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Holly Chik

China has sent a replacement return vessel to its space station, successfully completing the first emergency launch for its crewed space programme.
The Shenzhou-22 spacecraft carrying 600kg (1,320lb) of goods, including food and equipment to fix the damaged spacecraft, was launched at 12.11pm on Tuesday and docked with the Tiangong space station less than four hours later.
The vessel will replace the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft used to return three astronauts to Earth on November 14, leaving the new crew with no safe method of escape in the event of an emergency.
The trio had to return on the new spacecraft because tiny cracks were found in the porthole of their Shenzhou-20 vessel – damage that was likely to have been caused by space debris.
That meant it could not make a safe return to Earth with a crew onboard.
The damaged ship will be repaired and will eventually return to Earth, but only with a cargo and no astronauts on board.
Any further mishap could pose a challenge to the current Tiangong crew’s safe return around April next year.
The China Manned Space Agency said the astronauts on board the space station were working normally and were in good condition, according to state news agency Xinhua.
The report said the Shenzhou-22’s cargo included fresh produce and other food, medicine, spare parts for the space station and equipment intended for repairing the cracks in the Shenzhou-20’s portholes.
After receiving the tools, the crew would inspect and assess the damaged spacecraft’s hull and take appropriate action, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday.
Researcher Zheng Wei at China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the country’s main space contractor, outlined the challenges of repairing damaged glass.
“The glass cannot be removed because this move poses too great a risk. It can only be reinforced from the inside based on the existing structure. For a crewed operation, we cannot guarantee its 100 per cent safety,” Zhang told CCTV.
“Therefore, [Shenzhou-20] will not be used to return a crew, but it can still return cargo. In this mission, we have also implemented reinforcement measures that further ensure the safety of the return capsule. Our team is confident [the spaceship can] safely return cargo.”


The Shenzhou-22 was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China using a Long March-2F Y22 carrier rocket.
The Shenzhou-22 incorporated several technological upgrades, including improvements to the instrument system, an expanded payload installation space and updated components – technology that would be installed in subsequent vessels, Xinhua said, citing CASC.
The latest mission used a logo that featured the Great Wall as its foundation, something that symbolised “a solemn commitment to astronaut safety”, CCTV said in a report on Monday.
The logo also showed the Long March rocket and the spacecraft in a bow and arrow formation as a sign of its readiness for launch.


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Science

China’s first emergency space launch: rescue ship with repair kit reaches Tiangong

A Long March-2F rocket carrying the uncrewed Shenzhou-22 spacecraft takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in China’s northwestern Gansu province on November 25. Photo: via Reuters

Stranded Chinese astronauts return home from space station mission

Chen Dong, the commander of the Shenzhou-20 crew, waves after the crew’s return on Friday afternoon. Photo: Xinhua

Astronaut Wang Jie waves as he is carried out of the Shenzhou-21 spaceship’s return capsule after it touched down at the Dongfeng landing site on Friday. Photo: Xinhua

The landing capsule with the three astronauts at the Dongfeng landing site in China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Photo: CCTV

The astronauts make their final descent before landing at 4.40pm on Friday. Photo: CCTV

China’s Shenzhou 20 debris crisis: a catalyst for space war – or peace?

A Long March-2F carrier rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft and a crew of three astronauts, lifts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi desert, in northwest China on April 24. Photo: AFP

Astronauts in orbit greet first Thai king to visit mainland China in 800 years

Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida with one of the historic displays during their visit to the Beijing Aerospace City on Sunday. Photo: Thai Royal Office

Thailand’s King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida are welcomed to the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Centre by the astronauts on board China’s Tiangong space station, who appeared via a giant screen. Photo: Thai Royal Office

News

China

Shenzhou-22’s arrival at the Tiangong station will come as a relief for the crew after another return ship was damaged by space debris


Shenzhou-22’s arrival at the Tiangong station will come as a relief for the crew after another return ship was damaged by space debris.


Space

China's space programme

China technology