Shenzhou 24
Planned Chinese crewed spaceflight to the Tiangong space station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shenzhou 24 (Chinese: 神舟二十四号; pinyin: Shénzhōu èrshísÌ-hào; lit. 'Divine Boat Number 24') is a planned Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station. It is planned to carry three taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft.[1] The mission will be the 18th crewed Chinese spaceflight and the 24th flight overall of the Shenzhou program.
| Mission type | Tiangong space station crew transport |
|---|---|
| Operator | China Manned Space Agency |
| Mission duration | 180 days (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Shenzhou |
| Manufacturer | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 3 |
| Members | TBA |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | October 2026 |
| Rocket | Long March 2F |
| Launch site | Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS-1 |
| Contractor | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 2026 (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 | TBA |
| Undocking date | 2026 (planned) |
| Time docked | 180 days (planned) |
Shenzhou 24 is expected to bring the first Pakistani astronaut for a one-week visit to the station.[2]
Mission
The mission will launch from the center on board a Long March 2F rocket. The Shenzhou spacecraft will likely dock with the nadir docking port on the Tianhe core module of the station.[3][1][4]
Crew
The crew of Shenzhou 24 is not expected to be announced until the day before the flight. CMSA has nominated Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud from Pakistani space agency SUPARCO as its first two international astronaut candidates, one of whom is expected to fly to Tiangong for a one-week visit on Shenzhou 24.[2]