^[6]

Spacewalks

On 21 December 2023 BJT, the first scheduled spacewalk of Shenzhou 17 was carried out by Tang Hongbo and Tang Shengjie through the airlock of the Wentian lab module. Tasks included a repair test of the Tianhe core module's solar panels, which have sustained minor damage caused by impacts of space debris and micrometeoroids. The spacewalk lasted for 7 hours and 25 minutes.^[7]

On 2 March 2024 BJT, the second scheduled spacewalk of Shenzhou 17 was carried out by Tang Hongbo and Jiang Xinlin through the airlock of the Wentian lab module. Tasks included maintenance of the solar panels of the Tianhe core module, evaluation and analysis of the performance status of the solar panel power generation and also inspection of the status of the space station modules. The spacewalk lasted for 7 hours and 52 minutes.^[8]

Crew

Position	Crew member
Commander	Tang Hongbo, CMSA Second spaceflight
Operator	Tang Shengjie, CMSA First spaceflight
System Operator	Jiang Xinlin, CMSA First spaceflight

The crew of Shenzhou 17 is the youngest to fly to the Tiangong space station, with Commander Tang Hongbo being 48 and taikonauts Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin being 34 and 35 respectively at the time of the flight.^[6] Tang Hongbo is also the first person to visit the station twice, having previously flown to Tiangong on Shenzhou 12.^[1] Tang Shengjie is also the youngest taikonaut to perform a spacewalk.^[7]