Shenzhou 16 is scheduled to launch on the 30th

On the morning of May 29th, a press conference on the Shenzhou 16 manned mission was held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China. Lin Xiqiang, Deputy Director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, introduced the relevant information of the Shenzhou 16 manned mission

On the morning of May 29th, a press conference on the Shenzhou 16 manned mission was held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China. Lin Xiqiang, Deputy Director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, introduced the relevant information of the Shenzhou 16 manned mission.

After research by the headquarters, it has been decided to launch the Shenzhou 16 manned spacecraft at 9:31 Beijing time on May 30th. The flight crew consists of astronauts Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu, and Gui Haichao, with Jing Haipeng serving as the commander. Jing Haipeng has participated in manned missions on Shenzhou 7, Shenzhou 9, and Shenzhou 11, with Zhu Yangzhu and Guihaichao both making their first flights.

This mission is the second manned space engineering mission of this year, and also the first manned flight mission in the application and development stage of the space station. It will stay for about 5 months to carry out in orbit testing of space science and application payloads, carry out astronaut extravehicular activities and cargo airlocks, install extravehicular payloads, and maintain and repair the space station.

According to the plan, after the Shenzhou 16 manned spacecraft enters orbit, it will adopt an autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking mode to dock with the radial port of the Tianhe core module, forming a three module three ship combination. During the stay in orbit, the crew of Shenzhou 16 astronauts will welcome the visit and docking of Shenzhou 17 manned spacecraft, and plan to return to the Dongfeng landing site in November this year.

At present, the status of the space station assembly and various equipment are working normally. The quality of the Shenzhou 16 manned spacecraft and the Long March 2F Yao 16 carrier rocket products is under control. The Shenzhou 16 astronaut crew is in good condition, and the ground system facilities and equipment are operating stably. All preparations before launch are ready. The crew of Shenzhou 15 astronauts returned to the ground after completing the orbital rotation mission with the crew of Shenzhou 16 astronauts.

The third batch of astronauts carried out the mission for the first time, and aerospace Flight Engineer and load experts flew for the first time

The Shenzhou-16 crew is the first crew in China's space station application and development phase, consisting of one first batch of astronauts and two third batch of astronauts. Among them, space pilot Jing Haipeng and space Flight Engineer Zhu Yangzhu are from the crew of astronauts, who are mainly responsible for directly manipulating and managing spacecraft and conducting relevant technical tests. Load expert Gui Haichao is a professor at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, mainly responsible for the in orbit operation of space science experimental loads. He has received professional training and rich operational experience in fields such as science and aerospace engineering.

Compared with the previous crew, the Shenzhou 16 crew has the following characteristics: for the first time, it includes three types of astronauts: "aerospace pilot, aerospace Flight Engineer, and payload expert"; The third batch of astronauts carried out the flight mission for the first time, which was also the first flight of aerospace Flight Engineer and load experts; Jing Haipeng is on his fourth flight mission and will become the most frequently flown astronaut in China so far. Since the establishment of the Shenzhou 16 flight crew in June 2022, three astronauts have conducted comprehensive task intensive training and preparation.

During the Shenzhou 16 flight mission, there will be two docking and evacuation returns, namely the return of the Shenzhou 15 manned spacecraft, the re docking and evacuation of the Tianzhou 5 cargo spacecraft, and the docking of the Shenzhou 17 manned spacecraft; We will carry out platform care work such as the installation of electric propulsion gas cylinders and the lifting of extravehicular cameras; We will complete the installation of external application facilities such as radiation biology exposure experimental devices, components and components external universal testing devices, and carry out large-scale in orbit experiments in multiple fields as planned. It is expected to produce high-level scientific achievements in the research of novel quantum phenomena, high-precision space time-frequency systems, and other aspects. We will also carry out space teaching activities in Tiangong Classroom.

The Shenzhou 15 crew will complete the on-orbit handover and rotation with the Shenzhou 16 crew before returning to the ground

On November 29th last year, the Shenzhou-15 spacecraft was launched into orbit. At present, the crew of Shenzhou XV astronauts has been working and living in orbit for over 180 days. All in orbit work has progressed smoothly, and they have successfully completed four outbound activity tasks, becoming the crew with the highest number of outbound tasks; It also carried out several load exit missions, carried out a number of engineering technology research, aerospace medical experiments and space science experiments (trials), covering life ecology, material science, fluid mechanics, etc., and obtained valuable experimental data.

At present, the Shenzhou-15 astronaut crew is carrying out various preparations for the entry of the Shenzhou-16 crew and the return of the Shenzhou-15 spacecraft in a tense and orderly manner. Before the Shenzhou-15 crew returns, they need to continue conducting some space science in orbit experiments, completing the collection and disposal of experimental samples, as well as the inventory and organization of downstream items before returning; After the Shenzhou 16 crew enters, the two crew members complete the on-orbit handover and rotation before returning to the ground.

Plan to achieve the first Chinese landing on the moon by 2030

Lin Xiqiang introduced that on the basis of ensuring safe and stable operation, the main tasks of China's space station application and development stage can be summarized from two aspects: "application" and "development".

In terms of application, we will make full use of the currently configured in cabin experimental cabinets and extravehicular loads of the space station, as well as facilities and equipment such as space observation telescopes, to roll out nearly a thousand scientific research and application projects, and carry out large-scale space science experiments and technological experiments; In terms of development, we will coordinate manned lunar exploration missions and develop a new generation of reusable near-Earth manned launch vehicles and spacecraft. We will also launch an extended module in a timely manner to upgrade the basic configuration of the space station from a "T" configuration to a "cross" configuration.

Lin Xiqiang introduced that the selection of the fourth batch of preparatory astronauts in China has been launched in 2022. It is planned to select 12 to 14 preparatory astronauts, including space pilots, space Flight Engineer and load experts, and select load experts in Hong Kong and Macao for the first time. As of March 2023, the selection of the primary selection stage has been completed, and more than 100 candidates have entered the selection stage. Among them, space pilots are active pilots of the armed forces, and aerospace Flight Engineer and load experts are mainly from industrial departments and colleges and universities. In particular, more than 10 candidates from Hong Kong and Macao have entered the selection stage. We plan to complete all selection work by the end of this year.

Recently, the lunar landing phase of China's manned lunar exploration project has been launched and implemented. The overall goal is to achieve the first Chinese landing on the moon by 2030, conduct lunar scientific research and related technical experiments, break through and master key technologies such as manned ground to moon round-trip, short-term lunar surface stay, and human-machine joint exploration, and complete multiple tasks such as "landing, patrol, mining, research, and return", forming an independent and autonomous manned lunar exploration capability.

To this end, the China Manned Space Engineering Office has fully launched the deployment of research, development and construction work, including the development of new generation manned launch vehicles (Long March 10), new generation manned spacecraft, lunar lander, moon landing suits and other flight products, and the related test and launch facilities and equipment of the new launch site.

Layout design: Zhang Fangman

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