Shenzhou-17 blasts off.
Picture credit score: CCTV Video Information Company.
China efficiently launched its Shenzhou-17 mission on Thursday morning (October 26). The mission was meant to each resupply China’s Tiangong area station and swap out its 3-person crew from the earlier Shenzhou-16 mission for a brand new crew.
This profitable launch represents the growing routinization of the Chinese language crewed presence in outer area, and is coming amidst the backdrop of but extra nations—this time Pakistan and Russian-aligned Belarus—pledging their support to the Chinese language area program and its plan to develop an increasingly-international Moon base.
Shenzhou and Tiangong
Shenzhou-17 is known as after the Shenzhou spacecraft, which is the important thing craft within the Chinese language crewed spaceflight program. (The time period “Shenzhou” roughly interprets to “divine vessel [on the Heavenly River],” which is a poetic reference to the Milky Method.) It’s paying homage to the Russian-made Soyuz, however is considerably bigger, with a complete mass of seven,840 kilograms (17,280 lbs).
The Shenzhou craft consists of three modules: an orbital module that may carry payloads, scientific tools, and area for crew habitation; a reentry module that incorporates crew seating and controls, and is (appropriately) used for reentry; and a service module, which hosts life assist, propulsion, and electrical modules, together with the attachment factors for the craft’s photo voltaic panels. The orbital module additionally has its personal panels and propulsion capabilities, nevertheless, because it’s constructed to have the ability to stay in orbit after detachment of the reentry module.
The Taikonauts contained in the Shenzhou have been all former PLA Air Power fighter pilots. Shenzhou-17 Commander Tang Hongbo is an skilled Taikonaut who flew on Shenzhou-12 in 2021. The opposite crew members (Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin) each joined the PLA Taikonaut Corps in 2020, and each have been new to area. Actually, they’re the youngest group of Taikonauts in Chinese language historical past, according to Reuters.
The rocket carrying them into area is the well-known Chang Zheng 2F (“Lengthy March”) expendable rocket system, which is the human-rated model of the Chang Zheng 2E. It’s a liquid-fueled, two-stage, medium-lift rocket that options 4 boosters, with each rocket and boosters utilizing YF-20B liquid-fuel engines.
Notably, regardless of being primarily based on an older rocket collection, the CZ-2F has a 100% success price. That is, after all, vitally essential contemplating its principal job is delivering the crewed Shenzhou into orbit, and offering assist for China’s Tiangong (“Celestial Palace”) area station.
Tiangong development started in 2021, and was accomplished final 12 months. It has been constantly crewed by groups of three Taikonauts, who’re rotated each three months. Commander Tang Hingbo and his workforce might be going there for the following three months, and the present Taikonauts might be returning within the earlier Shenzhou’s reentry capsule within the coming days.
A launch with out incident
Shenzhou-17 launched from the Jiuquan Satellite tv for pc Launch Heart, situated within the Gobi Desert in Inside Mongolia.
The launch itself went nearly totally with out incident. Like most Western launches, it was live-streamed; by China’s official CCTV channel and by Reuters. The pre-launch interval featured photographs of the Taikonauts sitting of their seats ready to go, numerous engineers inspecting components of the rocket from contained in the fold-away launch mount constructing, mission management, and a wide range of dramatic drone photographs from above the rocket.
The countdown ticked down at once, the CCTV anchors emphasizing that there have been no issues detected. Ignition was referred to as, and Shenzhou-17 went up—full with dramatic footage of the rising rocket from close by high-flying drones.
The rocket hit Max-Q with out incident, hit booster and stage separation with out incident, and hit MEC with out incident. Except for the shortage of the now-trademark SpaceX automated booster touchdown, it was as clockwork as a 2023 Starlink launch. And apart from the rocket and launch mount, it may have handed for one.
On the time of writing, Shenzhou-17 was on its solution to Tiangong—once more, with out incident.
Chinese language Different
This lack of drama might in and of itself be notable, contemplating China solely started human spaceflight in 2005, and its area station was accomplished lower than a 12 months in the past. China at the least appears to be making good on the concept it’s offering a transparent competitor to each the ISS and the business LEO stations which might be aiming to function its alternative, however that are already seeing some difficulty and consolidation. Different nations might properly signal on to contribute to a extra stable-seeming ISS alternative if the Axiom and Voyager House/Nanoracks initiatives are seen as faltering.
They could additionally begin trying to the Chang Zheng collection as a viable different for offering launch functionality; particularly the CZ-5 heavy carry variant, as heavy carry continues to be at a premium proper now with the continuing testing delays confronted by SpaceX’s Starship launcher.
And, by making these Shenzhou/Tiangong launches routine, it makes China’s Artemis different, the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), that rather more credible. Although Artemis presents itself as worldwide and open to multinational involvement, and although China has not acknowledged any antagonism in the direction of Artemis, there’s a clear sense that, as Xiaodan Wu of the China Central College of Finance and Economics recently published within the journal House Coverage, “China and america might be precise rivals of their deliberately chosen packages inside roughly the identical time interval … the ILRS versus the Artemis Program,” even even supposing “it may not be China’s major or preliminary intention to compete with america.”
In the meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Russia, Venezuela, South Africa, Belarus, and Azerbaijan have all both expressed interest in contributing to ILRS or have signed memoranda of understanding to that impact. As Shenzhou launches proceed to change into extra acquainted and routine, this may occasionally start to select up pace, additional reinforcing American issues that they may be falling behind.
This will likely even be exacerbated by the very actual risk that Artemis might be significantly delayed owing to the continual regulatory setbacks affecting Starship launch testing, and due to this fact of the Starship-based Human Touchdown System that Artemis might be relying upon.
Editor’s notice (10/26/23): The picture accompanying this text was modified after publication.
