Shenzhou 15

Short description: 2022 Chinese crewed spaceflight to the Tiangong Space Station

Shenzhou 15

Mission type| Tiangong Space Station crew transport
Operator| China Manned Space Agency
Mission duration| Planned: 180 days
Elasped: 109 days, 11 hours and 19 minutes
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft| Shenzhou 15
Spacecraft type| Shenzhou
Manufacturer| China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Crew
Crew size| 3
Members| Fei Junlong
Deng Qingming
Zhang Lu
EVAs| 2
EVA duration| 7 hours 6 minutes
Start of mission
Launch date| 29 November 2022, 15:08:17 UTC
Rocket| Long March 2F
Launch site| Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS
Contractor| China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
End of mission
Landing date| May 2023 (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| 29 November 2022, 21:42 UTC
Undocking date| May 2023 (planned)
Time docked| 109 days, 4 hours and 45 minutes

Shenzhou 15 mission patch

(L-R) Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu

China Manned Space Program

<- Shenzhou 14

Shenzhou 16 ->

Shenzhou 15 (Chinese: 神舟十五号; pinyin: Shénzhōu Shíwǔ-hào; literally: 'Divine Boat Number 15') is a Chinese spaceflight that launched on 29 November 2022, at 15:08 UTC.[1] The flight marked the tenth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the fifteenth flight of the Shenzhou program. The spacecraft carried three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on the fourth flight to the Tianhe core module, the first module of the Tiangong space station.[2] The launch of the three-person crew with a Long March 2F launch vehicle took place from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

## Contents

* 1 Background
* 2 Mission
* 2.1 Spacewalks
* 3 Spacecraft
* 4 Crew
* 5 See also
* 6 References

## Background

The spaceflight is the third Chinese mission set to last six months (180 days).[3] The flight marked the fourth crewed mission to dock with the Tiangong space station before the end of 2022.[4]

## Mission

The mission visited the Tianhe core module following the launch and docking of Tianzhou 5, the fourth resupply mission to the station. In addition, it also marked the first Chinese crew handover and created a record of 6 taikonauts in space at the same time with Shenzhou 14. The mission was launched following the launch and docking of the Wentian and Mengtian modules, in July and October 2022, respectively. There was a 5-day overlap between Shenzhou 15 and the previous Shenzhou mission, Shenzhou 14.[2][5]

The crew were greeted by the Shenzhou 14 crew while entering the Tianhe core module later on 29 November 2022, at 23:33 UTC as the fourth expedition to the Tiangong space station.

The Shenzhou 15 crew is expected to carry out 3 to 4 spacewalks, work on payloads both inside and outside the station, and carry out other scientific work during the 6-month mission.[5]

In preparation for the mission, Shenzhou 16 was prepped and ready on standby as an emergency rescue mission in case any serious problems were to happen to the Shenzhou 15 mission.[6]

### Spacewalks

On 9 February 2023, the first scheduled spacewalk of Shenzhou 15 was carried out by Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu through the airlock of the Wentian lab module, with Deng Qingming assisting the pair from inside the Tianhe core module. Fei and Zhang completed a series of tasks, including installing an external pump on the Mengtian lab module and other tasks related to Mengtian's payload airlock, which allows astronauts to deploy science payloads and small satellites using the station's robotic arms. The spacewalk lasted for 7 hours and 6 minutes, making it China's longest to date.[7]

## Spacecraft

Diagram of a Shenzhou spacecraft

The Shenzhou 15 spacecraft is based on the Soyuz MS design concept. Shenzhou was approved in 1992 as part of the Chinese space program Project 921, and has a design similar to the Russian Soyuz spacecraft.[8]

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 with 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.[9]

## Crew

The crew was publicly announced in a press conference on 28 November 2022.

Position | Crew member

|

Commander  |  Fei Junlong, PLAAC
Second spaceflight
Operator  |  Deng Qingming, PLAAC
First spaceflight
System Operator  |  Zhang Lu, PLAAC
First spaceflight

## See also

* Shenzhou (spacecraft)
* Tiangong space station
* China National Space Administration

## References

1. ↑ "Spaceflight mission report Shenzhou-15". http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/shenzhou_15.htm.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Rocket to launch China's next space station module arrives at launch center" (in en-US). 2022-05-31. https://spacenews.com/rocket-to-launch-chinas-next-space-station-module-arrives-at-launch-center/.
3. ↑ "中国航天进入空间站建造关键时期——访中国载人航天工程办公室主任郝淳". http://www.xinhuanet.com/2021-04/29/c_1127393519.htm.
4. ↑ Barbosa, Rui C. (1 March 2021). "China preparing to build Tiangong station in 2021, complete by 2022". NASASpaceFlight.com. https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/03/china-preparing-to-build-tiangong-station-in-2021-complete-by-2022/.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "China reveals missions of Shenzhou-14, Shenzhou-15 space crews - Khmer Times" (in en-US). 2022-04-18. https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501059601/china-reveals-missions-of-shenzhou-14-shenzhou-15-space-crews/.
6. ↑ Jones, Andrew (4 December 2022). "China's Shenzhou 14 astronauts return to Earth after helping build Tiangong space station". https://www.space.com/china-shenzhou-14-astronauts-land-earth.
7. ↑ "China's Shenzhou 15 astronauts take their 1st spacewalk outside Tiangong space station (video)". Space.com. https://www.space.com/china-shenzhou-15-astronauts-first-spacewalk-tiangong.
8. ↑ Davenport, Justin (June 16, 2021). "Shenzhou-12 and three crew members successfully launch to new Chinese space station". https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/06/shenzhou-12-new-chinese-station/.
9. ↑ "China's Shenzhou 13 crew docks with space station for 6-month stay". https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3152576/chinas-shenzhou-13-crew-docks-space-station-6-month-stay.

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