Shenzhou 11
2016 Chinese crewed spaceflight to Tiangong-2
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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.
Launch of Shenzhou 11 on a Long March 2F/G | |
| Mission type | Tiangong-2 crew transport |
|---|---|
| Operator | China Manned Space Agency |
| COSPAR ID | 2016-061A |
| SATCAT no. | 41812 |
| Mission duration | 32 days, 6 hours, 29 minutes |
| Orbits completed | 507 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Shenzhou |
| Manufacturer | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 2 |
| Members | Jing Haipeng Chen Dong |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 16 October 2016, 23:30:31 UTC (17 October, 07:30:31 CST) |
| Rocket | Long March 2F/G (Y11) |
| Launch site | Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS-1 |
| Contractor | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 18 November 2016, 05:59:38 UTC |
| Landing site | Inner Mongolia (42°29′11.7″N 112°42′57.36″E) |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 379 km (235 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 389 km (242 mi) |
| Inclination | 42.78° |
| Docking with Tiangong-2 | |
| Docking date | 18 October 2016, 19:24 UTC |
| Undocking date | 17 November 2016, 04:41 UTC |
| Time docked | 29 days, 9 hours, 17 minutes |
 Mission insignia  Haipeng and Dong | |
Crew
The crew consisted of two taikonauts.[1][5] The mission selected two crew instead of three to extend supplies to increase mission length.[6] Commander Jing Haipeng celebrated his 50th birthday while in orbit.[7]
| Position | Crew | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Jing Haipeng, PLAAC Third spaceflight | |
| Operator | Chen Dong, PLAAC First spaceflight | |
| Position[8] | Crew | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Deng Qingming, PLAAC | |
| Operator | Tang Hongbo, PLAAC | |
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 kilometres (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.[9]
