Shenzhou 11

Shenzhou 11
神舟十一号

Mockup of Shenzhou 11 spacecraft (right) docking with the Tiangong-2 (left)
Operator	China National Space Administration (CNSA)
COSPAR ID	2016-061A
SATCAT no.	41812
Mission duration	32 days, 6 hours and 29 minutes
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Shenzhou
Manufacturer	CASC
Crew
Crew size	2
Members	Jing Haipeng Chen Dong
Start of mission
Launch date	16 October 2016, 23:30 UTC
Rocket	Long March 2F
Launch site	Jiuquan LA-4/SLS
End of mission
Landing date	18 November 2016, 05:59 UTC
Landing site	Inner Mongolia
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Docking with Tiangong-2
Docking date	18 October 2016, 17:24 UTC
Undocking date	17 November 2016, 4:41 UTC
(L-R) Haipeng and Dong Shenzhou program

Shenzhou 11 was a crewed spaceflight of the Shenzhou program of China, launched on 17 October 2016 (16 October UTC) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.^[1] It was China's sixth crewed space mission, at 33 days,^[2] it was the longest until the follow-up Shenzhou 12 mission which lasted 3 months. Two days after launch, it docked with the Tiangong-2 space laboratory, which had been launched on 15 September 2016.^[1][3][4] Shenzhou 11 was the first and only expedition and mission to Tiangong-2 in this portion of the Tiangong program.

Crew

The crew consisted of two taikonauts.^[1][5] Commander Jing celebrated his 50th birthday while in orbit.^[6]

Position	Crew member
Commander	Jing Haipeng Third spaceflight
Operator	Chen Dong First spaceflight

Back-up crew

Position	Crew member
Commander	TBA, PLAAC
Operator	Deng Qingming, PLAAC

The mission selected two crew instead of three to extend supplies to increase mission length for their long duration stay.^[7]

Mission

The Shenzhou 11 launched at 07:30 on 17 October 2016 local time (23:30 UTC on 16 October) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center using a Long March 2F launch rocket.^[1]

The mission's main objective was to rendezvous and dock with the Tiangong-2 space laboratory and gain experience from a 30-day residence,^[5] and to test its life-support systems.^[1]

In the two days after the launch, it changed its orbit five times to arrive 52 kilometres behind the Tiangong-2 space lab. It autonomously rendezvoused and docked with Tiangong-2 at 3:24 p.m. EDT on 18 October 2016, while both spacecraft were at an altitude of 393 km (244 mi).^[4]

The crew landed successfully after the 33-day mission on 18 November 2016. The reentry module of the Shenzhou 11 spacecraft landed in Dorbod Banner, Inner Mongolia around 2:15 p.m. (China time) after undocking from the space lab on 17 November.^[8]

References

1. "China's Shenzhou 11 blasts off on space station mission". BBC News. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
2. Perlez, Jane (16 October 2016). "China Astronauts to Attempt Nation's Longest Space Mission". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
3. de Selding, Peter B. (20 June 2016). "China prepares assembly of its space station, invites collaboration through U.N." SpaceNews. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
4. Wall, Mike (19 October 2016). "Chinese Astronauts Dock with Tiangong-2 Space Lab". Space.com. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
5. Huang, Jin (8 March 2016). "Why will Shenzhou-11 carry only two astronauts to space?". People's Daily. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
6. "China launches longest manned space mission". Reuters. 16 October 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
7. Clark, Michael (19 October 2016). "Shenzhou 11 and Tiangong 2". Space Pod. TMRO. Retrieved 25 June 2021 – via YouTube.
8. Griffiths, James (18 November 2016). "Shenzhou-11 astronauts return home after China's longest-ever space mission". CNN. Retrieved 18 November 2016.

External links

• Live webcast (in Chinese)
• Live webcast (in English)