By 
April 2nd, 2022
Shenzhou-13 crew.
Credit: CCTV Video News Agency/Inside Outer Space screengrab
China’s Shenzhou-13 astronauts — Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu — are preparing for their mid-April return to Earth.
The crew arrived in the core module of the in-construction Tiangong station on October 16, embarking on their six-month journey – the longest-ever duration in the country’s human spaceflight program.
China’s space station to be completed by end of 2022.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Upcoming launches
Six launches will be made this year to wrap up piecing together the Chinese space station.
- Shenzhou-14 and the Shenzhou-15 piloted missions
- Tianzhou 4 and 5 robotic cargo spaceships for refueling and resupply operations
- Two large space labs to dock with the station: Wentian, or Quest for the Heavens, and Mengtian, or Dreaming of the Heavens
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Tiangong station
Upon its completion at the end of this year, Tiangong will consist of three main components — a core module attached to two space labs — and will have a combined weight of nearly metric 70 tons. The station is scheduled to operate for 15 years in a low-Earth orbit.
Go to these recent videos that focus on preparations for the Shenzhou-13 crew to return to Earth, at:
Posted in Space News
